Bridge To Terabithia (merged) - Discussion (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

AnnaSophia was good, but I think the real unsung hero in the film is Josh Hutcherson. So much of what we feel for Leslie is what his performance projects onto her. This is the second film he's starred in that has just barreled through all my defenses, the first being Little Manhattan. The way he internalizes so much of what Jesse experiences is to his very real credit. Everything after Leslie dies is just really masterful work, as Jesse works through the various stages of grief. The way his performance increasingly acknowledges Leslie's death even as he's still in denial is a feat many adult actors would have trouble pulling off.

 

[Tim Glover]

Agree 100% Adam. My thoughts exactly. Josh was awesome and we really had to see this film thru his eyes...Wonderful stuff. Can't wait to see this again soon.

 

[Fred Bang]

I agree. This actress has the most charisma I've seen in a long time. She has a Dakota Fanning's vibe, without the freakiness. Just look at her smile when she's running against the boys. There's an absolute sense of joy conveyed there that's almost contagious.

 

[TonyD]

wife and i saw this the other day.
what a devastating film.

i knew someone dies but didnt know who and didnty guess right as to who it would be.

just an amazing film.
all young people should see this as required viewing.

too bad about how it was marketed.
no one knows what this movie really is unless you are familar with the subject beforehand.

 

[Ron68]

I saw this wednesday and was surprised at just how good it is. I didn't know much about it and never even knew there was a book, so I wasn't prepared for the impact of the death of the character. It hit me more than I expected because I really got to know and care for the characters in the movie, thanks to the performances of the actors. I think I liked this more than Pan's Labyrinth. Great movie, can't wait for the DVD.

 

[Tim Glover]

Took the family out 2nite for a movie and saw Bridge to Terabithia. My 2nd viewing and my kids 1st time.

I loved it even more and have raised my initial rating. Still heart wrenching but so well done and a beautiful film. Kids loved it and yes they used the napkins I brought for that moment, as did I.

I think Terabithia will evolve into a family classic.

9.75/10

 

[BrettB]

Yikes! Didn't see that coming. Jeeze Louise.

I guess it worked though because I was fighting back the tears the rest of the way.

What a surprising little movie.

Props on the editing which I thought was superb.

The Blu-ray looks quite nice.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I really enjoyed the movie and was glad it wasnt just another kids in a fantasy world movie.
Great performances by the kids!
I was balling by the end.

 

[JohnRice]

I also enjoyed this movie. I watched it twice. I had completely forgotten, but I started reading this book for a class back when it first was published, when the teacher came in one day, said we weren't allowed to read it for the class anymore and made us all give back our copies. I never knew if it was due to the rather mild religious themes or the tragedy, but some spineless parent went into a fit about it and forced their prejudice on the whole class.

Anyway, for those who enjoyed Terabithia, I suggest seeing The Man in the Moon. It is a bit more mature than this and while there is no literal fantasy, it has definite figurative fantasy to it. Plus, while Terabithia is a nicely made movie, it can't hold a candle to the artfulness of The Man in the Moon. Some of you know what a fan I am of it, but I haven't mentioned it in quite a while and it is highly likely anyone who enjoyed Terabithia will also enjoy it. Just be aware, the characters are a bit older and like I said, it has more mature subject matter.

 

[DaveF]

MY anniversary present this year was the DVD and an autographed movie poster (by the actors playing Jess & Aaron).

 

[Rudi]

I hope it was with your wife and the kids were not watching!!!

 

[STARKILLER1138]

Only a hand full of movies have ever choked me up, and this was one of them (I get a little choked up thinking about it now). Not at all what I expected. It turned out to be a really good movie.

 

[ZacharyTait]

I didn't sense any Christian themes in the movie either, but then again, I wasn't looking for them either. The only sense of religion I got was the church scene and I think that was put in to show that not everyone views the Bible the same way or looks at religion the same way.

While I have no problem with the third act, I wonder if it would have been better if Jess and Leslie had become high school sweethearts, gotten married, had kids and one day took their kids back to the woods and shown them Teribithia.

The acting by all of the actors were uniformly excellent, especially Josh and Anna Sophia. Josh is one of the better up and coming actors today and Anna Sophia is in the vein of Dakota Fanning in that she acts mature beyond her years.

A pleasant surprise from Disney. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

That moral question isn't heavy-handed in the book or the movie, but I daresay it's central to both. And there's no question which side Paterson came down upon.

 

[TonyD]

that idea never crosssed my mind.
it would not have been a better way to end the movie, that isnt what the movie was about.

changing the ending to be a hapy ending like that makes it a different movie.

so no, not better but a completely different mvie, altogether

 

[Jose Martinez]

This is my second favorite movie of the year so far. I watched it back when it was in the theater and I never cry at the movie theater but when I finally watched it on Blu-Ray, I let it all out.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I grew up in England so I never read the book in school like so many others did. Before this was advertised, I was not even remotely aware of its existence and neither was my wife aware of it.

Both my wife and I and our 3 kids are big fantasy film lovers (LOTR, Narnia, Harry Potter etc) so after seeing the trailers on TV and in other movies, this film was on our "to see" list.

When we finally went to see it, it was what none of us expected. I came out of the film loving it... a 10/10 film. My wife was disappointed at first, only because she was expecting a fantasy film. When the blu-ray was coming out, I bought it at the earliest possible moment, days before its release and we all watched it at home. It was only then that my wife saw just how good this film is.

My kids are 12, 10 and 8. They all loved it on second viewing.

Folks, this is not an adventure or fantasy film. This film is a "real life" drama of two kids trying to cope in their worlds. This film deals with so many real and complex issues that children have to deal with these days and since these two kids were in the same class, it was inevitable that they would find each other and become the best of friends.

I can not even read a review of this film without becoming teary eyed. The impact that it had is something that will stick with me for years to come.

The thing that makes this movie brilliant is not just the script. If this amazing script had been left in the hands of lesser child actors/actresses, it would not have been the same, not even close. The supporting cast did an amazing job in their roles including the other kids in the school.

Folks, I have to clap wholeheartedly for the 3 main characters in the film, Jesse Aarons, Leslie Burke, and May Belle Aarons (played by Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, and Bailee Madison respectively). The performances were completely real. I have to give credit to the director of the film. They must have truly been looking for the right kids to play these roles and I can only imagine the audition process involved. The performances make us identify 100% with them . These are all issues that we may have had to deal with at various points in our young (and older) lives and the fact that we identify with them only makes the pain more shocking and harder to deal with.

With 4 months left in 2007, in my mind I can safely bet that this will be the best film of the year, at least for me. As for the disk, both the audio and video are top notch. I am watching it on a 100" screen on a 6.1 setup.