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Trailers for the screen adaptation of
Katherine Paterson's children's book Bridge to Terabithia have
advertised it as a CGI-laden fantasy, a far cry from the rich coming-of-age tale
beloved by several generations of readers. Thankfully, the misleading trailers
give way to a film that stays true to its source, using talented kid and adult
actors and a remarkable attention to detail to perfectly capture the delicate,
minute rites of passage that define growing up. And if this film feels a little
like
Pan's Labyrinth
lite, that’s not necessarily a
bad thing.
We begin when Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson), an artist and runner
from a poor, rural family, reluctantly befriends Leslie (AnnaSophia
Robb), a transplant from the big city who dresses like a punk rocker
and couldn't care less who thinks she's a freak. Jess resents Leslie
at first for beating him in a race at school, but he eventually
succumbs to her charm and limitless imagination.
The two explore the woods near their homes and Leslie creates a
fictional world called Terabithia, in which the menacing figures in
their lives (from the school bully to Jess' strict father) are
transformed into CGI giants, ogres and big bad rodents. The fantasy
scenes are standard stuff but brief, as much more screen time is
devoted to the everyday occurrences in Jess' life. He deals with the
class jerks, develops a crush on his gorgeous music teacher (a
luminous Zooey Deschanel), and tries to understand his relationship
with his parents as he begins the halting process of growing up.
Only in Terabithia, where Leslie encourages his artistic talent and
imagination, is Jess able to escape from it all and make sense of
the confusions of adolescence.
Director Gabor Csupo, who defined a generation of Nickelodeon
watchers with his "Rugrats" and "Aaah! Real Monsters" series, brings
a similar kid-friendly touch to the film. There may be one pop
montage too many, but Csupo nails the important details of
childhood, like the indignity of trying to avoid but also having to
stick up for your little sister, and the secrets that turn bullies
into bullies to begin with. He is assisted by Michael Chapman's lush
photography of the New Zealand countryside (standing in for the
book's rural Virginia), and screenwriters Jeff Stockwell and David
Paterson (son of the author), who effectively maintain the book's
matter-of-fact delivery.
Robb and Hutcherson are both up to the challenge of their roles,
though Robb, who looks like an elfin Keira Knightley, seems far too
pretty and worldly to be the class tomboy. All the kids in
supporting roles perform admirably, particularly seven-year old
Bailey Madison as Jess' younger sister May Belle, and Lauren Clinton
as über-bully Janice Avery. Robert Patrick is especially excellent
as Jess' dad, and he and Hutcherson effectively capture the awkward
period in which a father has to help his son turn into a man, even
if neither is ready for it.
The heartbreaking end of the story is well remembered by anyone who
read the book, and won't be spoiled here, but it is where Bridge to
Terabithia truly lifts itself above most kids' movies. It makes
clear that CGI battles, in Terabithia or elsewhere, aren't what have
the power to blow children away; it's simple human drama, played
beautifully, that leaves kids staring in wonder and adults wiping
their eyes. A note for parents: The sad ending is not graphic, but
for younger kids may invite some tough questions on the ride home.
What's most remarkable about Bridge to Terabithia is how, even
though it is ostensibly set in the present, it feels like a period
piece. Kids are given free run of the woods to explore, and have no
more after-school commitments than a footrace. It's a kind of
freedom many kids today will never know, but one that, as the movie
makes beautifully clear, is completely necessary in order to survive
childhood. For anyone who ever had a tree house or a fort made of
pillows, or for anyone who wishes they did, Bridge to Terabithia
sparks the imagination as much as the land of Terabithia itself.
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