DVD
REVIEW: NIM'S ISLAND
08/03/08
SYNOPSIS: Anything can happen on NIM’S ISLAND, a
place where imagination runs wild and adventure rules. Here,
a feisty young girl named Nim (ABIGAIL BRESLIN), surrounded
by her exotic animal friends and inspired by legends and
books, leads an amazing tropical existence that mirrors that
of her favorite literary hero: Alex Rover, the world’s
greatest adventurer. When her island is threatened she
reaches out to her hero for help
But what Nim doesn’t know
is that the acclaimed author of the Rover books is, in fact,
Alexandra Rover (JODIE FOSTER), a retiring, fainthearted
recluse locked away in a big city apartment. Now, as
Alexandra nervously ventures forth into the world and Nim
faces the biggest challenge of her exciting young life, they
must both draw courage from the fictional gallantry of Alex
Rover,and find strength in one another to save Nim’s Island.
REVIEW: Many of us
would enjoy the thought of having our own secret hideaway.
Such is the reality of Nim (Abigail Breslin) and her marine
biologist father Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler) whose secret
hideaway is an uninhabited island in the middle of the
Pacific. In their case, it’s not only their secret hideaway,
it’s also the only home Nim can remember. Purposely living
on this secluded island for reasons of scientific research
also means that they maintain some connection to the
inhabited world. They receive necessary supplies, books, and
equipment every once in a while via a ship that passes near
the island which they go out to meet in their own boat. So
they are not exactly roughing it completely. One of their
more difficult tasks is maintaining their secret island home
a secret. Nim passionately helps to protect this secret.
This movie was not exactly what I was expecting. I wouldn’t
call it bad, I just thought it was going to be better. The
acting was pretty good due to the talented cast. The story
and dialogue, on the other hand, were cute but childish. I
thought this movie would appeal to adults just as much as to
children but it seems to be geared more for children and the
pre-teen crowd. At certain points it seemed long and almost
boring.
Abigail Breslin is as bright as the sunshine on the island.
It is always a pleasure to watch her work. Even in this
simple story she brings out a strong yet loving character
who is quite independent for her age. The moviegoer becomes
inevitably attached to her. She is a big fan of Alex Rover
adventure novels that have a main character of the same
name. Alex Rover is an Indiana Jones type character able to
get out of any bind. His motto is to “be the hero of your
own life story.” Alex Rover the author, however, played by
Jodie Foster, is held prisoner in her own home by a strong
case of agoraphobia, the fear of the outdoors; contradictory
to her character to say the least. Jodie Foster playing this
somewhat comical role looks a little out of place, but
still, it’s Jodie Foster. Gerard Butler was the weakest link
in this chain with a dual role as Nim’s father as well as
Ms. Rover’s fictional character, Alex Rover, who would
appear to Alexandra, the author, every now and then to try
and bring out whatever courage she might have left. His
performance was decent but the least convincing of the big
three. Maybe I’m still under the influence of 300.
As you can imagine, the cinematography was fresh and
tropical for the island scenes. There was an interesting use
of special visual effects in the transition from one
location to another. My 13-year-old daughter, however,
commented that some of the animals used in the film looked
fake. I agree, but it doesn’t really hurt the film. This is
a directorial debut for Jennifer Flackett and a second go
around for Mark Levin. They both helped with the screenplay
also as they both have writing experience and have worked
together before in writing capacities. Not a bad job with
this project assuming that it’s targeting the younger
audience.
Film
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
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VIDEO:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English
5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish/French Dolby Surround
Subtitles - English Spanish - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Nim’s Friends”:
In this featurette
Abigail Breslin talks about how it was to work with the
animals on the set (6:18)
"Abigail’s Journey":
This is another short featurette where the directors talk
about how they when about selecting Abigail Breslin for the
role og Nim (6:45)
"Working on Water":
This is another short featurette on how the water scenes
were created (6:07)
Deleted Scenes:
A total 3 long deleted running 15 minutes and 43 seconds.
With the scene "Imaginary Characters" being the best of the
three. (15:43)
Adventure Commentary with
Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin
Commentary with Directors
Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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