Nim's Island [Blu-ray] Reviews

• Excellent time for kids of about 6-8 and up

  
  By A3AVJCB1ZD6ZY5 on 2008-04-27
  "Nim's Island" is a tale of courage. Our three main characters each face trials of the spirit.
  
  Jack Rusoe (Butler), a marine biologist, is a single father who is raising his young daughter (Breslin) at the foot of a volcano on a deserted island they found while the two sailed the seas searching for a blue whale that'd swallowed Nim's Mom, Emily. They live alone and like it that way. Nim (Breslin) is "Island schooled" by her father and has lizards and sea turtles for playmates.
  
  Alexandra 'Alex' Rover (Foster) a writer of adventure stories featuring a brave man bearing her name. Alexandra calls herself a borderline agoraphobic. She hasn't left her apartment in San Francisco for sixteen weeks.
  
  She's also got a problem--she's three weeks' late getting a draft of her latest "Alex Rover" novel to her editor, Buffy, and can't get Alex (also played by Butler) out of a trap in a volcano in Chapter 8. Like many writers, her character is real to her and he's tired of being stuck in the same predicament and wants Alex to get on with the book and both their lives.
  
  Jack leaves on a specimen collection run and Nim stays home alone for the first time to assist with the birth of sea turtles. She's told to tell anyone emailing Jack that he'll return on Thursday and never divulge the location of their island. Alexandra becomes Nim's inadvertent penpal when she writes Jack asking about volcanoes and thinks that Nim is Jack's assistant. Nim thinks Alex is her hero, Alex Rover, and will do anything to help him.
  
  Despite Jack's admonishment. Nim answers the author's questions about the volcano and accidentally injures herself rappelling down from the top. From the heights, she sees a cruise ship called the Buccaneer landing and believes the men to be pirates. When the ship returns with a boatload of tourists to enjoy the island, Nim thinks she's being 'invaded' and asks her hero, Alex Rover, for help.
  
  Prodded by her character, Alex packs her bags and her courage, and heads literally toward uncharted waters to help a little girl alone. Pretty brave, since she's got to confront fear of just about everything.
  
  Out on the open sea, Jack's encountered a storm and his ship's damaged. He may not make it back to his daughter.
  
  Meanwhile, the tourist ship has come back and Nim's launched an attack on the invaders with the help of her animal friends. Poor Alex is struggling to make it to the island, and Jack's cobbling a ship together to get back home to his daughter.
  
  The story's written for children, but the tale's so engaging you really are lost from the moment Nim (Breslin) starts telling us about the loss of her Mom and their travels. All the actors are people you want to see accomplish their goals.
  
  WARNING: This story may not work for very young children. A little girl of about 4 next to us whose Daddy was in Iraq was pretty distressed when she thought Nim's Daddy was lost and was frightened through several of the scenes. "Nim's Island" is a wonderful adventure, but it could be scary and the issues of abandonment, scary spiders, sharks, etc. might be too much for them.
  
  Rebecca Kyle, April 2008
  
  

• Home Alone - Island style

  
  By A37PV5GMP2ILJC on 2008-05-25
  Nim Rusoe: "Nobody invades my island and gets away with it."
  
  Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):
  
  1. No man is an island, but Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler) finds an island for himself and his daughter Nim (Abigail Breslin)
  2. They're not exactly "Lost" but they'd rather no-one knew where they are
  3. Plankton hunting on the high seas can be rather dangerous
  4. Nim plays "Home Alone" when intruders arrive at the island
  5. Animal co-stars do most of the work
  6. Alex Rover is an Indiana Jones-type fictional action hero
  7. Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) isn't
  8. An exchange of e-mails brings Alex and Nim together, and getting there is more than half the fun
  9. Lame and predictable ending
  10. Cue U2 track
  
  Foster and Butler tackle easy roles without having to stretch out of their comfort zones, Breslin's as sunshine-y as ever and the animals practically steal the show.
  
  A relatively low budget comedy-fantasy adventure for the whole family, but might be just a little too cutsie-pie for adults to enter the theater without being accompanied by a minor.
  
  
  
  Amanda Richards, May 24, 2008
  
  
  

• Cute one for the kids

  
  By AUTBHG6070SL4 on 2008-07-23
  This lightweight bit of fluff actually has a bit more substance than I expected, but nearly enough mass to bog it down. On the surface, it's a kid-empowerment movie. Nim, the nine year old girl, is adventurous, interested in everything, and fiercely self-reliant. Alex (that's Alexandra, much to the surprise of people expecting a male Alex) is too timid to open the front door, and gets carsick before the car even starts moving. Nim is fearless and Alex is omniphobic. Still, once their friendship forms, Alex overcomes her fear of everything but her shadow to help Nim when disasters leave her alone, hurt, and frightened.
  
  The two main characters balance beautifully. Nim is yound and bold, by nature, but still a little girl who gets scared when truly scary things happen. Alex embodies timidity, but has a core of mousy bravery that rises to the occasion. Nim lives in the world of Alex's adventure stories, which turn real around her as she reads them; Alex lives with the characters she writes, too, but has a much more argumentative relationship with them. A few other things come across nicely, too: the pervasive love of reading, nearly lost in today's media-mad world, and the image of scientist-geek as loving, strong, and physically competent. The girl-power message is there too, without being exclusive or overbearing. And despite a positive view of science, Nim brings a touch of magic, too.
  
  I might not remember this one a week from now, but it's great entertainment for any kid in your life (with a very few slightly scary moments). If you have a rainy afternoon, have a blast.
  
