***The Bridge to Terabithia***
I still remember the moments of fun we had before we returned home early morning at around 3 AM, after a wonderful birthday celebration of our friend. We weren’t feeling sleepy so decided to kill time. What better way than watching a movie? “Bridge to Terabithia” was suggested and I was the only one to disagree, the reason being, I had never heard of it. Neither did my friends but later decided to watch it reluctantly. It turned out to be more than a pass time for us and was one of the sweetest movies I had ever watched. “Bridge to Terabithia” is a beautiful screen adaptation to the children’s novel bearing the same title.
It’s about “Jesse”, a school student from a ‘not so rich’ family which is into small business. He is subject to least attention at home by his siblings and parents who only care to remind him to do his homework or yell at him to do chores. At school he is ridiculed by fellow mates and bored by teachers. His only escapes are his drawings, which he keeps in a sketch book that goes with him everywhere.
Things begin to change for Jesse when a new girl by name “Leslie” arrives at school. Leslie on the other hand is the daughter of two fiction authors; she has a gift of wild imagination, belongs to a financially stable family and represents a completely new way of thinking when she moves in next door. She faces the same situation as Jesse does in school and tries to get friendly with Jesse. Initially Jesse tries to stay away from her but eventually they become friends as his art of drawing is appreciated by Leslie and he backs her power of imagination.
Both of them run towards the forest after school and reach a point where the land is partitioned by a creek below which the river water flows. They swing across the creek by means of a rope fastened to the branch of the tree above. Once they reach the other side Leslie begins to feel the existance of a different world. Together, Jess and Leslie create their own fantasy world known as “Terabithia”, where they use their imaginations to escape from reality as well as devise means to conquer their own personal problems. They become best of friends and Leslie’s love for Jesse becomes apparent.
Then there is a twist in tale that happens halfway through which was unexpected and hits you real hard. I was in shock, and then what followed happened to be the best part.
This is when the movie begins to spread a message of friendship and to treasure every moment of your childhood and never let the good memories escape. What I found great about this movie is that even though we’ve seen almost all of this stuff before, I can’t ever remember seeing a movie get it so right. For instance, Jesse is poor but he doest have to struggle to find food or think of suicide. Leslie is rich but not as much that her parents own half a dozen Ferraris and a private jet. Situation at school is not is not so ridiculous that they have to beat up mates to survive the day. Everything is so genuine that we can empathize with what Jesse and Leslie are going through.
Great performances from child actors “Josh Hutcherson”(Jesse) and “AnnaSophia Robb”(Leslie) make “Bridge to Terabithia” a touching and moving film. I also have to mention, the kid “Bailee Madison”(Maybelle) that played Jesse’s younger sister is an absolute sweetheart and you instantly fall in love with the tiny angel. The special effects that include fantasy creatures and landscapes which make-up Terabithia are decent enough. This movie is meant for all generations and an absolute must watch for kids. If you are looking for “Harry Potter” or “Chronicles of Narnya” then its better to avoid it, as the movie has much more to offer besides fantasy, adventure and special effects.