Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
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Two squabbling brothers find a mysterious board game that transports their house into outer space.
The story
While their father is away and their sister is napping, brothers Walter and Danny discover an old science fiction-themed board game called Zathura in their basement. Upon beginning the game, a meteor shower strikes, and the siblings realize they are no longer on Earth but adrift in outer space. To return home and restore normalcy, the boys must navigate the dangers of the game, including a faulty robot and a race of reptilian aliens known as Zorgons. They must successfully complete the game's challenges to find their way back to Earth.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Walter and Danny, two brothers who do not get along, find the board game Zathura in their basement. When they start playing, a meteor shower strikes, transporting their house into space. Their sister, Lisa, is put into cryonic sleep. The boys must finish the game to return home while facing a faulty robot, a nearby star, and an attack by the Zorgons, a race of reptilian aliens. During the game, they encounter an astronaut who reveals he was stranded because his brother was wished out of existence. After a series of conflicts and a robot malfunction, Walter uses a wish card to bring back the astronaut's brother, who is revealed to be an older version of himself from an alternative timeline. As the timeline shifts, they merge with their counterparts. When the game is finally won, it is revealed that Zathura is a black hole that consumes the Zorgons' fleet. The siblings find themselves back in their house just as their father returns, and they agree to keep their adventure a secret.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jon Favreau
- Writers
- David Koepp · screenplay; John Kamps · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Josh Hutcherson · Walter; Jonah Bobo · Danny; Dax Shepard · Astronaut; Kristen Stewart · Lisa; Tim Robbins · Dad; Frank Oz · Robot
- Genres
- science fiction; action-adventure
- Themes
- brotherhood; wish fulfillment
- Tone and mood
- adventure; wonder
- Premise and plot tags
- space; board game; siblings; alien life
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2002 children's book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics and was described as a 'rare beast' of a family film that both children and adults could enjoy.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · scale: percentage · review count: 159; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 30; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Fantasy Film · Saturn Awards · nomination; Best Performance by a Younger Actor · Saturn Awards · nomination
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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