  -- wiredweird
  
  

• The Isle of Uncharted Courage

  
  By A18G7GG53G2X8A on 2008-04-06
  "Nim's Island" is the kind of film you'd expect to open with "Once upon a time" and end with "Happily ever after," but since it's about the magic of imagination and courage instead of actual magic (if there is any such thing), there's really no need. It does, however, begin and end with Abigail Breslin's voiceover narration, and she establishes a story so lofty that it's difficult to think of it as anything other than a fairy tale. While the plot of "Nim's Island" is completely unrealistic, and while the characters are anything but relatable, it tells such an innocent and good-hearted tale that you don't really think about those things. Its heart is in the right place pretty much all throughout, even when it lapses into sappy moments; that's saying a lot, since the entire film is based on a premise sappy enough for three family films.
  
  The story: Nim Rusoe (Breslin) and her marine biologist father, Jack (Gerard Butler), live alone on a secluded island somewhere in the South Pacific. They came to live there after a whale (supposedly) swallowed Nim's mother after being spooked by a cruise ship called The Buccaneer; Jack and Nim found the island while searching the world's oceans for the whale and decided to stay. Since then, Jack has been obsessively looking for a new form of sea-dwelling amoeba, and Nim has been reading. Apparently, both would prefer that no one else inhabit the island, so whenever the supply ship stops by, they don't allow it to dock--they sail to it while it's still offshore. How such exchanges could ever be managed, I have no idea, but as I said before, this is not a realistic film. If you stop to question this, then you might as well stop to question how Jack could have a working computer with a reliable Internet service provider. Or why Nim and the island animals can communicate with one another. Or how they can keep the island a secret when we have satellite imagery that can locate anything anywhere on earth.
  
  One of Nim's favorite reads is a book series featuring Alex Rover, a rugged Indiana Jones-type who travels the world and goes on daring adventures. There's a moment when Nim imagines one of the scenes from the latest book, and lo and behold, Rover looks just like her father (meaning he's also played by Gerard Butler). What Nim doesn't know is that Alex Rover is also the name of the author that created the character. What she also doesn't know is that the author is a woman; Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) lives in San Francisco, and despite being a very successful writer, she's agoraphobic, germaphobic, and obsessive-compulsive. Much like Nim, she can imagine Rover (the character) as a real person. But she takes it a step further--she has full conversations with Rover, relying on him for courage and support. It's easy to see why she writes these novels: she's too afraid to have a real life adventure.
  
  For the past three months, Alexandra has been struggling to finish her newest book; she doesn't have all the information she needs about volcanoes. She e-mails Jack for information, knowing that he lives on an island with a volcano. Since Jack is away at sea, Nim responds, pretty much at the same time a monsoon hits the island. Believing that she's corresponding with the adventurous, male version of Alex Rover, Nim begs Alexandra for help, not only for the sake of her father--who is now lost at sea--but also because the crew of the Buccaneer cruise ship has discovered the island and plans to turn it into a tourist attraction. This means, of course, that Alexandra has to face her fears of the outside world, and we all know how difficult it can be to face a fear.
  
  If this sounds to you like nothing more than an implausible kid's story, then you're not getting into the spirit of it. Consider the moment when Breslin fires an army of lizards onto a beach-load of tourists, or when Foster packs a suitcase full of soup cans and hand sanitizers, or when Butler receives a tool belt from a pelican; these moments are supposed to be fun, meaning they're not meant to be taken too seriously. On the same token, "Nim's Island" sends messages that are both positive and meaningful, and this is good because most of the better family films have done the exact same thing.
  
  One of the most surprising things about this film is Jodie Foster, whose quirky fish-out-of-water role called for a strong comedic personality. Her career has been defined almost entirely by dramatic roles. Even as a child star, films like "Taxi Driver" and "The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane" never let a sense of humor emerge. It was refreshing to see her play a light-hearted character in an equally light-hearted movie. If only she and Breslin had been given more screen time together--their characters officially meet at the very end, which isn't really satisfying as far as plot is concerned. Then again, the film's message is overcoming obstacles on your own, so it's quite possible that they were supposed to be separated all throughout. Whatever the case, "Nim's Island" is a charming little fable, despite the fact that it's completely preposterous. But as I said earlier, a fairy tale doesn't always begin with "Once upon a time" and end with "Happily ever after." Sometimes, fairy tales are defined by nothing more than the good intentions of carefree filmmakers.
  
  

• Nims Island Notes - The Pelican is the Hero

  
  By A2UMOEBAND6BS5 on 2008-04-16
  *SPOILERS*
  
  A wonderful film for the whole family. And just think only one explosion - a natural volcano.
  
  Abigail Breslin(Nim) is such a sweet, natural actress that she very easily carries the title role. Nim is resourceful, brave and smart. She lives on a remote island with her father Jack Rusoe (Gerry Butler), a ocean scientist. He goes out to sea to look for protozoa on an overnight trip. Nim begs to stay behind so she can help the sea turtle hatchlings. All is well until a storm.
  
  She handles the storm that nearly tears her home apart, putting everything back together. She gets rid of a tour boat that happens by, by rigging up a lizard catapult. She even answers a message from the author Alex Rover and climbs a cliff to check out the volcano. But when her father is still missing after the 4th day because of the storm, she succombs to being a little girl wanting her father.
  
  The big storm ruined his sail and motor. With no tools, he has still managed to rig a pump to get the water out of the boat.
  
