Bridge to Terabithia
I first read Katherine Paterson's book in Mrs. Baham's sixth grade English class at Hillcrest Middle. I don't remember it being an all-time favorite, but it touched me quite a bit. Initially, I was excited to hear that Bridge to Terabithia was coming to the silver screen. At least until I saw the previews. Then I grew worried.
The trailers focused almost solely on the CGI-enhanced Terabithian creatures and the fantasy aspects that Paterson only described in fleeting paragraphs. So that made me concerned that Disney would turn it into The Chronicles of Narnia-lite. And that's not what the book is about at all. But Disney claimed that its marketing idea would bring kids to theatres who might not have necessarily read the book. Giving an interview on the topic, producer and co-screenwiter David Paterson (Katherine's son, on whom the main character Jesse Aarons is based) said the movie should be evaluated on its own merits, not the trailers. Can't argue with that logic.
So I finally saw it last night with Anna Kate. And I'm glad to say that the movie is a near-perfect adaptation of the book, not at all dominated by the fantasy elements. The film keeps the focus on the characters, where it should be, namely fifth-graders Jesse Aarons, a lonely farmboy with a hidden passion for art, and new-girl-in-town Leslie Burke, a charming, wide-eyed sprite with imagination coming out of her ears.
As school begins, Jesse has been training to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, which is determined during recess. It's worth noting that this is back during an era when the gender lines were sharply drawn on the playground - the boys wrestled and played with sticks while the girls played with dolls and jumped rope. All that is on display here. Still, the film supposedly takes place in 2007 instead of 1977, which is why you hear references to "downloading essays off the internet" and see Jesse's sisters watching Disney Channel's Hannah Montanna.
So the race begins, and Jesse squares off against his arch rival, Gary Fletcher, for the title. But there is a newcomer to the field of play - Leslie. And it ends with Jesse beating Gary - but losing to Leslie. When you're his age and a title such as this means the world to you, losing to the new girl makes you want to throw up.
Despite a rocky start, it isn't long before Jesse and Leslie start to bond as chums, then friends. Turns out that both of them have a similar problem in dealing with the real world. Jesse feels trapped in a family in which he is the only male child and his parents struggle with the finances. Thankfully, we aren't hammered too hard by their struggles - it's all in the details, like Jesse being forced to wear pink and white "girl" shoes to school and the father (Robert Patrick) getting all bent out of shape over a minor annoyance like an animal getting into their greenhouse. Obviously they need that food. So it makes sense that the problem is extreme for Mr. Aarons.
Leslie has trouble making friends because of her willingness to be herself when no one else will take the time to understand her. Her choice of clothes, her manner of speaking, her writing talent - she hides nothing. Her face is an open book, and she turns others off because she makes no apologies for who she is. And again, we aren't beat on the head by the fact that she is a lonely girl at heart. She washes up over at Jesse's home because her parents are busy with their next book. She cranks up the excitement when we finally meet them & introduces them to Jesse over wall-painting, clueing us in that they haven't spent much time together lately. Again, it's all in the details. What isn't told, but shown. That's the mark of a high quality film.
To escape from their harsh realities, Jesse and Leslie create the magical kingdom of Terabithia, a land crawling with grasshopper-sized winged warriors, towering trolls with the face of Janice Avery, an eighth-grade bully who extorts a dollar from kids so they can use the bathroom, and menacing hedgehogs that sound like Gary Fletcher. In this kingdom, Jesse and Leslie are the rulers. It is only accessible by swinging over a ditch on an old rope that they find. This is where all the fantasy elements come from. Thankfully, if you've seen the trailers, you've seen it all. It takes up no longer than 5-10 minutes of the movie's length, and so it isn't too distracting.
The friendship between Jesse and Leslie is where the movie shines, and actors Josh Hutcherson (Zathura) and AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) really bring this home. Their comraderie is genuine and real, even sweet at times. I have seen few movies in which there is a finer example of a true friendship like this. Their interactions snap and sparkle with all the awkwardness and wide-eyed wonder of an early adolescent age. You can't help but love these two.
As the film progresses, the children use their conquests in Terabithia to face the struggles of real life. Leslie leads a political march of kids screaming "Free the pee!" to topple Janice's tyrannical rule of the bathroom. Jesse takes up for his kid sister May Belle, and gets some payback of his own, by pairing off Gary and Janice with the help of a Leslie-influenced love note. It's also worth noting that even the tormentors are real people. Gary isn't the stereotypical bully; just an insecure kid who can't keep his mouth shut. And we learn that Janice has problems that the kids can't begin to fathom, making Jesse look at his family in a much different light.
I should warn you, though, that a major turning point happens in the latter half of the movie. If you've read the book, you know what it is. I won't spoil it here. But as entertaining as the film is prior to this event, it really earns my admiration in the latter stages. There are some very mature themes explored, but surprisingly, not a second of it feels ham-handed or overly drawn out. It feels true and authentic for the characters while stirring our heart-strings unashamedly.
