A Ilha da Imaginação

After watching NIM'S ISLAND, it occurred to me that Wendy Orr's children's novel would have worked much better as a Walt Disney animated feature than as a live action film with CGI effects. Animation would have provided the missing ingredient here--namely, good old-fashioned charm...and magic. The design work for the main titles led me to believe this would be an enchanting film. It wasn't.

However, with a lack of good films for children to see, I wouldn't discourage younger patrons from seeing the film. It's entertaining enough for impressionable minds to appreciate--if they can understand that the Alex Roper character is really a figment of Abigail's and Jody's imagination.

ABIGAIL BRESLIN is fine as the lonely island girl who has to fantasize about her pulp action hero and GERARD BUTLER is perfectly cast as her father (Jack) who goes missing for most of the story but is reunited with her--predictably--at the end after a savage storm. But I can't say I enjoyed watching JODIE FOSTER play a clumsy agoraphobic authoress in a series of scenes that had me wondering who else might have been better in that role. I came up with a younger Angela Lansbury, who knew how to do this sort of physical clumsiness with such skill and still remain charming. With Foster, the charm is gone and all you you get is a mannered amount of nerdy nervousness.

Lest anyone adult should fall asleep during the proceedings, not to worry. Patrick Doyle's bombastic background score, incredibly busy even during the frenzied height of the storm scenes, is enough to make anyone pop open their eyes to see what's happening.

What should have been wistful, magical, even a bit romantic, comes across as kind of brass, corny and utterly predictable nonsense with lots of credibility issues. Foster's character is among the most unbelievable characters ever created, even for a children's story.

Summing up: Has its moments and it's not all bad, but too bad Butler couldn't have had more footage. His scenes as the imaginary adventurer provide the best and most humorous moments in the whole film.

It was a cute movie. But, there were some parts that were 'too cute' to enjoy. Some of the animals used...though they were real, looked fake, cheesy, and unrealistic..like the bird.The seal was probably the most realistic acting animal and did a nice job. The lizards used in the film looked real but the the 'voices' they were given were way too cheesy and was the one thing that made them seem fake...although they got a giggle from the kids in the audience. Foster did a great job of portraying a character with agoraphobia, she hit it right on. The rest of the actors did quite well also, Breslin has proved herself to be a known name in the future. I definitely recommend this for the kids.

Nim (Abigail Breslin) and her marine biologist father (Gerard Butler) live on an island in the South Pacific. Dad's main area of study is microorganisms so this is a perfect venue for his work, in addition to being a kingdom where only the two of them rule. As Nim's mother died in an accident on the waters, it is also a good place for them to shut out the rest of the world and heal their spirits. Nim's only close friends are her beloved animals, a seal, a seabird, and a lizard. One day, father wants to make a boat trek nearby to look for a new protozoa and, for once, Nim convinces him to let her remain alone on the island. It turns out to be a bad decision, as father gets caught in a storm and can not return home at the appointed time. Nim appeals to an adventure writer named Alex Rover to come to the island and help look for her father (the island does have computer technology!) But, unknown to Nim, Alex is really Alexandra (Jodie Foster) and she is a shy agoraphobic who resides in San Francisco. Nevertheless, due to the gravity of the situation, Alex boards a plane and begins a journey to the island. Will she get there in time to save Nim and her father from destruction? On paper, this is a certain winner, for the basic premise of the movie is quite good and the undiscovered island setting is the stuff of dreams. Throw in the great threesome of Foster, Breslin, and Butler, and one could hardly ask for more, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case and it is difficult to say why, for the principal actors are quite good and the scenery is lovely. Also, there is some sly humor, as in the scene where a hula dancer is stopped in mid-wave to escape an exploding volcano! Perhaps, it is the story's inconsistencies and the slap-dash direction that are at fault, for the scenes seem put together in a mozaic that doesn't quite fit. Then, too, Butler takes on two roles, one as the father and one as the fictional alter-ego, Alex Rover, of Foster's books, with mixed results. To sum it up, the movie probably tries to do "too many things" and ends up lacking a real focus. However, it is absolutely an acceptable film for families, with enough adventure to please most age groups and a setting that is exotic and lovely beyond belief. Anyone searching for something new in the "child-friendly" category would find this one a good watch, but not a great one, alas.

(Synopsis) Nim's Island is a beautiful uncharted island located in the south Pacific, occupied only by a young girl named Nim (Abigail Breslin) and her father Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler), a research scientist studying microscopic marine organisms. Nim is an avid reader who loves to read Alex Rover adventure stories. On the island, Nim lives her life as if it were a wonderful adventure story surrounded by her animal friends, Fred the lizard, Galileo the pelican, and Selki the 300 pound seal. Jack is about to take Nim on a two day research trip looking for protozoa, but Nim begs to be left behind so she can help the hatching baby sea turtles. Jack reluctantly leaves Nim behind and sails out to sea. While he is away, Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) the author of the Rover books emails Jack to get his knowledge about volcanoes for her next book. Nim replies thinking he is the great adventurer Alex Rover. Everything goes well until a huge storm hits the island and Jack becomes lost at sea. Alone and scared, Nim emails Alex Rover asking him to come to her island and find her dad. The only problem is that Alex Rover is a woman, and she is agoraphobic and can't leave the house. Alexandra knows that this is a life or death situation and Nim needs help. Alexandra leaves the confines of her home and travels to the island to help Nim.

(My Comment) This is a family friendly movie with two story lines, Nim's story and Alexandra's story. Abigail Breslin was a delight in the title role as Nim. Kids will love Nim's animal friends, especially, the lizard named Fred. I believe kids will think lizards can really do the things this lizard does, and they will beg their parents to get them one. However, I liked the real animal hero, the pelican Galileo, who helped Jack at sea. Gerard Butler played two parts as Alex and Jack and performed them very well. Some of his scenes were so funny, that he cracked me up. Jodi Foster as a neurotic writer played her part well, but I think she was miscast. The movie had humor, adventure, an island volcano, flying lizards, and other adorable animals. The movie was made for the younger audience, and the kids will love it, and adults will enjoy it. (Walden Media, Run Time 1:35, Rated PG)(6/10)

One of the best children fantasy films that I've ever seen. I'm really surprised at how low its rating is. Its amusing and fun and promotes important values such as courage, self-reliance, and heroism. It also does a great job in exploring what it means to be a hero and shows how a person can overcome the greatest phobias and other obstacles if motivated.

I'm a bit tired of fantasy films that always end in battles. This was a film that you could show to the entire family.

The DVD has some unusually interesting deleted scene that show a different take on the story.

My congratulations to the film makers.