  When Nim contacts Alex again saying she needs help, the writer, who is really a woman (Jodie Foster) terrified of going out of her home, argues with her alter ego, Alex Rover(also Butler) the hero of the books she writes. Her fight with herself/Alex, getting out of the house to "be the hero of her own story and go help that little girl" is funny and well done.
  
  The Animal friends who live with, and help Nim, are Selki the seal, a lizard named Fred, and Galileo, the Pelican. It is Galileo who is the hero of the story. He dives for fish for Jack to eat, and piles them in the boat. He flies back to the island and snatches Jacks tool belt away from where Nim is using it, and takes it to Jack so he can rig a sail and get back home.
  
  As Nim and Alexandra are discussing the future, way out at sea she sees a speck and then as it grows larger, realizes it is Galileo and as he flies toward the island Nim sees the boat bringing her father. As the 3 meet on the beach, Galileo flies overhead - a friend, and the hero of this story.
  
  Highly recommended for families and all who have an inner child. 8/10
  
  Jane
  
  
• a sweet fantasy which my 4 and 6 year old girls loved, but with reservations!
  By AGG9C66TOLJZB on 2008-05-23
  This is a very sweet and fun movie, with some major messages, but mostly a great adventure fantasy for children - especially girls.
  
  It is the story of Nim, a motherless girl who has been bought up by her father roving the sees and later settling on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific. It is somewhere no one knows because they meet a supply ship in their own small sailing boat every few months. From that ship they obviously get all the things to live in an extraodinary tree house, and also have online internet whenever they want it! My daughters especially loved the tree house - they want to live in one now, including the flying fox to get down to the water.
  
  There are some lovely scenes in this - the animated section of the mother getting eaten by a whale, the decorations in the tree hut house of Nim and her father are the most outstanding.
  
  Anyway, as the story unfolds Nim's father sails away to collect samples from a reef and will be back in three days, Nim refuses to go, and then their troubles begin. A storm hits and Nim is left alone - the tree house sustains damage and she can't contact her father when she repairs it because (although she doesn't know it) his boat is wrecked and the communication gone - and sharks are circling.
  
  In the meantime author Alex Rover who has a spot of writer's block is trying to contact Nim's father to find out about real volcanos - she is trying to finish her next Alex Rover adventure and can't get him out of a volcano - she wants to know what they are like. Nim helps, but reveals she is a young girl alone and her father is missing. Alex Rover, is actually Alexandra Rover, and an agraphobic who is too scared to leave her apartment, even to get the mail. She orders hand sanitiser in mega amounts by courier. Yet despite this she sets out to help Nim or save her father, or something!
  
  In the meantime Nim's island is being 'invaded' by the Bucaneer brand of cruise ship - these are linked with her mother's death and so in her mind are pirates. Nim must do everything she can to drive them away.
  
  All these storys seem to be loosely connected by Nim herself - but in actualy fact seem to operate quite independently. Nim's father gets help indirectly through one of Nim's friends, by the time Alex Rover gets to the Island the role she plays is actually extremely small - and the Bucaneer brand of Cruises are driven from the island, but for how long?
  
  The magic of this story is in the setting, the island, the tree house, the animal friends and the character's sheer pluckiness. These are great images - or mostly. I have one great problem with this - while abigail Breslin is perfect in most ways - she is wholly physically incapable of being a plucky adventure heroine. Don't get me wrong, I love her as an actress, I think she is extraodinary! But she runs with her elbows up, she kicks out - she is not a tomboy in her actions and even my 6 year old noticed it. Breslin is funny and nice, but action adventure heroine she is not.
  
  All parts played well - especially the animals, my daughters are now keen we dwell in tree house and tame a few seals to have fun with. Just what I want from a movie!
  
  
• Yes...But...
  By A1EHTFVSD0H7I6 on 2008-07-19
  
  
  I'm sitting on the fence. I liked Nim's Island because it feels a little bit like Holes. Hovering around the real and blending with fantasy and quirky visuals, this story is an exercise in imagination and is entertaining most of the time. I liked the casting overall. Jodie Foster played the angst-ridden adventure novelist with the whole gamut of human emotion.Gerard Butler got to exercise his acting muscles as well.
  
  I appreciated the ingenuity and attitude that Abigal Breslin as Nim Russo displays. A breath of fresh air when so many of our kids are bored even with all the technology and toys that money can buy. The value of family and the importance of others in life is an underlying theme that strengthens the movie.
  
  The negatives...well, there was really only one. I really struggled with not getting sucked into the story. I spent more time "yeah-right"ing than buying what was going on. The frantic pace of parts of the movie, the outlandish happenings and the blending with the real made it almost feel like a tall-tale that doesn't quite get beyond a middling-tale.
  
  Parents of four to ten year-olds (depending on maturity level) will likely find Nim's Adventure to be a treat for the whole family. If my kids were younger, I'd probably purchase Nim's Island.
  
  
• Boring in the extreme...
  By A35ARPUL3Y9INL on 2008-08-14
  Okay, yes I'm a grownup. But there have been lots of "kid" films over the years that I've enjoyed. And this film had everything going for it.
  Jodie Foster, yummy Gerard Butler, a deserted island for a home, loads of adventure (at least according to the trailer), trained animals, a mother swallowed by a whale.
  
  This movie turned out to be a very pale imitation of "Romancing the Stone", without the romance, without the adventure, without the fun...I was bored stiff in the first five minutes and by the time Jodie Foster eventually made it to the island, I just plain didn't care.
  
