This lightweight bit of fluff actually has a bit more substance than I expected, but nearly enough mass to bog it down. On the surface, it's a kid-empowerment movie. Nim, the nine year old girl, is adventurous, interested in everything, and fiercely self-reliant. Alex (that's Alexandra, much to the surprise of people expecting a male Alex) is too timid to open the front door, and gets carsick before the car even starts moving. Nim is fearless and Alex is omniphobic. Still, once their friendship forms, Alex overcomes her fear of everything but her shadow to help Nim when disasters leave her alone, hurt, and frightened.The two main characters balance beautifully. Nim is yound and bold, by nature, but still a little girl who gets scared when truly scary things happen. Alex embodies timidity, but has a core of mousy bravery that rises to the occasion. Nim lives in the world of Alex's adventure stories, which turn real around her as she reads them; Alex lives with the characters she writes, too, but has a much more argumentative relationship with them. A few other things come across nicely, too: the pervasive love of reading, nearly lost in today's media-mad world, and the image of scientist-geek as loving, strong, and physically competent. The girl-power message is there too, without being exclusive or overbearing. And despite a positive view of science, Nim brings a touch of magic, too.
I might not remember this one a week from now, but it's great entertainment for any kid in your life (with a very few slightly scary moments). If you have a rainy afternoon, have a blast.
-wiredweird
Again, Amazon has done a nice job summarizing the film, so not much of that here. This is just a special film to me because I just love how this family friendly film intertwines fantasy, adventure, relationships and love into one clever package. Gerard Butler does terrific double duty as Abigail Breslin's father and Jodie Foster's alter ego who gives her the courage to face her fears to save Breslin who has been separated from her father on their island, which has been "invaded" (another clever storyline). Foster must get over her fear of the outside world in order to get to Breslin's character on that isolated island and those moments when she battle with herself and her alter ego (Bulter) are the show stopping moments for me.
The films sparkles with originality and heart. I was delighted by the performances and left smiling when the closing credits ran. This film may not delight all though. It is an awkward mix and bounces around wildly as if the writer and director had forgotten to take their A.D.D. medications, but for some, like me, that is the charm of this film, but for others, that can grate on one's nerves. It's a matter of taste.
Although just a bit too uneven at times, I completely enjoyed this film.My three children have all read Nim's Island at some point and loved it so we decided to check out the movie and purchased it for Christmas this year. I should clarify this review is based on our love of the book, which is short and could have easily been made into a movie without changing it. Well, Hollywood was lucky (or unlucky) enough to get the wonderful Jodi Foster and Gerard Bulter (who are both great), however, it ended up causing them to change the story completely to "satisfy" the big names. While the book focuses on Nim's life on the island (her daily routines and getting food etc), her relationship with the animals and her relationship with Alexandra via email, the movie does none of those things. It instead, focuses on the big stars of Jodi Foster and Gerard Butler and creates a dialogue between her character Alex Rover (Butler) and the extra-reclusive Alexandra (Foster). I don't think they had much of a choice landing such big stars, they had to use them but it totally changes the story in the book. The most endearing aspect of the book is the wonderful relationship of Nim and Alexandra via email and Nim and her animals. Those relationships are diluted down and lose all potency as we are forced to endure the Alexandra's (Foster) agoraphobia/social anxiety disorder and have Nim endangering her animals by flinging them in a catapult? What? I am not an animal expert but I would consider flinging your "pet" a hundred yards in a wok-catapult is abuse! So in summary this has the characters of the book but doesn't follow the story there. Nothing is the same as the book save for the very beginning and the very, very end. So if you are looking for a cute story and nice acting but don't expect this to follow the story then it is worth watching, as for us, we wanted the book relationships not a study on the psychology of overcoming agoraphobia! I was going to list all the differences of the book versus movie but it would be everything! They even changed Trop Tourists and their interesting hats to Buccaneers and gave their unlikable tourists a lot of screen time. Too bad really. Hope that helps!
Read Best Reviews of Nim's Island (2008) Here
Anything can happen on Nim's Island, a magical place ruled by a young girl's imagination. It is an existence that mirrors that of her favorite literary character, Alex Rover the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra, the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city. When Nim's father goes missing from their island, a twist of fate brings her together with Alexandra. Now they must draw courage from their fictional hero, Alex Rover, and find strength in one another to conquer Nim's Island. If you have any children or the child you once were still lives inside you somewhere, then you should definitely see Nim's Island. Wonderful Little Kid Big Kid Movie.Want Nim's Island (2008) Discount?
This is one of my favorite movies. I viewed it at the theater when it was first released and ordered it when it was released on DVD. It's a wonderful family movie with lots of laughs and beautiful scenery.Save 50% Off
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