DVD of the Week: Bridge to Terabithia

Believe it or not, this kid flick is actually the best new film hitting shelves on DVD this week. Ads for the film misrepresented it as a Lord of the Rings for tiny tykes, but actually it's a mature, coming of age tale about two young loners (played by talented child actors Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb) who imagine a magical world for themselves called Terabithia in which they are royal warriors battling mystical creatures. These imagined battle scenes were basically all trailers for the film ever showed, but they actually make up a very minute segment of the film. The bulk of the narrative is dedicated to a level-headed account of the everday lives of these kids. I'm actually not sure the film would even entertain small children, and in the end, it might prove too dark and complex for very young eyes. It's actually a realistic portrayal of the end of innocence in the characters' lives that invites audiences to both grieve their losses and celebrate the future possibilities for their adult lives. Also very much worth mentioning is Zooey Deschanel who gives a warm, charming performance as a music teacher who sympathizes with the unpopular students in her class.