Visually pleasing, dramatically unsatisfying

In an era dominated by children's fantasy movies containing special effects that overwhelm instead of enhance, Bridge to Terabithia is a unique movie that celebrates the virtues of imagination, friendship and family. The marketing campaign for Bridge to Terabithia appeared to suggest the film would be just another juvenile fantasy film ala Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter. Not that the trailers implied something particularly bad - as a fantasy flick for the children you could do worse - but there was a distinct impression that we'd seen it all before. Given that I absolutely abhor the Harry Potter series and was lukewarm towards the first Narnia movie, the concept of Bridge to Terabithia wasn't exactly agreeable. Only those familiar with Katherine Paterson's 1977 novel of the same name knew these initial impressions were false.

As it turns out, Bridge to Terabithia doesn't deliver fantasy yarn with mythological creatures and magic. As an alternative the film offers a story of youths struggling to cope with unforgiving realities by absconding into the realm of imagination. It's infused a lot of heart, and it touches on serious issues. While being marred by numerous script banalities and occasionally preposterous clichés, it could've been far worse.

Jesse Aarons (Hutcherson) resides in a semi-rural community with his poor family. He's the only boy in a family of girls, and the children at school frequently bully him. Suffering from the merciless torment of bullying at school and an irritating family, Jess retreats into the world of his drawings to find solace. During his summer break Jess trains to be the fastest runner at his school. Upon the commencement of school he loses a "boys only" race to a new girl named Leslie (Robb). Despite their awkward introduction, the two begin bonding and realise they have much in common. Leslie opens a new world of imagination for Jess. Together they conceive the secret magical kingdom of Terabithia in the woods behind their homes. This imaginary kingdom (in which Leslie and Jess dub themselves king and queen) functions as a haven to escape the troubles of their mundane school lives. As life begins to look up for the two kindred spirits, reality intrudes.

Authors like C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling may write their novels about youngsters, but they also intend for their work to reach an adult audience. Katherine Paterson wrote Bridge to Terabithia aimed at children mainly as a coping mechanism for her son David (who wrote the first draft of the screenplay for this filmic adaptation in addition to acting as a producer). Keep this in mind, and Bridge to Terabithia works on its own terms for the first three quarters. It offers valuable lessons about the power of friendship and handling problems without resorting to violence. It also teaches lessons about growing up, about coming of age, the significance of family and the need for dreams. It's a kiddie flick more reliant on realism as opposed to pure fantasy.

But the film faithfully follows the novel, meaning it ends with a tragedy. Said tragedy is a shocking and powerful reminder of life's unfortunate ironies. Nevertheless, both the book and novel spend their first three quarters establishing a sweet story told in a delightful juvenile tone. The ending seems like a cheap, manipulative gimmick designed primarily to wrench a quick, emotional response from its audience and avoid the clichés. The film could have been fun for the whole family, but it touches on countless issues aimed more at adults. Financial trouble at home, not living up to one's father's expectations, and so on. Children won't even want to think about this...they'll want special effects and mythical creatures of which there is precious little.

Adult issues aside, Bridge to Terabithia may work for children. For aging teenagers and adults, however, the overuse of clichés is painfully obvious. All characters are stereotyped, leading to a series of predictable and childish events. Jess is constantly bullied at school. Yet he seems like a normal, handsome young kid of regular intelligence and athleticism. Why is there any reason for him to be bullied? It doesn't make sense for the school kids on the bus to ridicule Jess as being a farm boy when the bus is picking them all up from the countryside. Everything at Jesse's school is also preposterously clichéd. The school is shown as a pristine place of higher learning, full of horrible little cretins that appear to bully for the sake of bullying. The English teacher (Wolfe) is a tyrant. The music teacher (Deschanel) is attractive and fun, doing nothing but allowing the kids to join in joyful songs without much learning happening. The school bus driver is a freakish idiot. The school yard isn't even supervised! It isn't possible for bullies to charge admission to students trying to use the toilet without the school personnel realising or being informed. Pranks are played by the main characters, which frankly seems to defeat the message the film tries to convey so frequently. 50% of the film's middle section is based around these absurd conventions. It also continues to bog with repetitive conversations and sub-plots leading no-where that fill up space (such as the animal in the greenhouse and Jesse's crush on his music teacher).

Beautiful New Zealand locations are utilised for the film to gestate within. Director Gabor Csupo is perhaps largely recognised for his Rugrats empire. He handles the material competently. The atmosphere is particularly masterful. There's wonderful music courtesy of composer Aaron Zigman. The film is also extraordinarily shot by Michael Chapman who has twice been nominated for an Oscar (he worked on Raging Bull, for example). Peter Jackson's WETA Digital was responsible for the effects. The special effects wizardry is quite incredible to behold.

In terms of visuals, the film is very appealing. However, the mythical creatures too often mix into the real world too unbelievably. The results are baffling and disjointed. Case in point: how can an imaginary flying creature pick up Leslie? Another example: as Jess falls from the top of a tree, he's saved by a troll who catches him before he hits the ground. Erm...how can something in your imagination stop you from hitting the ground and succumbing to injury? Yes, they are just playing and imagining, but the line between reality and imaginary is too blurred and ambiguous. In addition, actually showing us what the kids are imagining detracts from the imagination of the novel. It'd be fine if the creatures made no contact with the kids, but how are we supposed to believe the intimate interaction? The film sits on the uncomfortable line between all-out fantasy and all-out drama. This mishmash of the two is fairly original, but the management of the material is incredibly poor.

Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb both turn in fabulous performances. As the film descends into tediousness and cheesiness, both Hutcherson and Robb manage to keep the film afloat. Robb is particularly stunning. After her irritating performance in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory one would never expect her to exude such charm and credibility. It's a pleasure to watch this young actress. Robb seems poised to become one of Hollywood's next great child stars. Knowing how to portray Leslie's shrewdness and exclusivity as inadvertent, incidental, or even unwitting, Robb is perfect as the kind of girl who can always beat the boys at sport...and they would still love her for it.
The underused supporting cast are also excellent. Robert Patrick is a particular stand-out. He's a realistic father figure and a focused performer. Also being featured is the beautiful Zooey Deschanel as the fun music teacher. Her character is stereotyped, but she handles her role with great skill. Young Bailee Madison also provides an admirable performance.

Overall, I enjoyed Bridge to Terabithia: aesthetically pleasing imagery, fine performances and only a slight dependence on computer effects. It doesn't rely on primitive humour (i.e. fart gags) to entertain, nor does it turn into an all-out fantasy spectacle. It's a simple story illustrating that the best escape from a less-than-ideal reality is through imagination and dreams. In broad strokes, the film recalls elements of Heavenly Creatures, Pan's Labyrinth and My Girl whilst being distinctively different at the same time. There are severe script troubles, but the first three quarters of the movie are destined to please the entire family. The final quarter is disappointing; nevertheless it'll at least please enthusiasts of the book who are seeking faithfulness to the source material.