How the best sci-fi family film of the 2000s crashed and burned and is still worth watching
From Drew Dietsch
| Updated
Controversial statement: Science fiction shouldn’t just be for adults. Children love science fiction and should see lots of films and television shows that explore and celebrate the genre without dumbing it down based on the age of the target audience. In the 2000s, a film tried to do just that, but failed at the box office and to this day doesn’t get the full recognition it deserves. We hope to change that.
Zathura: A Space Adventure was pretty much doomed from the start. Based on a book by Jumanji There was a lot that stood in the way of author Chris Van Allsburg and director Jon Favreau’s science fiction take on the “board game comes to life” concept. It would never get a fair shake, it was immediately buried at the box office and largely forgotten.
Twenty years later, it’s time to admire this clever children’s film for what it is: a fantastic adventure story that goes beyond being considered the best entry in the world Jumanji franchise, but as an outstanding film in its own right.
How Zathura: A Space Adventure came to be
Jon Favreau was the success of the family Christmas comedy Eleven. With a film intended for all audiences, he had shown how stylish and sharp he could be. To make his decision Zathura was an attempt to show how he can once again handle material of all ages with his typical wit and charm. This time he would take special effects and genre storytelling to an even higher level.
Zathura is characterized by these elements. Favreau insisted on using as many practical effects as possible. He hired Stan Winston Studios – who would also be working on Favreau’s next small film. Iron Man – to create the lizard-like antagonists, the Zorgons. These creatures are simply magnificent.
As CG became the norm for creature creation, Favreau sought to create actual effects that actors could interact with and react to. Bless him and the many artists who brought the Zorgons to life. They are a big highlight of the film.
This mentality extends to the entire production side of Zathura. The story takes place primarily in one place (a house) and Favreau has to transform it into a sort of floating spaceship. Over the course of the film it is battered and taken apart, and the design behind these aesthetic choices gives the structure real character. Favreau shot real models of the house for the film.
Add to all of this artistry the wonderful ’50s sci-fi style that informs the film’s design decisions, and you have a film with a very special visual attitude. Favreau knows how to polish effects and make everything tactile. It’s a masterful touch.
Zathura’s script and score do a lot of things right
Zathura is not just a technical pleasure. The script by David Koepp & John Kamps does so much right. By minimizing the number of characters required, the story is reduced to a much simpler structure than the original Jumanji. It also works better to focus on the young protagonists and their relationships. The drama may be simple, but it is extremely effective. And when we later learn more about the mysterious astronaut character (Dax Shepard), it all pays off, thanks to some very clever staging in the first act.
Zathura also features a truly underrated score by composer John Debney. The opening credits and main theme encapsulate the mood and intent of the film in the first few seconds. The grandiose tone of adventure is 100% anchored in Debney’s score.
He takes what could be described as a small film (due to its location in a single house) and gives it an epic feel. “Underrated” is used way too often, but it could actually apply to the work Debney is committed to Zathura.
Zathura’s perfect casting includes Kristen Stewart
Zathura knows that because of its scale it has to be an intimate film. While Lisa’s (Kristen Stewart) attraction to the astronaut implies a silly little romance, the film’s real emotional drama is a relationship between two brothers (Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo). Their conflict is simple but is treated with seriousness.
It helps that the entire cast plays everything absolutely perfectly. There is no weak link in the chain of the ensemble.
Zathura is a children’s film that does not degrade its target group through the story, characters or film production. This is a solid, top-notch experience for young viewers and kids at heart.
Why a group didn’t support Jon Favreau’s family sci-fi film
When we talk about how a film “failed,” we often refer to the general reception. When it comes to that critical reception, Zathura didn’t fail at all. From this recording onwards it is bound Rotten tomatoes with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle for the highest rated entry in the entire Jumanji franchise and Zathura definitely holds up better than this strip.
It wasn’t the critics who rejected or ignored the film. It was an audience.
Zathura opened at number two on its opening weekend, beaten by Disney’s Chicken small at No. 1 in its second weekend. Yes, Zack Braff beat out a film from one of the key architects behind it as a computer-generated, panic-stricken chicken in a low-tier Disney project Wonder Cinematic universe and The Mandalorian.
Add more fuel to the burning fire Zathura at the box office, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire released the following weekend and Zathura fell almost 62% to number 5. This magician appealed to every potential audience Zathura could have hoped.
Creative conflict leads to poor marketing
It also didn’t help that there was a creative conflict over how to market the film. Allsburg and Favreau said that while the general premise is similar, Zathura wasn’t the same kind of movie as Jumanji.
Unfortunately, the studio wanted to take advantage of that Jumanji Name to help market this film. It made people confused or resistant to what was going on.”Jumanji in space.” This very article is already contributing to the bond Zathura to another film that its story actually has nothing to do with.
That’s unfair. Zathura doesn’t deserve to be suffocated JumanjiThe shadow. This film evokes a lot of cross-generational nostalgia due to its inclusion Robin Williamsand that bond could cloud the way lovers of Jumanji Watch Favreau’s standalone triumph. It certainly has an impact Zathura At the time since the audience saw this Jumanji Name attached, but without Robin Williams’ on-screen involvement, leading to a breakup and disinterest in the film.
Zathura should not be left gathering dust in the basement. It needs to be taken out and played. Yes, some things may seem familiar, but they are exciting and dangerous in completely new ways. Fly into the unknown, space cadet. Out there in the depths of space there is danger, glory and majesty. Zathura waits.
Zathura: A Space Adventure is currently available to stream via rental or purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