  If this film is truly aimed at 6-8 year old, then they've got to be the least interesting 6-8 year olds on the planet. Because my grandkids were bored stiff too (ages 6, 10 and 11, two of them girls). Maybe the film picked up during the last half hour; I wouldn't know, I fell asleep. And the grandkids were afraid I was going to make them sit through it again to see what I missed! Boy were they relieved.
  
  Yawn.
  
  
• "Nim's Island" is a fun-filled fantasy for nearly all ages.
  By AZCDCO6KK2T81 on 2008-08-17
  This is exactly the kind of film I've been waiting for Jody Foster to do. I always knew she had this well-hidden comedic side. In addition, Gerard Butler makes a great Scottish Indiana Jones!
  
  Again, Amazon has done a nice job summarizing the film, so not much of that here. This is just a special film to me because I just love how this family friendly film intertwines fantasy, adventure, relationships and love into one clever package. Gerard Butler does terrific double duty as Abigail Breslin's father and Jodie Foster's alter ego who gives her the courage to face her fears to save Breslin who has been separated from her father on their island, which has been "invaded" (another clever storyline). Foster must get over her fear of the outside world in order to get to Breslin's character on that isolated island and those moments when she battle with herself and her alter ego (Bulter) are the show stopping moments for me.
  
  The films sparkles with originality and heart. I was delighted by the performances and left smiling when the closing credits ran. This film may not delight all though. It is an awkward mix and bounces around wildly as if the writer and director had forgotten to take their A.D.D. medications, but for some, like me, that is the charm of this film, but for others, that can grate on one's nerves. It's a matter of taste.
  
  Although just a bit too uneven at times, I completely enjoyed this film.
  
  
• Just Plain Awful
  By ALXE57906SA68 on 2008-09-13
  I enjoy kids movies and I like both Foster and Butler a lot. What the directors had these talented actors doing is nothing short of embarrassing. I simply cannot call what anyone did in this film acting, as it was so deplorable. Since I know Foster and Butler have done brilliant work in the past, I have to lay the blame at the feet of the directors. They had Foster mugging with unrealistic facial contortions better left to a circus. Butler fared a little better, but he, too, had some difficult moments.
  
  The child playing Nim was simply forgettable.
  
  The story had potential and could have been done well under other directors. The scenery was beautiful. However, even that couldn't save this uninspired mess.
  
  
• Loved it!
  By A1AU1G8U8IPXX2 on 2008-04-06
  I saw the movie on opening weekend. It is only an hour and a half long so I wish it was longer. Gerry does a wonderful job playing two parts of Jack the father and Alex the "hero". Jodie pulls off her comic scenes perfectly. ALL of the actors were just wonderful. I'll buy the dvd when it's available.
  
  
• wonderful family adventure film
  By AUVQ1278BACEA on 2008-05-24
  I went to see this film expecting an ok family film and found myself completely engrossed throughout the entire film. It was wonderfully played out by the 3 lead characters and animals. Well worth a look, with or without kids!
  
  
• TO BE ON A DESERTED ISLAND WITH GERRY BUTLER!!!
  By A250F68H2D5MSX on 2008-06-20
  FIRST OF ALL LET ME SAY IT IS CLEAN, REFRESHING AND INVITING FOR THE IMAGINATIONS OF YOUNG AND OLD. I LOVED THE MOVIE,. WHAT CAN I SAY. GERARD BUTLER IS IN IT!!! HE IS SUCH A VERSATILE ACTOR. WHO SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED TOP BILLING ALONG WITH JODIE FOSTER AND ABIGAIL BRESLIN. HE IS RECOGNIZED ALL OVER FOR ALL HIS GREAT FILMS AND DESERVED BETTER BILLING. THE TRAILERS HARDLY EVER MENTIONED HIS NAME. IT IS A WARM AND FUNNY ADVENTURE. A FAMILY MOVIE WITHOUT VIOLENCE. I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY. GINNY M.
  
  
• Walden Media is a first rate Studio
  By ABJO8YJEB6RT0 on 2008-07-05
  Nim's Island is a first rate children's movie from a first rate company. Walden Media has a simple yet challenging model that they have set for themselves. ...to produce top quality children's entertainment that is also educational and fun for adults as well. They have taken many modern and classic children's novels and given them a quality treatment without filling them up with potty humor and covert sexual innuendo to capture an adult audience. They have many great movies that are worth checking out including: Holes, I am David I Am David, Because of Winn Dixie, How to Eat Fried Worms, The Chronicles of Narnia, Bridge to Terabithia and even a couple of documentaries. I have been pleased with nearly all of their movies to date except maybe "Hoot". Their web site (google it) also has teaching resources for all of their movies.
  
  
• I expected much more.
  By AFIRGN2SO0W5 on 2008-07-27
  After seeing the trailers, I must admit that I was expecting far far more to this movie. The premise is that Jodie Foster is persuaded to go to Nims island to help Nim find her lost father, and of course she is a fish-out-of-water type on this island. However, she arrives on the island in the evening, and the next morning father comes back, and the movie is over ! A whole 10 minutes worth of the movie. My thought was "is that it ???, is that all there is to it ???" . The grand adventure she is supposed to have on this island does not happen. Have movie making standards really dropped so much ? Very dissapointed.
  
