While on holidays I managed to see this movie and I was pleasantly surprised. I have never liked Breslin but she is at her best in this movie and Jodie Foster will always be the magnificent Jodie Foster. Gerard Butler was also very funny and had me cracking up which is something a family movie has not made me do in a while. The story is good and witty and the movie is very family friendly. I think older teens would be bored because although I enjoyed it the story was a bit predictable at times. Overall I was very happy with the movie and would recommend it first and foremost as a family movies. Kids will love it and adults will be thoughtful enough to enjoy it.
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the-gossip-king31 March 2008
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Silly? Yes. Predictable? Yes. For Kids? Yes. Entertaining? Yes.....even for adults, IF you don't take anything seriously and expect something a little dumb but charming.nonetheless. Picture yourself as a kid watching a movie and you'll enjoy it a lot more, because it's definitely a children's film. It also has an involving story. Once it starts you have to stick around and see how it winds up. With some movies, I could care less but this one, I cared.
For those who have kids age 5-12, this is highly recommended. For adults, well, it's not bad. If you're looking for "clean" entertainment, you found it. It's not goody-goody, either, and it's not always a smart family movie (a father leaving his kid all alone for several days?) but it's a nice movie, has funny animal characters, a lead kid who is not a brat, nice island scenery, one big-name actress (Jodie Foster) and is a diversion for an hour-and-a-half.
The little dragon "Fred" is the best of the non-humans. I don't know if that's the real noise that lizard makes, but it's fun to hear. Seals are always entertaining, too. The one in this film is very talented.
As for the humans, Abigail Breslin as "Nim Rusoe" is a cute, likable kid. Gerard Butler plays both male leads and does them well enough that you forget he's doing two characters. Seeing Foster do slapstick while being a female "Mr. Monk" was a little odd but, I'm not going to knock her for trying.
As another reviewer said here, put yourself in a little kid's shoes and enjoy the film. -
michaelRokeefe22 August 2008Fanciful adventure fun for the whole family. Nim Rusoe(Abigal Breslin)is a young girl that lives on a deserted island with her scientist father Jack(Gerard Butler). He is more interested in one cell creatures in the ocean, while Nim's best friends are a bearded dragon lizard named Fred, Galileo the pelican and Selkie the sea lion. The island paradise is full of adventure and imagination runs wild. While Jack is lost at seal, Nim reaches out via e-mail to her favorite author Alex Rover, who has turned out a series of adventure books about the self-named hero. The author is actually not the rugged swashbuckler adventurer in Nim's imagination, but Alexandra Rover(Jodie Foster), petite and germ obsessed, who lives like a hermit in her San Francisco apartment. Alexandra has hit a writer's block and wants to see for herself the volcano Jack had written about in National Geographic. She makes it to the tropical paradise and helps Nim wait out her father's return. Foster is at times humorous playing second fiddle to a too-damn cutsie, cutsie Breslin.
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ntsci9 September 2008One 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. -
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.
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wdashton433 May 2008Nim's Island is a tale about a young girl named Nim (imagine that) who lives with her single father on a remote island in the middle of the South Pacific. Because she has no friends or neighbors, she spends her time playing with animals and indulging in the fantastic fantasies of her Alex Rover adventure novels. The stories of the Alex Rover novels are assumedly based on the adventures of the author, Alexandra Rover. The reality is that Alexandra is an introvert hermit who spends her days writing her stories in her San Francisco apartment and talking aloud to the imaginary Alex Rover character. Alexandra and Nim come into contact through email and Nim reveals that her father, who is a scientist, is lost at sea. After much debating, Alexandra gets up enough courage to finally leave her apartment and travel to visit Nim. Once on the island, the girls quickly develop a special bond. With the help of the imaginary story hero Alex Rover, they step into a world of fun and adventure where the line separating fantasy and real life vanishes and dreams become realities (I know that last line was really corny, but whatever).
The predominant aspect that enticed me to see the film was the awesome cast. You have academy award winner Jodie Foster as Alexandra Rover, Abegail Breslinwho you may remember from Little Miss Sunshineplaying Nim, and the star of 300, Gerard Butler playing dual roles as the father and as the imaginary Alex Rover. And yes, ladies, he does have his shirt off in this film.
