Retro Film Review: Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Hollywood suggesting one thing in the trailer and delivering another in the actual film is quite common, and such surprises usually end unpleasantly for the audience. However, there are always exceptions to this rule. One of them is Bridge to Terabithia, a 2007 fantasy adventure drama directed by Gábor Csupó.

While the trailer suggests a spectacle set in a different world, the film has a rather prosaic beginning during which we are introduced to the main character, Jesse Aarons (played by Josh Hutcherson), a shy eighth-grade student who is more interested in art than sports. Because of this, he suffers bullying from his classmates, and even at home, things are far from rosy for him. His mother has neglected him to devote herself to raising his four younger sisters, and his father, Jack (played by Robert Patrick), barely appears at home, burdened by work and trying to feed his large family. Jesse's situation changes when a new student named Leslie Burke (played by AnnaSophia Robb) arrives at school. Since her parents are snobbish intellectuals who do not have a television at home, Leslie, like Jesse, is a sort of outcast, so the two quickly become friends and spend all their time together. Their favourite place is the forest on the other side of the local stream, which they transform in their imagination into the magical kingdom of Terabithia, where they reign as king and queen.

Although it is very noticeable that WETA, the New Zealand special effects company known for The Lord of the Rings, worked on this film, and although Hungarian director Gábor Csupó is known as the author of animated films, Bridge to Terabithia is far from typical Hollywood children's films where the plot and characters are often just an excuse for a raw and often meaningless demonstration of the latest CGI technology. In fact, it is a film, like Katharine Paterson’s book on which it is based (adapted in 1985 in Canada as an eponymous television film), that is far from escapism and quite close to reality. This makes it an experience that not only children but also parents and other people who do not like to have their intelligence insulted can enjoy. The film owes its realism primarily to the fact that the inspiration for the book came from a real event that affected David L. Paterson, the novel’s author’s son, one of the producers and co-screenwriters.

The screenplay, despite occasionally flirting with clichés, is quite good, and in addition to many observations about growing up, one can also find the author's views on social issues. One scene, rather atypical for today's Hollywood, contains a theological discussion. However, the cast will leave the best impression on the audience—former "terminator" Robert Patrick as an emotionally distant father, and Zooey Deschanel as an idealistic hippie teacher. As for the child actors, the casting was not the happiest here, because the 13-year-old AnnaSophia Robb looks a little too attractive to be viewed as an outcast that no one wants to hang out with, at least when it comes to her hormone-driven teenage schoolmates.

However, despite these shortcomings, it is a rather interesting and high-quality achievement that is worth recommending, and after which very few viewers will have reason to feel cheated.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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