  
• Stars Struggle Valiantly with Slow Pacing and a Weakly Developed Script
  By A13E0ARAXI6KJW on 2008-09-19
  Somewhat diverting but hardly memorable, this 2008 adventure movie boasts some surprisingly bad computer-enhanced matte shots, especially in the attempt to make the remote island setting a tropical Eden. The biggest culprits, nonetheless, are the lethargic pacing and a script with neither subtlety nor tension. Based on Wendy Orr's popular 1999 children's book, the film is directed and co-written by husband-and-wife team of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett (director and writer of Little Manhattan, respectively), who redid the original script by Joseph Kwong and producer Paula Mazur. The multiplicity of fingerprints shows in the screenplay which tries to tie together the isolated situations of three sketchily developed characters in a story that doesn't really provide thrills or genuine heart. It's a new millennium tinkering of The Swiss Family Robinson story replete with single parenting, agoraphobia, and out-of-nowhere WiFi.
  
  The story focuses on eleven-year-old Nim, a rambunctious girl who lives with her scientist father Jack on an island otherwise uninhabited except by her frolicsome animal friends. As part of a biweekly shipment, she receives a series of books about an Indiana Jones-style adventurer named Alex Rover. The books allow her to imagine the rest of the world through the adventurer's eyes, and he shows up vividly in her imagination. With much trepidation, Jack decides to take a two-day sailing trip to look for protozoan specimens leaving Nim behind. A storm tosses Jack into harm's way, as Nim tries to ward off an onslaught of cruise ship passengers intent on turning the island into a Club Med. Through happenstance, she emails who she thinks is Alex Rover the adventurer. Instead, it turns out to be Alexandra Rover, the Marin-based author of all the books Nim loves. Alexandra turns out to be an obsessive clean freak who survives on Progresso Soup and Purell and won't ever leave her house. The rest of the story is how Alexandra comes to Nim's aid and Jack survives a sinking boat and shark-infested waters.
  
  The omnipresent Abigail Breslin (No Reservations, Definitely, Maybe) shows she can carry a movie as Nim, but she does seem to be on the verge of overexposure. In a complete about-face from her most recent roles (The Brave One, Inside Man, Flightplan), Jodie Foster seems out of her element as she attempts to make Alexandra a slapstick comic heroine. The strain often shows, but there are moments when you realize how she would have played Nim in her tomboyish way had the film been made 35 years earlier. Also in an about-face, Gerard Butler gets to play both Jack and the fantasy figure of adventurer Alex Rover. He struggles mightily with an American accent and a microscope as devoted father Jack but swaggers with ease as a Scottish Alex. In truth, none of the three stars seems stretched here, but their innate likeability goes a long way toward making this movie palatable ...even for an old curmudgeon like me.
  
  There is a robust set of extras on the 2008 DVD beginning with two commentary tracks both aimed more at the more youthful viewer. The first with Breslin and Foster is surprisingly low-key, while the second with Levin and Flackett is more engaging. Of more interest are the deleted scenes. The first is nine minutes long and includes footage of Nim's interactions with her imaginary friends Huck Finn and Alice in Wonderland. The second features the deleted role of Alexandra's assistant. While the additional characters provide an opportunity for more dialogue, it's arguable whether they would have helped pick up the pace of the film. Two PSAs, several trailers, and three quick featurettes, two focused on Breslin and the animals, round out the extras.
  
  
• ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
  By A1OXI8SMH34L7O on 2008-10-03
  This movie is sooooo boring! I was looking forward to watching it after all of the movie trailers made it look action packed and exciting. It looked like a really cute show. WRONG!!! The movie is boring and lame and all of the actors/actresses do a terrible job. I usually enjoy Jody Foster and the other talents in this movie, but they should have stopped filming while they were ahead and that was in the process of reading the script. Don't waste your money, if you want to see this show, rent it for a dollar or two. It's definitely not worth anything more than that!
  
  
• Even my wife liked it!
  By A2EANSQEQWZX7U on 2008-04-07
  I have a 10 year old daughter and I'm normally the one that takes her to movies. "Mom" has a pretty low tolerance for kids movies, no matter how good they are. But we convinced her to come this time and she was totally thrilled, as were my daughter and I. Interesting characters, lovely location, nice plot, great character development, and humor throughout.
  
  
• Adults will like this movie too
  By A3P6P7VDQU5H1D on 2008-04-07
  I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I was not sure about it at first but the plot really draws you in. There is only mild peril so it is fine for the small kids also though I would say anyone under 8 might not sit still. The plot is a little weak but you get sucked into the acting of the daughter and you forget. All in all a movie I would reccomend to adults and children too.
  
  
• One of the best family films of the year!
  By A1OVYZPXPB0RKB on 2008-04-13
  Walden Media and 20th Century Fox look like they have a hit on their hands. Nim's Island is one of those delightful film concoctions of adventure, fantasy and family everyone from your grandma to your kid sister will enjoy. Based on a children's novel by Wendy Orr, it's always intriguing to hear the author's reaction to an adaptation of their own book. After watching a screening of Nim's Island, Orr had this to say in a recent interview, "...the overwhelming feeling was relief and joy--I really like it, and I truly believe it's good." High praise indeed.
  
  Nim Rusoe (Abigail Breslin) is a young girl who along with her scientist father (Gerard Butler) lives on an island paradise. He makes his living researching plankton, algae and other tiny creatures of the sea. But not even in his National Geographic cover story bio does he reveal where he lives. He and Nim have worked long and hard to keep their location a secret from the outside world. They don't need strangers interfering. They have each other, the ocean, the animals, and Nim has her favorite novels--the Alex Rover adventure series. What more do they need? (Okay, so it's a tad bit unbelievable the supply ship wouldn't have spilled the beans, but this is a fantasy movie after all. We can cut them some slack.)
  