Despite the big names, the cast seemed to lack the necessary chemistry. I thought Butler did an awesome job with both of his roles, but his relationship with his daughter is far from believable. And Jodie Foster, who happens to be one of my favorite actresses, just seems really out of place in this film. Kind of like Subway's Jared eating at Quiznos. Breslin was fine as Nim, but she spends half the movie talking to lizards and a giant seal. That might seem cute to some viewers, but in my opinion she probably needs a psychiatrist, or possibly an exorcist. I would also like to add that someone needs to teach that girl proper running form. Many scenes feature Nim running through the woods or down the beach and every time I watched her run I just started to laugh. With her arms flailing about she looked like Pinocchio running around high on amphetamines or something.
I did really enjoy all the fantasy elements of the film, but I think a movie that mixes fantasy with reality works best when the fantasy aspects provide a sharp contrast to reality. In Nim's Island, the normal lives they live are unrealistic which causes the fantasy elements to lose their effect. I mean, who in the right mind moves to a remote island with a ten year old? And how in the world did they get wireless internet service? I can't even get service in my own basement, and they have perfect connection on an island in the middle of no where.
Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe I am too old to appreciate a children's film. Nim's Island is, after all, a kid's movie in the purest sense. There are plenty of corny jokes, cute animals, and moments that will probably touch your soul, unless of course you are Satan. I had high hopes for this film because I honestly enjoy quite a few kids' movies. Who here doesn't like Hook? Or The Sandlot? Or Angels in the Outfield? Nim's Island, unfortunately, did not measure up. Sure I laughed a few times and smiled innocently at some of the scenes, but about half way through the movie I well to be perfectly honest, I fell sound asleep. I think I dreamt about unicorns, but I don't really remember. -
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. -
Jahala_Dudley10 April 2008It 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.
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Smells_Like_Cheese10 April 2008My friends and I decided to see Nim's Island tonite, I work at a theater and have walked in on a couple parts and it looked cute, so I figured it might be a fun watch. Honestly, Nim's Island is a good family film, decent enough for a watch, but I'm a little disappointed with what I was expecting. Just I think the ideas are a little beyond out there and I don't think this is the type of film that is going to keep a lot of kid's attention. It's just not memorable, it has it's cute moments here and there, now Abigail Breslin pulls in a decent enough performance to make the film watchable, but again, like her last film Definitely Maybe, it seems like she's getting the star's bug, which worries me because she has so much potential and her performances she doesn't seem to care too much since her Oscar nomination. But it's Jodie Foster's performance that majorly disappointed me, it was too forced and made the story more ridicules that what it already was.
Nim is a little girl who lives on an island with her dad who is an adventurer. Now they have not told anyone where they are and their living place, good idea if they need help, right? Well, her dad goes on a research assignment, and gets hit by a nasty storm stranding him in the middle of no where. When Nim gets an E-Mail from famous author, Alex Rover, who she thinks is a real life hero, Alex wants answers about volcano's for her next book, but Nim wants help since she's alone on the island and her dad hasn't returned. Alex has one problem, she's agoraphobic, but gets the strength to go on an adventure and help Nim out with the help of her famous character Alex Rover to get through this Indiana Jones ordeal.
Nim's Island is a cute movie, I would never ever say in a million years that this is a bad movie, because it is worth a look. Just I would recommend that you wait for the rental, this is not the Horton Hears a Who of the year, it's a movie that is forgettable unfortunately, it just needed more help with the script and the actors needed to bring it a little more down to Earth since the story is supposed to be fairy tale like, you'll see what I mean if you see this movie. But like I said, wait for the rental, it's a nice family film, but isn't the best movie of Spring 2008.
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(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) -
vikingoddess-124 April 2008Now granted, this wasn't a movie I wanted to see, just a movie I saw whilst spending time with my best friend and her (kindergarten aged) son. Not to say its a horrid waste of time, but if you are over the age of oh, 12 or so and don't have a youngling to tag along...don't bother. It'll be on HBO soon enough. I didn't care for Breslin's character and spent most of the movie with my palm itching (to smack Nim's bratty face off, that is). I will say that this movie raised my opinion of Jodie Foster considerably, her soup mad agoraphobic writer was excellent. Gerard Butler was marvelous, as usual, and the pair of them more or less carried the movie. (Watch your back, Harrison)
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Jinn10 February 2011I adored this movie, as a writer and as a lover of odd, interesting movies. My only beef was the silly, wooden, way overdone "Buccaneers" scene frankly, best left out entirely. A modern child wouldn't say "coming, mother " it'd be more like an angry snap "coming, moooom!" And the animal scenes were also somewhat cheesy -but looking past that --
Aside from that it was a lovely, inspiring movie, as I am also an agoraphobic writer. Not quote as bad as Jodie Foster's character, though I have other obstacles. My characters also talk to me :) So the scenes between Alex the author and Alex the character were funny and delightful to watch.