Bridge to Terabithia was a return to form, the kind of movie Disney used to make all the time. Don't let the previews mislead you. First go and read the book to get an idea of what to expect. Then please see this film. You won't be dissapointed. And bring your hanky :)
Grade: A
The trailers focused almost solely on the CGI-enhanced Terabithian creatures and the fantasy aspects that Paterson only described in fleeting paragraphs. So that made me concerned that Disney would turn it into The Chronicles of Narnia-lite. And that's not what the book is about at all. But Disney claimed that its marketing idea would bring kids to theatres who might not have necessarily read the book. Giving an interview on the topic, producer and co-screenwiter David Paterson (Katherine's son, on whom the main character Jesse Aarons is based) said the movie should be evaluated on its own merits, not the trailers. Can't argue with that logic.
So I finally saw it last night with Anna Kate. And I'm glad to say that the movie is a near-perfect adaptation of the book, not at all dominated by the fantasy elements. The film keeps the focus on the characters, where it should be, namely fifth-graders Jesse Aarons, a lonely farmboy with a hidden passion for art, and new-girl-in-town Leslie Burke, a charming, wide-eyed sprite with imagination coming out of her ears.
As school begins, Jesse has been training to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, which is determined during recess. It's worth noting that this is back during an era when the gender lines were sharply drawn on the playground - the boys wrestled and played with sticks while the girls played with dolls and jumped rope. All that is on display here. Still, the film supposedly takes place in 2007 instead of 1977, which is why you hear references to "downloading essays off the internet" and see Jesse's sisters watching Disney Channel's Hannah Montanna.
So the race begins, and Jesse squares off against his arch rival, Gary Fletcher, for the title. But there is a newcomer to the field of play - Leslie. And it ends with Jesse beating Gary - but losing to Leslie. When you're his age and a title such as this means the world to you, losing to the new girl makes you want to throw up.
Despite a rocky start, it isn't long before Jesse and Leslie start to bond as chums, then friends. Turns out that both of them have a similar problem in dealing with the real world. Jesse feels trapped in a family in which he is the only male child and his parents struggle with the finances. Thankfully, we aren't hammered too hard by their struggles - it's all in the details, like Jesse being forced to wear pink and white "girl" shoes to school and the father (Robert Patrick) getting all bent out of shape over a minor annoyance like an animal getting into their greenhouse. Obviously they need that food. So it makes sense that the problem is extreme for Mr. Aarons.
Leslie has trouble making friends because of her willingness to be herself when no one else will take the time to understand her. Her choice of clothes, her manner of speaking, her writing talent - she hides nothing. Her face is an open book, and she turns others off because she makes no apologies for who she is. And again, we aren't beat on the head by the fact that she is a lonely girl at heart. She washes up over at Jesse's home because her parents are busy with their next book. She cranks up the excitement when we finally meet them & introduces them to Jesse over wall-painting, clueing us in that they haven't spent much time together lately. Again, it's all in the details. What isn't told, but shown. That's the mark of a high quality film.
To escape from their harsh realities, Jesse and Leslie create the magical kingdom of Terabithia, a land crawling with grasshopper-sized winged warriors, towering trolls with the face of Janice Avery, an eighth-grade bully who extorts a dollar from kids so they can use the bathroom, and menacing hedgehogs that sound like Gary Fletcher. In this kingdom, Jesse and Leslie are the rulers. It is only accessible by swinging over a ditch on an old rope that they find. This is where all the fantasy elements come from. Thankfully, if you've seen the trailers, you've seen it all. It takes up no longer than 5-10 minutes of the movie's length, and so it isn't too distracting.
The friendship between Jesse and Leslie is where the movie shines, and actors Josh Hutcherson (Zathura) and AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) really bring this home. Their comraderie is genuine and real, even sweet at times. I have seen few movies in which there is a finer example of a true friendship like this. Their interactions snap and sparkle with all the awkwardness and wide-eyed wonder of an early adolescent age. You can't help but love these two.
As the film progresses, the children use their conquests in Terabithia to face the struggles of real life. Leslie leads a political march of kids screaming "Free the pee!" to topple Janice's tyrannical rule of the bathroom. Jesse takes up for his kid sister May Belle, and gets some payback of his own, by pairing off Gary and Janice with the help of a Leslie-influenced love note. It's also worth noting that even the tormentors are real people. Gary isn't the stereotypical bully; just an insecure kid who can't keep his mouth shut. And we learn that Janice has problems that the kids can't begin to fathom, making Jesse look at his family in a much different light.
I should warn you, though, that a major turning point happens in the latter half of the movie. If you've read the book, you know what it is. I won't spoil it here. But as entertaining as the film is prior to this event, it really earns my admiration in the latter stages. There are some very mature themes explored, but surprisingly, not a second of it feels ham-handed or overly drawn out. It feels true and authentic for the characters while stirring our heart-strings unashamedly.
Bridge to Terabithia was a return to form, the kind of movie Disney used to make all the time. Don't let the previews mislead you. First go and read the book to get an idea of what to expect. Then please see this film. You won't be dissapointed. And bring your hanky :)
Grade: A
posted by david @ 9:34 AM
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