Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Caught the film entirely by accident on TV one day and discovered it to be a good fun adventurous yarn similar in style to Jumanji.Effectively described as Jumanji in space, the basic premise is an all powerful all knowing board game that one has to play to the end in order to undo everything it does damage wise. In Zathura the game is discovered in the basement with no back story as to how it ended up there, whereas Jumanji had a back story and suggested its chain of events had been going on for well over a hundred years. However the books suggest Zathura was found in a park and it carries on from Jumanji, though the film presents this as an entirely standalone story.The two lead boys, here a young Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo, carry the film between them easily, naturally and effortlessly. Character wise, Hutcherson and Bobo appear to both bond and wind each other up as brothers do but this relationship and their bickering and arguing becomes a key focal point later in the movie.Effects wise, much of it works pretty well, though your suspension of disbelief will get shattered if you think too hard about what's going on in the plausibility stakes, especially once the kids open the front door while they're in space, but it's fair to say there is probably more to the powers of Zathura than is let on - possibly a forcefield of some sort that allows them to breathe and for gravity to apply? Wouldn't be unusual in the context of the film, after all Zathura can't be played to completion if its players can't breathe!Is it better than Jumanji? In some ways, yes. In others, no. Jumanji was financially successful at the box office (and later rebooted) but received crap reviews, whereas Zathura flopped at the box office but received better reviews and will probably not get rebooted.In summary, I liked this. More than I was probably expecting if truth be told. Very watchable, stands up to repeat viewing and has a genuinely likeable cast to tell its story. Very well recommended.

Bad casting, lack of chemistry among the 'actors' made an interesting plot sound like a screeching chalk that never ends. The premise of two kids siblings fighting is not new, but at least make one of them sympathetic. The younger kid is a disaster at all levels. That character was not made for the actor who plays it. The astronaut is overplayed, and lacks charm or chemistry with any of the other players. The worse part about it, I kept watching it, trying to see if by a miracle this got better... and it didn't. The Outer Space Animations were spot on. THOSE deserved a better movie to be on.

If you liked the movie "Jumanji" (1995), then you will like this movie. Based on the children's book "Zathura" written by Chris Van Allsberg, the same author as the children's book "Jumanji", this movie has the same premise as the movie "Jumanji" in which children begin playing a board game, where the actions called upon by the game occur in real life. The main difference is that in this movie the game lands the children in outer space. This movie additionally focuses strongly on the theme of sibling rivalries and brotherhood. A simple movie, but fun nonetheless.

Zathura: A Space Adventure is a good movie with a reasonably well developed plot and a talented cast. It's a very fun film that takes the basic concept of Jumangi by having a board game that causes disastrous effects when being played, and is entirely unlike it in any way other than that. Instead of taking place in the real world, the characters in this movie remain at home, that is transported to space. A lot of fun characters and chaos ensues as the kids try to get their home back to earth. It is a little slow for a kids film, it tends to drag on with certain sequences a lot more than we would have expected from a Jumangi movie. It is certainly less adventure filled, being a lot more grounded, very character based. I thought the characters in this movie were developed really well, and the young actors suited the personalities perfectly. I found myself really caring for Walter, Danny and Lisa, far more than I did for the main characters in Jumangi. I thought Dax Shepard was terrific as the unnamed Astronaut, his character had an excellent arch that stretches far beyond what any of us would have expected. He serves as this movies Robin Williams, being the one who has already experienced the board game, and helping the kids win by avoiding the mistakes he made. I was very intrigued by Shepard's performance. Harmless fun from start to finish. Funny and heartwarming, Zathura: A Space Adventure is far better than I had anticipated, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good family film, genuinely enjoyable for all ages. Two young boys are transported in to space, along with their older sister, as a result of a board game that they must win in order to return home. Best Performance: Dax Shepard