I see quite a few have trashed this movie saying a 10 year old girl would not be so strong, insightful and intelligent. This usually would be the case, but here Nim has been brought up on fresh food grown (or caught) on the Island (so it's all organic) No junk food, microwave dinners, preservative laden chemical crap which affects the brains of children (and adults), so it stands to reason that Nim's brain and muscles would be more active than an average child her age as she has not been poisoned on over processed rubbish food and sugars and not brainwashed by the subliminal programming of television, now does she sit all day at the TV or playing computer games. A bit of time on the net, yes, but not hours and hours on end.
It was a delight to see a child so insightful and intelligent, but also a child needing someone to be there for her when things went awry.
Jodie Foster's character was also awesome in the trip she made, from being boxed up in her home with bottles and bottles of hand sanitizers and tins of processed tomato soup, to brave swimming in the ocean and eating live island food. And in the end, it didn't matter, her whole life turned around for the better. Alex the writer came alive and when the Alex character left her, a real man came into her life :) Who looked just like her sexy, dashing hero and somewhat of an adventurer himself ;) I'm guessing life on the island just got a little more interesting. All three characters went through challenges and came out wiser and stronger in the end. Life is all about learning, adjusting, growing and breaking free.
This movie is about all four.
Sail to Nim's Island. Of course you'll have to do it in your mind, and as it is a metaphor for growing and breaking free from whatever holds you back in your own life, and sail the seas of your own subconscious and be amazed at the wisdom you find there. The ocean is a metaphor for the unconscious mind. Think about that :) -
this is one of those films, that manages to walk a thin line between parody( but not with a mean streak) and true family entertainment.
my next thought might well spoil things for some, so please take caution, though I won't give away any specifics. I liked it, but for all the reasons I would normally not like a film so much... in places it does have emotional grappling hooks- yet it is a cacophony of formula, cliché, new twist on an old theme,
Evertything about it has been done, it's like all the best elements from other stories that worked have been haphazardly combined into one family movie that stops just short of parody but yet you know it kind of is . sort of a Dr. Doolittle, meets, romancing the Stone, meets, the swiss family Robinson... too many to mention. and then throw in a few scenes that can make any one who has ever been a tourist or part of pop culture that has been lured by the idea of " your own paradise" uncomfortable. ( and yes, it never turns out well for those who live there.) for all the reasons it shouldn't have worked for me, it did work, on some unexpected level. I liked it. -
moviewizguy21 June 2008Anything can happen on Nim's Island, a magical place ruled by a young girl's imagination. It is an existence that mirrors that of her favorite literary character, Alex Rover - the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra, the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city. When Nim's father goes missing from their island, a twist of fate brings her together with Alexandra. Now they must draw courage from their fictional hero, Alex Rover, and find strength in one another to conquer Nim's Island.
I was looking forward to this film quite a bit because I've never seen Jodie Foster in a comedy, away from her usual thrillers. With that in mind, I was disappointed with the film quite a bit. First of all, the marketing for this film made this look like an adventure film with a trio including Jodie Foster, Abigail Breslin, and Gerard Butler. Well, it isn't. In fact, this film is not really adventurous and there is no trio group until the last 10 minutes of the film.
Yes, wrong expectations can make you like a film in a surprising way or not like it in a surprising way. I felt that the film didn't have enough danger nor peril, although it is a kid's film. I found mostly everything in here ridiculous, and yes, I know it's a kid's film. I think my statement for this film is obvious: It's a mildly entertaining film for the kids but the adults should do something else.
