Bridge to Terabithia is based on the book of the same name. I wasn’t going to watch this movie because it looked like they had totally destroyed the book in order to make a fantasy story OR they were totally mismarketing the movie. I wasn’t sure… but then I saw some reviews that confirmed that they were mismarketing it bigtime.

The most important thing to know is that this is an awesome movie for kids (and adults). It’s about good messages, its about excellent acting and characters, and its about wonder. It also about a massively heart-breaking event that will shock you and might make you have to answer uncomfortable life questions

The acting…. the boy in the movie is played by some rather generic kid actor who was also in the recent film version of How to Eat Fried Worms. The girl in the movie is awesome though – not sure who she is but she’s massively appealing and fun – not only a cool character, but an interesting actress. I looked her up and I was amazed to see she played Violet Beauregard in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where she wasn’t playing a good person. Anyhow, Robert Patrick (T1000 himself) is the boy’s dad and he’s just awesome playing a dad who is very good with his daughter but shuts down with his son… a man who is in financial problems and is doing what he can for his family but feels like life has beaten him down.

Its a great performance – understated and cold without being abusive. Zooey Deschenal plays a hippie-ish music teacher and she’s wildly appealing.

This is an excellent family film with some potential heartbreak for all. See the movie, read the book, or do both. They are both excellent.

Score: 90