Nim's Island

I would say I had an exciting weekend. I went to the movie theater, something I only do on rare occasions. The reason being…there seems to be nothing but crappy films being cranked out by the studios nowadays. Although the critics didn’t like the film I saw, giving it only a 48% on the tomatometer on rottentomatoes.com, I thought it had a great cast from the animals to the people, it was very imaginative, and whoever made one of their trailers should be fired.

The film I’m talking about is Nim’s Island starring Academy Award Nominee Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine, 2 time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler (Cameron Diaz’ potential man according to sources). I have to admit I saw a trailer for this film about 2 weeks ago and I thought, “Wow! That film is going to be a hit! Stupid! Dumb! What the hell are they doing? Just another ridiculous kid movie that I’m going to have to take my sister to.” My sarcastic remark was a little off. You see the trailer was ridiculous and stupid, but the film made money and was still in the top five this weekend at #4 at the box office.

Nim’s Island is based on Wendy Orr's junior novel by the same title. Nim’s Island is a magical place, where you swing from trees, your friends are all animals and you are the only human, besides you scientist father, living there. Nim played by Abigail Breslin is a little girl with a big imagination and the ability to communicate with animals. She reads books of Alex Rover and she lives her life like the adventurous cowboy-like character played by Gerard Butler. When her father, Jack, also played by Gerard Butler, sets out to sea and is lost, Nim calls on Alex Rover to come help her from the pirate-themed cruise ship that has invaded her island. It turns out that “Alex” Rover is really Alexandra Rover, the author of these books, played by Jodie Foster, who lives a secluded life in San Francisco. With a little push, literally, from her fictional adventurous character Alex Rover, Alexandra leaves the big city and sets out to help poor Nim. 

“Nim's Island is a so-so live-action movie that would have been better if it were a cartoon. Animated films inspire a greater suspension of disbelief and so we aren't bothered by gaping plot holes or (for example) wild animals that respond to complicated commands” is how Eric D. Snider, a top film critic from Film.com, would describe Nim’s Island. That’s true you can get away with a lot using animation but simply because this film was live-action doesn’t mean it failed, I like the idea of it being live action rather than animated because that has been done before. Snider went on to say, “It is packed with wish fulfillment, girl power, broad comedy, and swashbuckling adventure.” And also that he wasn’t going to nit pick at it too much considering it is a “harmless adventure flick meant for tween girls.” I agree with him on his elements of describing the film, all true, and the not nit picking of a tween movie, this film wasn’t made for me. It was made for me to take my little sister to. But you see I survived this one unlike so many other children films that I have taken her to where I have fallen asleep and really, really wanted my money back. 

Claudia Puig from USA Today wrote in her review of the film, “Nim's Island is a win-win proposition: an entertaining, diverting adventure saga that offers excitement and a relatable heroine for children, and also will remind their parents of favorite classics from their own youth.” This is true, it is very imaginative, with great characters and actors, a film little girls would enjoy and parents would survive.
(Below is the GOOD trailer I mentioned and the one below that, at the bottom of the blog, is the BAD trailer.)