I liked Jodie Foster in this. She played an over-the-top character really well and did the slapstick jokes well too. Gerard Butler and Abigail Breslin decent but nothing special. Some of the jokes in this film were really funny and the special effects well done. I just don't think there was a lot of creativity, adventure, and danger this film was marketed to be. Give this a rent if your kids want to see this. -
Chrysanthepop5 September 2008'Nim's Island' is one of those films that had the potential to be a great adventure flick but, sadly, misses the mark. The screenplay is inconsistent and the script loses focus. Most of the characters aren't well developed, some are unnecessary and would have been better left out. While there are many plot holes, there are some unnecessary (and irritating, especially the sequences with the caricature bad guy visitors in the island) subplots. The entire film revolves around Nim being stranded on the island all by herself as her father is lost somewhere at sea and a 'borderline' agoraphobic Alexandra travelling to the island to rescue her. The climax is very disappointing. When one sees Nim and Alexandra meet for the first time, something big is expected but nothing like that happens. I would have much preferred that the film focus on Nim and Alexandra's adventure in the island and their attempt to rescue Jack but there's nothing like that. Moreover, the look of the film isn't that appealing. There are some nice glimpses of the island but the CGI is poor and use of green screen copy pasting is too obvious (due to poor lighting). I liked the animal characters but only the adorable sea lion looked realistic. Abigail Breslin and Gerard Butler are okay but they are mostly let down by the shoddy screenplay. However, Jodie Foster was amusing to watch. It's great to see her in a comedic performance and she carries off the eccentric Alex's 'borderline' agoraphobia and determination to save Nim with comic flair. It is her scenes that save 'Nim's Island' from being a total disaster. The film ends on a note that there might be a sequel. If there is, well I hope it has much more to offer.
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peoples-award5 April 2008There are two reasons to see this movie. First, it's a terrific story (even if it's not written that well), and second, Jodie Foster! I have to say I enjoyed this movie very much! It is a movie of magic and surprises, it is a movie of secrets and bravery, it is a movie of love and friendship. It is a movie you have to take your kids to see. Abigail Breslin and Gerard Butler do a decent job with their roles, in spite of the script's many flaws, but Jodie Foster was brilliant as a phobic writer who has to deal with her demons. I enjoyed the movie because of her performance and also because of all the children (and many adults) laughing in the audience.
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SnoopyStyle29 September 2013Nim Rusoe (Abigail Breslin) lives on an isolated island with her scientist father Jack (Gerard Butler). Her mother was lost at sea. Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) is a recluse germaphobe who writes an adventure series of books that Nim loves. For research, she asked Jack for help. Only Jack has left the island to do research leaving Nim on her own. When a storm batters the island, Jack becomes lost at sea, and Nim ask Alex for help.
The three characters are all separated for most of the movie. This is a big problem. They are great actors. They are definitely better together. Typing emails intensely is almost impossible to do.
Jodie Foster is a clumsy comedian. Sometimes it works for her but I can think of many others who could do a better job. Abigail Breslin is doing a cute job. Gerard Butler need to differentiate more between his Jack character and the Alex Rover character.
As a kids movie, this has its charm. I wouldn't say it has much more to offer. -
There are many family movies that I cringe at. Some of them take a best selling children's book but the studio felt a need to add some villains and perhaps some fart jokes. Some take legends (such as "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Moore) and create a new story that is incompatible with all other film versions. Other times they are child-like in concept (such as a friendship between young prehistoric animals), good for toddlers, but not for their parents.
"Nim's Island" doesn't seem to suffer from any of those (although I admit I haven't read the book it is based on). I watched it without a child and enjoyed it, and I imagine a child would like it too. It can be enjoyed by both young and old.
The tale is about the adventures of an 11 year old American girl, Nim (Abigail Breslin), who lives with her father on their own small private island in the South Pacific, a world expert on marine microorganisms. No other humans live on this tropical paradise. Trouble in paradise starts when a hurricane-like storm arrives unexpectedly while the father is away doing research at a nearby island. A second problem arises when a cruise line that doesn't realize anyone lives on the island wants to make it a stop where their passengers can experience an unspoiled pacific island, as spoiled by the cruise line.
One of the things I liked about the plot was that the film made credible the amenities Nim and her father have on the isolated island (source of income, electricity, Internet, food and other supplies). The remarkable behavior of Nim's animal friends is an acceptable departure from reality; at least the animals don't speak English.
One of Nim's pleasures is when the delivered supplies includes the latest adventure novel about a heroic adventurer named Alex Rover. Nim doesn't realize that the novels are fiction. The film often interjects what she and the novelist (played by Jodie Foster) back in San Francisco (who don't know each other) are imagining.
