I’m writing this on Saturday 11/12/05. I usually like to post reviews the night I see a movie, or the next night at the latest. But my computer is still dead, so I may have to wait until Tuesday 11/12 before I can post.
Using this unfamiliar laptop at my girlfriend’s place will probably also cause this to be a short review, even by MY standards…

Zathura is the name of a board game which when played transports the players to a whole new world…
Sound familiar?
Yep, it’s just like Jumanji, except this isn’t about lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!), but about a “space adventure”.

Because of the unnecessary disclaimer above, I’m taking no time to do any research for my review, and here the word “research” is used very loosely, as to imply I do actual research is SO wrong…
But anyway, Zathura is based on the book by Chris Von Allsburg (if the name is wrong, blame that research thing!) who also wrote Jumanji and THE POLAR EXPRESS. While I thought Jumanj was kinda cool, but laden with bad CGI, I was more interested in seeing this because it’s directed by Jon Favreau, who I think is very cool (even though I really wasn’t crazy about ELF).

Favreau did a good job with Zathura, a family sci fi flick that could have been very cheesy, but was quite nice (co-writer David Koepp probably had something to do with that). The two main characters were played well, even though the younger brother got terribly close to overdoing the innocent little boy spiel. Dax Shepard plays an astronaut in Zathura and does a great job. I haven’t seen much of this guy, but he’s pretty good. I hope he gets bigger and better roles. Tim Robbins is the only name in the flick, but his is a very small role…

I found Zathura a little slow, but overall, very enjoyable. It’s not really a special effects bonanza, but the effects are much better than I expected, and years beyond Jumanji. I saw a rumor that Jon Favreau will soon be tackling a real sci-fi flick, one with a built in audience that will not be lenient if he screws up.
I dunno, I think he’s ready!