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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