  One day Nim's father hurriedly sets off on a two-day boat trip to capture a rare form of glowing algae. He tries to talk Nim into coming with him, but she insists she's old enough to take care of herself. Which is an understatement. This little girl is more like the Indiana Jones esque Alex Rover of her books than she realizes. She can fix solar panels, shinny up palm trees, build fires and cook up delectable delights like mealworm stew with the best of them. But when a storm hits and Nim loses contact with her father she's put to her biggest test of all. In desperation, she reaches out to the other hero in her life--Alex Rover. What she doesn't know is that Alex Rover isn't a "he" but a "she", an author who's penned the best-selling novels all without leaving her apartment.
  
  Played brilliantly by Jodie Foster, Alexandra Rover is an agoraphobic writer obsessed with Purell hand sanitizer and Progressive soup who can barely gather up the courage to retrieve her mail each day (and some days puts it off until tomorrow). How could she possibly hop on a plane to help a young girl who lives half-way around the world?
  
  There might be a reason Nim's last name is Rusoe. Her character could draw comparisons to the Robinson Crusoe of literature, only she's alone for four days not twenty-eight years. She's resourceful and adventurous. Her schooling is the best kind, coming from actual experiences and reading books rather than some boring classroom. Her best friends are a tame seal and lizard (is he real or CGI?) who are her inseparable companions throughout the movie. There's even a Pelican-like bird who rather unbelievably helps Nim's father out of a few scrapes, but hey. That's what we want, right?
  
  Abigail Breslin has already proved herself a worthy member of any cast from her performances in the likes of Little Miss Sunshine and The Ultimate Gift. Here in Nim's Island she's once again blipping on our radar screens as a young actress to watch.
  
  But as cute and talented as Abigail is in this film, Jodie Foster really steals the show. It was hilarious to see the reclusive author stereotype played out on screen, like when Alexandra talks to her character Alex Rover (also played by Gerard Butler) as if he really does exist. The fun part here is that the character actually does pop up in her scenes in some humorous ways, even dragging Alexandra out the door to help Nim. At one point when Alex Rover is handing Alexandra a line from her book about being the hero of your own life story, Alexandra turns on him and says, "Don't hand me that line. I wrote that line!" It's all in Alexandra's imagination, of course, but we almost begin to wonder at times.
  
  One of the many great things about Nim's Island is the way it portrays the adventure of reading. Books aren't just words on a page. When you read a book you're transported to different worlds and different times. A scene early in the movie has Nim lying in her bed reading the latest Alex Rover novel at a point in the book when the character is battling his captors in the desert. But instead of just switching to Alex, the film makers chose to put Nim right in the scene, bed and all. So she's reading away completely oblivious even as Alex throws punches and literally tosses men across her during his escape. A beautiful portrayal of literature's power.
  
  It's a pet peeve of mine when movies don't include scenes that are in the trailer. I'd expected some sort of swashbuckling confrontation with a pirate or nefarious villain in Nim's Island (as was implied in the trailer), but neither materialized. They certainly weren't necessary to create a compelling story, but I like to get what I've been promised.
  
  I went into Nim's Island with high expectations. Jodie Foster simply has "it" as an actress, and I couldn't wait to see her portrayal of a tortured writer. Could she really nail a comedy/almost slapstick role after so many dramas? Would Abigail Breslin come off too cutesy? How would the adventure unfold?
  
  I wasn't disappointed. I laughed so much that a few times I found myself glancing sheepishly around the theater hoping I hadn't disturbed someone. Though it probably won't be as huge a blockbuster as say the upcoming Prince Caspian, Nim's Island is still one of the best family films of the year.
  
  --Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk
  
  
• A likable cast, a solid script, and a thoroughly enjoyable adventure for the whole family!
  By A2BNNU4ELFKK4N on 2008-06-18
  In the tradition of last year's poignant and well-made film adaptation of "Bridge to Terabithia," Disney and Walden Media pair up again for another nicely written and superbly acted story for the big screen. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to catch this one when it came out, and upon seeing it for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was even better than I expected.
  
  It's a children's adventure flick, to be sure, but for all you parents and adults out there, you just might find yourself enjoying it just as much. And unlike the controversial and mismarketed "Bridge to Terabithia," which had several people in a tizzy by the time the end credits rolled, there are no frightening or overly emotional curveballs to worry about here. From beginning to end, there is plenty of excitement and unique plot material to go around, and it is mixed with just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy everyone.
  
  This is Jodie Foster's first family-friendly role in a VERY long time, and it's nice to get a glimpse back at the kind of characters she used to play back in her "Parent Trap" days. She undoubtedly has some powerful range as an actor, and by playing a reclusive author who has a heck of a time even leaving her house to grab the mail, this movie allows her to be bold, funny, and inspiring at the same time.
  
  As for Abigail Breslin, if you don't know who she is by now, then you should be aware that she has been working very hard to catch up with the solid acting reputation of young stars like Dakota Fanning, and with multiple back-to-back films in the past year (along with a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 2007 Oscars at the age of 10 for her work in "Little Miss Sunshine"), this is a young starlet to keep your eye on. She tackles the title role with a lot of maturity and responsibility, and at the tender age of 11, the movie belongs to her. I have every reason to believe that her career is on its way to gaining the same strength and renown as that of Jodie Foster's, who also started out as a child. For a role like this, it was very important for the film to find a child who could carry the movie, someone who would be convincing as resourceful, headstrong, and intelligent--and part of that means casting a kid with experience. You can't ask for more than Ms. Breslin, who has an impressive number of movies under her belt, has worked with some big-name stars (think Kate Hudson, Steve Carell, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, and now Jodie Foster, among others), and is always, always capable of putting up a solid performance. You always know she's going to be good, and she always is. She knows how to emote, she knows how to be cute and precocious, and she knows how to be a little bratty when the script calls for it, so it's easy to understand why she's been the "go-to kid" for so many "older child" roles recently. I look forward to seeing more from her in the years ahead as she approaches adolescence and adulthood.
  
