It sounds strange to call a science fiction movie a throwback to the past, but that’s the best way to describe Zathura, a somewhat stale film based on a picture book by Chris Van Allsburg.

      The opening credits establish a retro feel by combining graphics reminiscent of old science fiction magazines with close-ups of moving parts from mechanical contrivances of the same vintage. In the film itself, a renegade robot, the alien spaceship, and the aliens themselves all have more in common with ’50s B movies than with the sleek SF films of today.

      That’s appropriate, though, because all of the sci-fi elements emerge from a mechanical board game of approximately that period.  This key plot element contributes to the sense of déjà vu, but not in a good way – the film’s plot tracks almost precisely with 1995’s Jumanji, also based on a Van Allsburg book.

      As a book, Jumanji won a Caldecott medal; Zathura was a less original and altogether less interesting sequel that garnered no significant awards.  The relative quality of the source books is reflected in the two films. Ironically, those who have not seen Jumanji will likely enjoy Zathura more than those who have. 

      In itself, Zathura is entertaining enough, with more than a few adrenaline-producing scary moments and some tension-relieving humor, along with an earnest message about defusing corrosive jealousy. But in comparison to its predecessor, Zathura is a pale replica, with less capable acting, weaker cinematography (with one important exception), and not an ounce of originality in its plot.

      Like Jumanji, Zathura initially sets up an intra-family conflict – in this case, a nasty sibling rivalry between 6-year-old Danny (Jonah Bobo) and 10-year-old Walter (Josh Hutcherson).  They compete for the attention of their dad (Tim Robbins) and engage in psychological warfare with each other.

      In the course of one of these sibling battles, Danny discovers a space game, “Zathura,” in the basement of the family’s shabby old house.  Walter refuses to play, saying it looks “dumb and old,” so Danny starts in by himself.

      When Danny draws a card warning of a meteor shower, meteors pelt through the roof and the boys discover their house has evidently been launched into space.  As in Jumanji, the fantasy action of the game is replicated in the “real world,” and a reluctant player is forced to join the game because the only hope of survival is to get to the end.

      Here the threats fit the science-fiction setting.  In addition to the meteor shower, the children have to deal with a “cryonic chamber” which freezes their sister (Kristen Stewart) for several moves, a defective robot who tries to kill them, a too-near approach to a massive planet that threatens to crush them with its gravity, and two separate attacks by hungry, lizard-like Zorgon pirates.

      Fortunately, they also rescue an astronaut (Dax Shepard) who has been trapped in the game for 15 years.  Like the Robin Williams character from Jumanji, the astronaut has developed the survival skills to guide the children and himself to a safe termination, along with a resolution of Danny and Walter’s sibling rivalry.

      Besides the derivative plot, Zathura is afflicted with poor-quality cinematography in the “ordinary” household scenes, which often appear slightly out of focus, and with a cast that, while competent, cannot measure up to the all-star group that made Jumanji.

      The film does impress with stunning images of outer space. From the first time Danny opens the front door to reveal their house floating just outside the rings of Saturn, every exterior shot of the house floating through the galaxy is majestic and awe-inspiring.  These images, alas, are not enough to lift the movie above its stale, recycled premise. 

 This review appeared in the Aberdeen American News on November 17, 2005.

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