I watched the film without knowing the cast in advance. I was surprised to recognize Jodie Foster as the novelist because this is not a serious A-list movie. Of course she was good in the part. What else do you expect? -
lisa-ravenclaw14 July 2008'Nim's Island' is, in my opinion, a hugely entertaining, funny and captivating movie with beautiful scenery, fitting music and a stunning choice of actors. Especially Jodie Foster, who plays her role to perfection.
Most people aged from 6 to 16 will enjoy this hilarious and touching film. The storyline is original although some scenes in 'Nim's Island' are slightly unrealistic and the end is somewhat cliché.
Animal lovers will also be pleased. Turtles, seals, lizards and several birds all make repeated appearances. I strongly recommend everyone to see this movie! -
jtuchler4 April 2008OK - who compelled Jodie to do this movie in the first place - it used none of her talents, and it made me think less of her (in that strange way we judge actors by the work they choose to do).
However, my boys (ages 5 to 9) liked the film, especially the 6 year old who wanted to go visit the island. They liked the adventure and the animals.
To me, it suffered in a few ways: * Jodie Foster's ridiculous overacting the same theme over and over and over. It wore thin quickly. * The animal gimmicks, while cute, were kinda lame (almost as good, but not as good, as a Geico commercial!) * Extraordinary amounts of suspended disbelief required to view this film. Easily forgettable, but a nice way to spend 90 minutes with the kids. J -
FiendishDramaturgy16 April 2008I wanted to score this one higher. I waited to write this review in the hopes that my mind would find something delightful to write about it in the interim. Unfortunately, Alex Rover's character is just too reminiscent of Kathleen Turner's Joan Wilder from "Romancing the Stone," to feel creative. These characters are too close, actually, right down to the imaginary hero, not wanting to travel, and turning out to be up to the adventure, after all. They are both novelists, both live alone (aside from their imaginary heroes), both go to save someone, and both end up being saved themselves, which leads us to the plot...
A young girl, Nim, is left alone by her father, on a remote tropical island in Monsoon season (?!). The left "Home Alone" thing has been overdone to the point of cliché, and if this man were raising his daughter anywhere in the US, he would have already lost custody. Her misadventures are minor and uninteresting, though the actress herself (young Abigail Breslin) is a delight. I expect great things from her in the future.
Jodie Foster (Alexandra Rover) is as good as ever, too bad she gave so much of herself to this part...the screenplay really was not worthy of her performance and the character, even with her more-than-worthy contribution, was rehashed.
There are some good elements, and if you haven't seen Home Alone 1, 2, and 3 or Romancing the Stone, you may enjoy it and find it entertaining enough to own. However, if you're like most of us, this is going to remind you of one too many other movies, and you'll walk out yawning from boredom.
What should have been magical, was mediocre...a real pity.
It rates a 5.7/10 from...
the Fiend :. -
simnia-16 April 2008Something about the style of this movie totally grated on my sense of taste right from the start. The misleading movie poster showed a wooden pirate ship, but what the audience gets is a modern cruise ship full of very overweight, aged tourists: a slight difference there (sarcasm intended), and no chance for any eye candy. Both the pet lizard and pet pelican of the girl squawked like parrots, which was ridiculous and was of course just done by a human voice faking a parrot to make it even worse.
The story was totally predictable: woman writer overcomes her agoraphobia and rescues the little girl in distress, single father becomes enamored with the lady at the end, there is the obligatory collection of animals and one fart joke for the child audience, the father finds exactly the plankton he has been looking for, the pouty little girl has a change of heart and helps out the lady at the end, and so on.
It looked as if the story was intended to be humorous, but it wasn't, especially the treadmill scene, which by unfortunate coincidence was the same gag used in an animated trailer before this movie began, which destroyed the novelty. The acting was horribly unrealistic everywhere: the overly enthusiastic kid, the overly wonderful father, the overly phobic writer. The intro and ending scenes with the cheap cardboard cutouts with CGI scenery were ugly, weird, and perplexing: that all comes across as a money-saving device, looking like the filmmakers were too cheap to film a real woman on a real boat to tell the background history.
