Mile Hive critic Jenni Klaus has watched the latest kiddie blockbuster, Nim’s Island, and was left wondering about the magic.
Aiming adventure films at children is not a new idea. Remember The Goonies? That film is probably one of the greatest children’s adventure films ever made. I know I’ll be quoting from it when I’m 90. It wasn’t just the fact Stephen Spielberg created it or that it had underagers hunting for treasure. The film truly was an adventure to watch. It is rare that a children’s film can capture that type of magic.
Films these days also suffer from some kind of politically correct retrograde where all brushes with reality are removed in protection of the precious minds of our offspring.
I know they said a few curse words in The Goonies, and Bambi’s mother was shot dead.
What happened to not treating kids like fools?
Unfortunately, Nim’s Island does just this. The closest thing young Nim gets to real life is when she scrapes her knee on a rock. Nim, played by Abigail (I dethroned Dakota Fanning) Breslin, lives on a remote island with her scientist father (Gerard Butler). When he gets lost at sea, Nim writes to well known hero Alex Rover who is really just a reclusive author, played by Jodie Foster. Yes, THE Jodie Foster.
It sounds like the best idea ever and when you throw in those actors and some non-human cute pals, what can go wrong?
Pretty much everything with this sugary, over the top, insulting children’s tale. When I first left the cinema after viewing it, I didn’t think it was that bad. I even defended it. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had just been telling myself “it’s not that bad” the entire time I watched it.
The movie feels like a filler episode on one of those low budget afternoon kids’ programs. The look and feel of the film screams television and it’s such a shame with the quality of the material and actors involved. The worst part however, and even TV can create this, is there was simply no magic to find on Nim’s Island. I’m not even going to start on the villainous cruise company who threatens the pristine home of the title character or the obese Australian tourists they cart along with them.
I give Nim’s Island 1 out of 5 stars simply because it did not live up to the expectations of children, or those of adults with nostalgic memories, when it truly should have.
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