Rating: PG
Genre:
Children's/Family
Theatrical Release: 11/11/2005(USA)
Release Date: 02/14/2006
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol/Por/KO/TH
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Flags: Watch With Your Kids, Scary Moments
Distributor/Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
An old and forgotten game develops magical powers in this
fantasy for the whole family. Twelve-year-old
Walter Budwing (
Josh Hutcherson) and his younger brother,
Danny (
Jonah Bobo), figure they're going to be in for a boring time when their father (
Tim Robbins), who was supposed to spend the day with them, is suddenly called away on business, and gives them strict orders not to leave the house.
Walter, who doesn't have much use for
Danny, is motivated by boredom more than anything else when he agrees to play a board game
Danny has found in the basement during a round of hide-and-seek. However, the boys quickly discover the space-themed game Zathura has some unusual qualities -- a roll of the dice unexpectedly launches the Budwing home into outer space, and
Walter and
Danny are suddenly fending off menacing robots, angry aliens, and showers of interstellar debris outside the Earth's atmosphere. As the boys try to figure out a way back home, they get some unexpected help from an earthling astronaut (
Dax Shepard) who has also lost his way. Based on the book by
children's author
Chris Van Allsburg -- who also wrote
The Polar Express and
Jumanji --
Zathura was directed by
Jon Favreau, the actor-turned-filmmaker who enjoyed a breakthrough success with
Elf.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