Too much of the film was so far-fetched: that through all the girl's falls her pet lizard would never get squashed, that nobody would wonder how lizards could fly fifty feet through the air to land on the beach, how a volcano could start erupting but then conveniently stop in time for the family get-together at the end, why an antenna underwater would be accompanied by gurgling audio sounds, why the sailor father would not realize a storm was hitting as soon as it started to rain, why they wouldn't have storm shutters on their house, that a woman in modern times would be swallowed by a whale, that a pelican could carry an entire loaded tool belt for miles across the ocean, and so on. The CGI turtle underwater looked fake, as did the three CGI circling sharks. The excessive political correctness (most people won't notice where this occurred, and I'm not going to enlighten you) was appalling to me, as well. And what's with the girl eating a plate of live worms? An island like that would have plentiful fish within easy reach, so that intentional gross-out meal was ridiculously unrealistic, especially that the worms were uncooked and still squirming. And why didn't the filmmakers take the trouble to do a ghostly fade-out of the presence of the adventurer who kept talking to the author in her imagination, instead of having him swim off in order to get him out of the scene? That seemed to show additional laziness or cheapness on the filmmakers' part. I was annoyed with this film from the very start: I kept wondering why I wasn't enjoying it and I kept telling myself it had to get better or more interesting, but it never did.
What makes this all so surprising is that all the backgrounds and themes should have been great: the wonderful setting on a tropical island, a paradisiacal hideaway on the island, the oceanographer mother and father, the perfect childhood with several exotic pets and no school, pirates, nice decor with coral and hanging shells, and so on. To take such an appealing foundation and still ruin the movie takes some real skill. Awful! -
I went and saw this movie at the world premiere. I will start out by saying this... It is a very good for the whole family to enjoy.
Storyline: A girl and her father are on a remote island. They are the only ones who live their. The father is a research scientist who is interested in microscopic creatures. Nim, the daughter, is very much in touch with nature and enjoys reading the tales of Alex Rover, an adventurer. The author, Alexandra Rover, is agoraphobic and hasn't left her apartment in a very long time. Dad goes to sea, storm makes him stranded. Nim is stuck alone on the island and is contacted by Alexandra Rover, and calls for her help. Well, you will have to watch the rest to find out...
Pros: A great family movie. It has the perfect recipe of drama, comedy, suspense and a touch of romance. The acting is great. The scenery is beautiful. The special effects are magnificent. The story of a father and daughter living on a remote island is very creative and lends itself to a really great story, which is what this movie is.
Cons: Being a family movie, it is predictable. There are also plot elements which go no-where. One being there is a huge talk about Nim's mother at the beginning, but then it really doesn't go anywhere after that.
Summary: If you have kids, of any age, this is a good movie to go and see with them. If you don't have kids, but are looking for something different from the usual movies, this is still one to consider. All in all, a good story, well told and with great characters. -
Wuchakk28 December 2015Released in 2008, "Nim's Island" stars Abigail Breslin as the 11 year-old title character who's alone on a remote pacific island while her Dad (Gerard Butler) is late coming back from an expedition. Nim emails a reclusive popular adventure writer (Jodi Foster) in San Francisco for help.
I'm a sucker for island movies and this one's quite good but, for me, it's hindered by its "children's adventure/fantasy" approach. I'm talking about the Disney-esque animal shenanigans. Apart from that, however, everything clicks for a fun island adventure. While kid-oriented, there's enough here for adults to enjoy, particularly for those who are in tune with their inner-kid. It was a modest hit when released.
The movie runs 96 minutes and was shot in Australia.
GRADE: Borderline B or B- (6.5/10 Stars) -
NavyOrion11 June 2008How much of a movie should one see before passing judgment on it? I took my 12-year-old daughter to see this one this afternoon. Twenty minutes in, she started whining "Da-a-a-a-a-a-d, this su-u-u-u-cks!" While I did disapprove of her choice of words, I had to agree with her assessment. We gave it another 15 minutes before going back to the cashier and asking for a refund.
Considering the talent being used (Jodie Foster and young Abigail Breslin, whose performances I have found winning in the past) I was surprised at the ridiculous presentation of the film. Every scene played out like a dream sequence from some better-done movie, coming off completely contrived and hollow. It was painful to see an actress like Jodie Foster reduced to such rubbish; I can't help but think that has the capacity to have turned in more a believable performance had she wanted to, but frankly this was not deserving of her best work.
Perhaps we missed something special in the 55 minutes we skipped, but there was certainly no sign of it on the horizon when we left. Children of 6 years or so may be entranced, but there are better children's films out there; why waste their time (and ruin their developing taste) with junk that no one even tried to make good?