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Review #631 of 365
Movie Review of Nim's Island (2008) [PG] 95 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $8.25
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When Seen: 4 April 2008
Time: 7:20 pm
DVD Release Date: 5 August 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Soundtrack: Download now from 
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Directed by: Jennifer Flackett (debut) and Mark Levin (Little Manhattan)
Screenplay by: Joseph Kwong (Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus) • Paula Mazur (debut) • Mark Levin (Little Manhattan) • Jennifer Flackett (Little Manhattan) based on the novel Nim's Island by Wendy Orr and Kerry Millard
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Abigail Breslin (No Reservations) • Jodie Foster (The Brave One) • Gerard Butler (P.S., I Love You) • Michael Carman ("The Secret Life of Us") • Mark Brady ("Desperate Housewives") • Anthony Simcoe (Midnight Screening) • Christopher Baker (The Condemned) • Peter Callan (Ghost Rider) • Rhonda Doyle ("Fireflies")
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Don't be fooled by the preview for Nim's Island as this film might look like a magical and wondrous children's story, when in fact, it's more like Home Alone meets "Survivor: Vanuatu" collides with "LOST". The film, co-directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin (who also co-wrote), starts out with an depressing animated tale of a young girl's marine biologist mother getting devoured by a whale and lost forever at sea. Her father, Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler) then raises Nim (Abigail Breslin) alone on a deserted 'dreamy' island created by a now extinct volcano somewhere in the uncharted waters of the south Pacific. He orders in supplies and somehow manages to keep the idyllic island off the radar. They live in Swiss Family Robinson-style with Nim's animal friends: a pelican, a sea lion, and a racket-making lizard. Things are swell on Nim's Island until her father needs to leave to try and find some undiscovered plankton he's been seeking out for a decade, and Nim prefers to stay back and protect the baby turtle's hatching on the beach from being devoured by crabs. He acquiesces to her demands that turns out to be a good thing for her since his ship is wrecked at sea in a surprise storm disabling his communication as well as his ability to sail home. Fortunately, for Nim, at precisely the same time, her father receives an email on their home computer from none other than her favorite adventure novelist Alex Rover (Jodie Foster) seeking information about his island she's seen in
National Geographic and hoping that he can end her writer's block so she can finish her latest novel. Nim has read all of the Alex Rover novels and considers herself quite a fan of Alex Rover the superhero in the novels. Nim has no idea that the author is a woman. Via their email communications, Alexandra Rover realizes that Nim is alone on the island and decides to fight her agoraphobia and traipse halfway around the world to find and rescue a lost child. While awaiting either the return of her father or the arrival of Alex Rover, a cruise ship of Australian tourists is set to arrive on her island for a few hours of idyllic life. Hence, defending the island becomes her top resource.
While bearing every resemblance to a children's movie, some of the themes surrounding the loss of a parent and the scariness of being alone on a deserted island might be too intense for small children. Parents and guardians are urged to make informed decisions when deciding to take their children to this film. It does have a very happy ending, but only after some tense moments.
There's nothing particularly special or engaging about the story itself with the exception of the female leading ladies.
…some of the themes surrounding the loss of a parent and the scariness of being alone on a deserted island might be too intense for small children.
In this sense, the women, despite constant fears of the outside world exhibited by Alex Rover, are strong characters that go against typecasting. Abigail Breslin, riding her success in Little Miss Sunshine is borderline becoming overused—check Dakota Fanning's recent career page. Especially since she seems completely unable to play anyone but the same character of a precocious, overly pouty young girl. It worked in L. M. S., but then there was The Ultimate Gift, No Reservations, and Definitely, Maybe. How much more of her in this character can audiences stomach? It's difficult to imagine what drew Gerard Butler and Jodie Foster to this picture. Perhaps it was a chance to play in something light-weight seemingly for children, the kind that would make a niece thrilled. But, honestly, their talents are nearly entirely wasted in this film as side characters to Abigail Breslin's Nim.
…the story plods along toward a fairly anticlimactic climax. Surely the book must be a lot better.
Ironically, when Alex Rover finally arrives on the island, Nim's response to her is so unkind as to call into question her actual integrity as a character. Chalk that up to yet another detail on the 'what makes this film difficult to stomach' list. Basically, that's a line that fits the picture well as the film is difficult to stomach. It possesses vast stretches that are both dull and lackluster; and, unlike so many children's films, it never really recovers from this. The film, in general, is downright dull. It's hard to imagine kids really getting into it partly because Nim's not that likeable and partly because the story plods along toward a fairly anticlimactic climax. Surely the book must be a lot better.
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Cast Members
Abigail Breslin • Jodie Foster • Gerard Butler
Michael Carman • Mark Brady • Anthony Simcoe
Christopher Baker • Peter Callan • Rhonda Doyle
Director
Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin
Writers
Joseph Kwong • Paula Mazur • Mark Levin
Review-lite
Nim's Island (2008) [max of 150 words]
Dull film about a little girl named Nim (Abigail Breslin) who must defend her idyllic island from falling asleep when her father fails to return home from a specimen collecting voyage and the adventure author she reads voraciously takes too long in getting there to rescue her from her own boredom. Try to stay awake if you can.
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