  Gerard Butler rounds out the main cast and takes on a dual role here, portraying both Breslin's single scientist father and Foster's imaginary "crutch," if you will. I loved watching him star opposite Hilary Swank in the recent "P.S. I Love You," and he is equally likable in this film.
  
  Simply stated, this is the kind of film that you can take the whole family to. It has enough action, adventure, and intrigue to keep the older kids interested, and the overall "no man is an island" message of courage and perseverance is something that very few parents can complain about. There are no guns, explosives, or foul language necessary to advance the plot--just a group of talented actors, lovable characters, and a simple, original story that you'll fall in love with. I agree with a previous reviewer in that Foster and Breslin should have had more screen time together--after all, only three or four scenes at the end of the movie isn't all that satisfying for two dynamic characters and talented actors such as them--but I guess the given story wouldn't have been compatible with multiple scenes for the two of them. Setting that aside, it's just one of those special films that everyone has something good to say about, and whether or not you have a child to accompany to this, you won't want to miss it!
  
  
• OMG - I was so disappointed
  By A34O1EGFJ3KF6S on 2008-07-14
  This is the worst movie Jodie Foster has ever done. The previews were so good. I think that at every opportunity to excel this film fails. It is very predictable and lame. It is also a difficult blend of deep and extremely juvenile. The kids that sat behind me at the theater were very confused by the agoraphobia scenes and when Jodie got to the island, it was as big of a disappointment as possible.
  
  
• Modern Day Swiss Family Robinson
  By A24A179RV7YTUL on 2008-07-19
  Nim's Island
  A Modern Day Swiss Family Robinson Tale
  
  Nim and her father, mirobiologist Jack Russo live on a private island in the middle of the Asiatic Sea. They have all the conveniences of home, with regular deliveries from a supply ship. Nim enjoys her friendships with her animal pals, a sea lion, a pelican and an iguana. She also enjoys reading the latest adventure from her favorite author, Alex Rover.
  
  When Nim's father fails to return an excursion to collect specimens, Nim is worried about her own safety and the safety of her father out to sea. She contacts her favorite author, Alex Rover. She is certain that Alex will know just how to find her father.
  
  Alex Rover turns out to be Alexandra Rover, the big city dweller who is afraid to leave the comfort of her own home. Alex braves the wild world just outside her door, by taking a deap breath and listening to the promptings of her fictional adventure character.
  
  How can this pathetic creature go over land and sea to help a courageous child find her father?
  Can her father brave the storm and find his way back to his daughter?
  
  This is a fun family movie about going outside yourself and overcoming obstacles.
  I enjoyed the acting of Abigail Breslin as much as I enjoyed Jody Foster in her skittish role.
  
  Jill Ammon Vanderwood
  Magical Adventure Author:
  Through the Rug
  Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)
  Look for my Through the Rug 2: Follow that Dog
  video trailer on YouTube
  
  
  
• Kids are Welcome, Adults Welcome...With Kids
  By A27VY7BUVD09I2 on 2008-08-05
  Nim (Abigail Breslin) is a smart, imaginative, and adventurous eleven year old girl who lives with her father Jack (Gerard Butler) on a remote island in the south Asiatic Sea. To pass some time, Nim reads Alex Rover adventure novels. Alex Rover is an Indiana Jones type adventurer. When Nim's father is lost at sea, she has an exchange of emails with Alex Rover to get him to come help find her father. What she gets is Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) the agoraphobic, panic driven author of the fictional Alex Rover novels.
  
  All three actors play easy roles and don't use their full potential. Jodie Foster had the most challenging role in playing the agoraphobic, but played it well. She was like a female Bob Wiley ("What About Bob?") minus the Tourette's Syndrome and foul language.
  
  Most of the story revolves around Rover's quest to get to Nim's Island, but when she gets there, it's really not clear why she needed to be there in the first place. Most of the action and "Home Alone" defense of the island by Nim is over long before Rover gets there. A predictable happy ending of a story about a loving relationship between father and daughter.
  
  On the whole, "Nim's Island" is a good place for kids (ages 5 to 10) to adventure in or vacation with the family. Not so much for adults, but they can get tidbits of enjoyment out of it.
  
  
• Great family movie!
  By A1P3LMM6I68NJP on 2008-08-07
  Nim's Island Blu-ray. To start off this reminded me of when I was growing up watching some great family films. It was good clean fun! I don't think it's just for young children I watched it with my 18 year old daughter and my 68 year old mother and we all enjoyed it. This movie has adventure, imagination, and was a breathe of fresh air to watch. With Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, and Gerard Butler you can't go wrong. Nim's animal friends made it very entertaining. Some of the characters were over the top but fit well with the story.
  The blu-ray experience: The video presentation was of very good quality and looked superb at parts. It makes you want to live on that tropical island. The audio is amazing with DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. I felt like I was apart of the action not just watching it. I would recommend this movie to everyone!
  
