Bridge to Terabithia

This movie isn't what the commercials say it is, and that's a good thing, said Peter Hartlaub in the San Francisco Chronicle. Bridge to Terabithia is being trumpeted for its computer-generated fantasy elements, as if it were a Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia knockoff. This heartfelt picture is built on a smaller scale. With its multifaceted characters and complex emotional arc, Bridge 'œoffers a lot of things you won't see in most children's movies, including honest dialogue, actions that have consequences, and some truly moving moments.' The movie, like Katherine Paterson's Newbery Award–winning novel, follows the friendship between two pre-teen outcasts, said Mary F. Pols in the San Jose Mercury News. A farm boy named Jess (Josh Hutcherson) meets Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb), the artsy new girl in town, and they flourish in each other's presence, creating an imaginary land called Terabithia in a forest sanctuary. The film's treatment of Terabithia is its only failing. Instead of leaving some mystery, director Gabor Csupo 'œcoats everything in unnecessary computer-generated fairy dust.' Yet the Terabithia scenes don't dilute the power of this moving story, said Steven Rea in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 'œBridge to Terabithia the movie, like the book, is buckets-of-tears sad.' But while children might sniffle, they won't be disturbed. The uplifting message about friendship and imagination will leave the whole family touched, not miserable.

Rating: PG

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