When “Jumanji” was released in 1995, the critics scolded the film, saying it was too scary for the children it was geared towards and the plot was too weak to entertain older audiences. They complained it strayed too far from the brilliance of Chris Van Allsberg’s illustrated book.

The new sci-fi movie, “Zathura,” though reminiscent of “Jumanji,” makes up for these shortcomings, creating a highly entertaining film for children and adults alike.

For starters, Robin Williams isn’t in this (Thank God!). The film benefits greatly without his psychotic enthusiasm. Parents won’t have to worry about their children being frightened by his disturbing energy since he’s not here.

Second, Tim Robbins (“Bull Durham,” “Shawshank Redemption”) turns in a solid performance as a father coping with two unruly sons and the recent breakup of his marriage. His performance hints at a lot of hidden pain.

Third, Jon Favreau (“Elf”) is an expert at keeping characters and plots exciting. Like ‘Elf’ this film has entertaining characters that play integral roles in action.

Caught up between their parents’ divorce, Danny (Jonah Bobo – his acting is much better than his name) and Walter (Josh Hutcherson) don’t treat each other like the brothers they are, but rather like indifferent enemies. Danny is stuck trying to find his place in the family but finds it difficult when his older brother Walter blames him for their parents’ divorce.

In one of Danny and Walter’s many fights, Walter shoves Danny down the laundry chute, landing Danny in the basement. While in the basement Danny finds an interesting board game called Zathura. When Danny twists the key on the board, a card pops out of the center, a card that forever changes both boys’ lives.

The boys are propelled into a new world. They realize that even though they are at home, its location has changed as they walk out their front door and into outer space.
Each turn on the board begins a new adventure that both boys have to survive together. The boys are chased by robots, hit by meteor showers, ejected from their house, attacked by hostile lizard-like aliens known as Zorgons. They witness shooting stars, freeze their sister, have a close encounter with the sun, and save an astronaut played by Dax Shepard (one of Ashton Kutcher’s henchmen on the MTV show ‘Punk’d’). WHOA!

The movie is never boring. As the game continues, the two brothers have to learn to work together because only they can take their turns. Without each other they can’t complete the game. It’s a movie that has a similar plot to “Jumanji,” but has a fresh, futuristic twist. It keeps you guessing what will happen next and how they’ll get out of it.

This movie has been heavily advertised but just because you’ve seen the preview a million times doesn’t mean you’ve seen the movie. There’s so much more. See this one today.