  
• Another Miss From Walden Media
  By A2XRS4IWZQF7K9 on 2008-08-07
  Gerard Butler and Jodie Foster are two powerhouses that seem too proud to do a picture like this...aren't. Abigail Breslin another formidable actress with two other films that just work for her. Her role in Little Miss Sunshine really help introduce another kid actor with great acting chops. Yet in Nim's Island she is portrayed as if she has never had a decent film before this and this is her breakthrough role I suppose. She is so-so in this family oriented flop granted the material wasn't really good. She tries to make Nim a fascinating character yet she comes across as a immature and foolish girl. Gerard and Jodie are paired up together and it really works well, the relationship is strange but the chemistry is their. However, they are completely overshadowed and they have to take the back seat. I really couldn't see the attraction to this lackluster film. I usually enjoy family films yet this film leaves something to be desired. The ending was lazy at best and felt rushed to me. If Walden Media wants to be taken seriously they need to bring more passion and something new. I really hate comparing this movie to Home Alone, that movie is a classic, don't compare the two...ever. I really discourage anyone from watching this film who isn't a child. I hope this review is labeled as helpful. See ya!!
  
  
• Check reality at door
  By A1NIGUK4M2ST8 on 2008-08-07
  We enjoyed this fantasy- adventure, but you must quickly park your reason and commonsense at the dock right away, or it'll drive you crazy, e.g., what loving father would leave his young daughter alone for two days, even, or especially, on a beautiful, deserted island? And how could they live there without other kids or family for her to play with? Wow, that parenting mind never shuts off.
  
  The actual island where Nim and father live and work alone is a place where every kid and kid wanna-be should vacation, and the tale reminds me of "Joe and the Volcano", kids' style, or "Swiss Family Robinson", a fun fable with likeable people, exotic locations, adventure, cute animals and a message: "You can do it!"
  
  Abigail Breslin(Nim) is a talented, young actress; we always love Gerard Butler(Daddy/Jack, Alex' alter ego), but Jodie Foster(Alexandra) was a hoot(I had reservations beforehand) as the agoraphobic, constantly talking to herself, writer who's forced to become, more or less, her 'Indiana Jones' creation, Alex Rover. For Foster, it's definitely a refreshing change from her slew of thrillers.
  
  There's essentially three stories going on: 1. Nim's longing for her lost-at-sea father while 'defending' their island with the help of scene stealing animals; 2. Father's fight to get home; 3. Alexandra's struggle with self-imposed fears to help Nim.
  
  It's appropriate for school age kids, but being left alone and the fear of losing one's father is too stressful for little ones; however, they could easily watch and enjoy the animals, the gags and the tree house. The negatives: it's far-fetched, vascillates between serious and silly, but over all, it's a satisfying trip and with beautiful scenery- just leave your brain at home.
  
  
• worst movie of all time
  By AHTOOYMUIVE8W on 2008-08-13
  the movie was a big waste of time, also really bad acting, SPOILER ALERT nims stuck on an island all by her self with her father lost at sea,and her mother was swallowed by a whale. she comes in contact with this agoraphobia author over email she asks for help from the author thinking the he is an adventurer that kicks a bunch of butt like in the books that she writes, but she turns out to be wrong in the meantime she saves the island from overwieght tourists also the author goes across the world to find this island. she finaly gets on the island in the like last 8 minutes of the movie some help she was. it was just altogther a horrible movie spare yourself and avoid this movie if u do want to see it rent so you dont have pay 20 dollars
  
  
• No man is an island... no kid is, either.
  By A2L5XWA1DRCFAH on 2008-08-29
  What a twee bit of carp. Yes, carp. The wide-eyed over-acting little girl was just a total kill on this movie. And the timing was a mess - the connectivity between characters a mess. Not even a kids movie - it's just a complete frog-in-a-blender mess.
  
  
• Needs a Better Story and Director
  By ABO2ZI2Y5DQ9T on 2008-09-18
  Abigail Breslin is Nim, a young girl living in an isolated island in the South Pacific alone with her father Jack (Gerard Butler). When her father, a slightly eccentric biologist, is missing after a heavy storm, Nim asks for a help from the most unlikely person in the world: Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), an agoraphobic writer living in a big city, famous for her successful "Alex Rover" series, Indiana Jones-like adventure novels. "Nim's Island" has the right ingredients to make a great family picture (and a nice change of pace for Jodie Foster), which it is not, however as the film is helmed by wrong directors.
  
  In fact, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin's "Nim"s Island" could have been a great family picture with a better director. In the film's introduction Nim is shown as an independent and clever girl who can also communicate with animals. The imaginative girl has a lot of stories to tell us, about her mother (apparently dead) and father, animals, island and herself. She is also a gifted storyteller (as the film's introduction shows) and is good at using computers too.
  
  But somehow the director team didn't realize that such an intelligent girl would not mistake tourists for buccaneers. Even if she does, she doesn't need a slapstick comedy sequence like flying lizards. After the promising beginning, the film's story suddenly starts to meander in the mid-section with a train of silly set-pieces, and we start to think: Well, Nim has sent a message to Alexandra, a reclusive writer to come over to help her, but why should she do that if she is really a clever girl? Isn't that impractical and most of all, a bit selfish? But the film doesn't seem aware of that, leaving us far behind.
  
  Of course the contrived situation could be forgotten if the film provides us with a good story, in this case, a story of Alexandra. I hate to say this, but Jodie Foster's "comic" antics as fish-out-of-water Alexandra only irritated me with her terrible overacting. Here is a job for directors who should have stopped the camera to say "no" to her. I really like her, but it is painful to watch her yelling, stumbling and vomiting (twice), all cliché. Is this all necessary after all when the film is titled "Nim's Island"?
  
  

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