The commercials for this movie have seemed mildly amusing at best. However, based on positive advanced word of mouth and my faith in Jon Favreau, I decided to go to a sneak preview. This was such a pleasant surprise. This avoids every mistake that was made in "Jumanji". The kids act like real kids. The humor grows out of the characters as does the suspense. The story is the point of this movie, not the (impressive) special effects. The acting is strong, the score is appropriately old-fashioned and every time you think you know exactly where the story is headed, something pops up to surprise you. Funny, suspenseful and just plain fun, this movie deserves to be seen in the theater. Don't think of it as a spin-off of Jumanji. It has as much in common with "Jumanji" as "Finding Nemo" does with "Shark Tale".
Review of Zathura: A Space Adventure
