The two stars AnnaSophia
Robb (who you may recognize from 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory) and Josh Hutcherson are markedly phenomenal and embody
Paterson’s characters with such authenticity and sincerity
that your eyes will be glued to the screen. You feel for these characters,
relate to them and recognize their reasoning. Their adolescent imaginations
are inspirational and memorable, as they realize that conceiving
a fictitious world to govern is a harmless escape from reality that
fuels their creativity and happiness. Several of the other characters,
including their classmates and Josh’s father (Robert Patrick,
the T-1000) are properly stereotypical; we see every familiar niche
from school, including the bullies, the cool kids, and the nerds.
These patterned figures enhance our understanding for Leslie and
Jess, solidify their outsider stances, and justify nearly all of
their actions. Zooey Deschanel plays Miss Edmunds, the music teacher,
who classically and humorously creates a love triangle for Jess.
Entranced by his teacher, and later blaming himself for inconsiderately
trying to spend time with her as opposed to Leslie, this innocent
crush adds to the realism of the 11-year-old’s mindset.
In the film, Leslie dubs their imaginary kingdom “Terabithia”
which is supposedly a made-up name devised on the spur of the
moment. However, one of the aspects the film leaves out, probably
to avoid any comparisons to the incredibly popular Chronicles
of Narnia, is that Leslie has read and enjoyed Narnia and other
C.S. Lewis stories, and designs her kingdom around the ground-rules
set forth in those books. One of Lewis’ stories contains
an island named Terebinthia, which Leslie purportedly would have
subconsciously borrowed when naming the magical land. (There is
also a tree found in the bible called a terebinth tree, so Lewis
may not have been all that original either.)
For anyone who has read the novel and enjoyed it, this film is
an amazingly faithful adaptation, and will certainly appeal to
those existing fans. More interestingly though, will be the reactions
of newcomers who are not yet familiar with the events of the story.
It’s difficult to discuss the film without giving away major
plot points, and ironically the filmmakers sent out publications
and press kits with written pleas to journalists not to give away
those monumental details. The story is well worth reading, and
the movie well worth watching, targeting families and more specifically
elementary school students. My advice is to simply see the film
for yourself, as it is loaded with thought-provoking themes and
morals that may be difficult to discuss and easier to watch through
the use of this revelatory visual delight.
- Mike Massie
