Bridge to Terabithia

I am probably not going to be the first or the last to have expected this movie to be just another commercial fantasy movie like The Chronicles of Narnia or Peter Pan. The trailer even looked like it was going to be just that. However, this really was not any kind of a rip-off – Bridge to Terabithia is an original movie that does not copy anything else and does not try to be what it really is not. The cast is excellent, especially AnnaSophia Robb, who seems to be a very talented actress. Josh Hutcherson is also good at evoking emotions (especially at the end) and Robert Patrick makes a great daddy-terminator. A very decent movie for kids over twelve, however, I do not know if younger kids could handle the terribly sad emotional ending. (07/21/2008)

I told myself that it would be nice to watch a nice fairytale story again. Well, that's exactly what I got. A beautiful fairytale story where reality intertwines with the incredible, similar to the movie "Big Fish". It certainly doesn't reach the quality of Burton's brilliant film "Terabithia", but the child actors' performances are what really hold it together. The imagination aspect is not that great, but still, it's supposed to be a child's imagination, so it can have its limitations. The film tries to shock with one big moment, which it succeeds in, but the consequences for the heroes are not that significant. It's true that I wanted a happy ending, but I'm glad that something similar didn't happen. Don't show it to children, they could be very sad. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/04/diar-milovnika-filmu-c-005-reziser.html (02/15/2013)

Don't expect any Chronicles of Narnia or anything like that. The Bridge to Terabithia approaches fantasy from a completely different perspective than we are used to. We do meet cute monsters, mysterious giants and a fairytale world, but it all happens against the backdrop of the real life of two children who don't have it easy. At first I was rather looking around and impatiently waiting for something in the style of Narnia, but the director had a completely different intention and built the film on an imaginative blend of reality and rich children's fantasy, and he did it almost perfectly within the limits of his possibilities. And the final half an hour with a slightly depressing touch completely got me, the story was building up nicely and I was even quite soft. A classic Disney flick, but delivered in a completely different (and great) way. (07/07/2012)

I have a huge weakness for films that celebrate the human imagination, a capacity I never want to lose. And Bridge to Terabithia is an ode to the imagination. It truthfully shows how powerful it can be, and why one should never stop dreaming, and demonstrates this through a sympathetic, funny and moving story. However, I don't give the film full stars for two reasons: The first is the digital effects, which, although decent (Weta is Weta), are completely unnecessary. Not only is their use not very logical (two people imagine the same non-existent things in exactly the same way?), but they also "rob" the viewer of his imagination, which he doesn't have to engage because of all the digi-creatures being served up. The second reason is the ending, a really beautiful climax to the story, but one in which I was missing an important thing - for the two of them to meet again, or at least see each other from afar. It would be possible in Terabithia. (04/09/2012)

The theme is essential and the basic idea that friendship and human imagination can overcome many problems and beautify the surrounding world is undoubtedly truthful and deeply human. However, I have a problem with the execution, which seems template-like, emotionally calculated (especially the ending), and directorially conventional. I was also not satisfied with the cast, especially the children - not that the children acted outrightly badly, but their performers lacked charisma. Last but not least, I also disliked the level of special effects, although that is something I usually do not pay attention to. Overall impression: 50%. (01/31/2009)