Bridge to Terabithia on DVD (2007)

Suspend your disbelief

Billy from Edinburgh, Scotland [Highly rated reviewer] , 17/05/2007

Hands Up Please for all those of you who think that Bridge to Terabithia is a fantasy graphic adventure set in a fairy-tale land stumbled upon by two children with vivid imaginations.

Almost all of you, I thought so. That’s what Disney wanted you to think, you see; that’s the way they marketed it. Don’t worry, I fell for it too. I was ready for interesting fantasy characters and great world-changing battles. Didn’t happen though, did it?

But that’s just Disney playing at being multinational conglomerates and trying to rip the money from people’s pockets any which way they can, we can’t blame them for that, can we? Luckily their hoodwink tactics have no bearing on the writing and the production of this movie; and even those of us who have been duped into the big comfy armchairs with our large salted popcorn and large sugar water get to enjoy a good two hours of old-fashioned family entertainment, complete with a message from the heart and an overwhelming sense of spirit.

This entire film gives you the feel of an eighties Disney movie: family relationships, fantastical happenings, emotional awakenings - you know the stuff, the same feeling you used to get from watching the Littlest Hobo or for some, Highway to Heaven. This is no big surprise as the story comes from a 1977 book of the same name. A lot of people knew this before they entered the theatre and therefore knew what to expect. Silly me.

The book follows the same plot as our film, which takes place in the real world and concerns the newborn friendship between Jess and Leslie. Jess is an artist and Leslie is a story-teller, so when they start to get along it blossoms into a flurry of imaginative activity very quickly and they are soon off fighting the Dark Lord in their magic kingdom. This kingdom is not like Oz or Narnia however, but consists merely of some scary looking trees, a few rogue squirrels, some evil crows and a tree house. The use of imagination is strongly suggested by our characters and the computer visuals are kept limited by the production team, making it firmly understood that what we are dealing with here are real people and real situations. This is vital to the plot as Jess and Leslie use their time and experience in their fantasy world to good effect when they are faced with similarly difficult situations at school and at home. Through the confidence and trust they are building with each other they start to overcome all of their other demons.

You may by now be thinking to yourself, ‘Well, that’s a bit tame isn’t it?’ and sure enough this is not your frills, spills, superfluous sells, kind of affair; but just wait for the kicker at the end of the story. Watch the children’s burgeoning relationship flourish with unexpected enthusiasm and joy; marvel at the wonder and contentment of a partnership that knows freedom and expression which gives birth to happiness; then watch what happens next and tell me that you’re not more affected than all of the other Harry wizards, Spider heroes garbage. Tell me then what kind of stories we should be giving our children.

After the initial disappointment of Bridge to Terabithia not being what I thought it was going to be, it showed itself to be a very thoughtful, intelligent, incisive movie which used it’s best talents to best effect to realise the vision appropriate for the style of plot and themes. The acting was excellent by both young leads, helping you to believe in the magic of the imagination. The situations were realistically drawn in the real world and wonderfully realised in Terabithia. The feeling of the themes hit home bang on target, affecting me in the cinema and staying with me afterwards. Beside Lady in the Water this stands out as the best story-telling fantasy in recent years.

Take your kids to see it and then talk to them about it afterwards.

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conned!

A customer from newcastle upon tyne , 16/10/2007

took kids to cinema to see this film, felt cheated as the trailers hype this up as a 'Fantasy'. Very boring and the only fantasy you see is actually what is in the trailer. It's only a shame trading standards can't prosecute for the complete lie the selling point of this film is! Could i have my money back?

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Highly recommended

A customer from Solihull, West Midlands , 08/05/2007

I took my 11 year old daughter to see this film thinking it would be the usual half term family fayre but was more than pleasantly surprised. It was much better than anticipated and grabbed my attention right from the start. Thankfully the film was not taken over too much by computer wizardry but left to the excellent performances of the 2 lead characters played by Josh Hutcherson (RV) and Anna Sophia Robb (Because of Winn Dixie) making it a more believable and convincing story. It was a story of imagination and friendship and dealt with the sensitive issue of bullying with a humorous touch. There was a jaw dropping twist towards the end which literally made me gasp. It was a film that left me and my daughter thinking about it long after we had gone home.

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This film is not what it appears to be.

A customer from UK , 06/06/2007

When I took my children to see this movie I expected it to be a fantasy film similar to that of Narnia or Harry Potter. However as the movie progressed I discovered that it was something altogether different. The movie was more of a testament to the trials and tribulations of childhood and broached such topics as bullying, bereavement and the relationships between parent and child. There were some fantasy elements to the movie but these were presented as an audience eye view into the imagination of the two main characters. In some respects this was a very clever movie because it was able to present the subject matter in such a way as to be accessible to a younger audeince, even my four year old sat still throughout the film. I highly recommend this movie but I also recommend that you veiw it without expectation to gain full appreciation.

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conned!

A customer from newcastle upon tyne , 16/10/2007

took kids to cinema to see this film, felt cheated as the trailers hype this up as a 'Fantasy'. Very boring and the only fantasy you see is actually what is in the trailer. It's only a shame trading standards can't prosecute for the complete lie the selling point of this film is! Could i have my money back?

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Wll there be a sequel?

A customer from Stockport , 29/11/2007

Unless you have read the book, of the same name, you may well be enticed into assuming this is an altogether fantasy film - like Narnia. As you may already have read in other reviews.

It is a lovely film which deals with real life issues for school children - such as bullying, friendships, peer pressure, 'fitting in', how home life and parents can affect a childs personality, confidence and shape their social skills.

Jess is an artistic, sensitive and subdued teenager who feels somewhat unappreciated and unnoticed by his hardworking and down to earth, practical father, particularly. Who seems to take more time out with his daughters; especially younger sister, Mabel. Jess' escapism is drawing whenever, wherever he can.

Leslie is the new girl in his 5th Grade class (and also a close neighbour for this rural lad.) She is an only child. Her parents are writers, affectionate and open and she is let alone as a free spirit when their engrossed in their work. She, however, has acquired their fictional imagination and together the young teenagers forge a wonderful friendship which blossoms into an imaginative world across the creek.

I had expected more fantasy and special affects but in the end it was'nt a problem, as it soon became clear what the film was really addressing. My children really enjoyed it and it was good to let them know, through this film, that 'individualality' makes you who you are and you don't have to follow your peers view of the world just to 'fit in.'

What a shame all children who have bullying problems can't find a magical place to escape to - open their minds to future possibilities. We all need escapism from day-to-day life and this film focuses on this through a peephole.

I would'nt expect a very young child to grasp this films storyline but 7+ upwards would.

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