Bridge To Terabithia (2007)

The Bridge of Terebithia is a classic movie many children have watched (and loved) in 2007. The story revolves an introverted, bullied boy named Jess who so happened to become acquainted with the new student, Leslie, since she had recently moved beside his house. It turns out that they have a lot more common than they thought, sharing common interests such as running and art. The movie received a rating of 7.1 on IMDb, a movie site, and I for one had to agree.

Despite being made in 2007, its CGI and filmography is able to hold up to the standard our day and age as well as the fact that many of us can still find ourselves relating to the main characters. The production team, including: David L, Paterson, Laura Levine and Hal Lieberman, had incorporated fantasy elements into the real world. In the movie, the fantasy elements such as the squogres (large squirrel like creatures), are all apart of Jess and Leslie’s imagination. This enables us to relate to the two as we have all imagined creatures or fantasy creatures when we were young, which is one of the most notable reasons to why we found the movie nostalgic.

The movie also does a great job in making us feel empathy for the characters. Thanks to the acting of Josh Hutcherson (Jess), who could portray the pure emotions felt by anyone who has been bullied; Lauren Clinton (Janice) and Cameron Wakefield (Scott) who captured the elements of a bully perfectly. Both bullies are different in their own ways and their antagonist nature has stemmed from different parts of their life, it is interesting to know that some people don’t bully for the fun of it. In an interview, Anna Sophia Robb (Leslie) and Josh Hutcherson had explained what it was like on set. They claimed it was difficult as they had to use their imagination for most of the movie, proving just how great these actors are.

There are a few things that I am left unsatisfied with the movie. Although it was a fantasy movie, I did wish I could see more of Janice and her relationship with her father. I felt like after they mentioned it, they had forgotten it and moved on. Or the fact that there weren’t enough fantasy elements for me, I wished they could’ve explored the world of Terebithia more. It was also never revealed why Leslie named it Terebithia. It would be nice to see Janice becoming friends with Jess and Leslie. Another thing I was unsatisfied with was the plot twist and the ending, it did not make sense to me and the ending could have been the same regardless of the plot twist.

Some parents might have an issue with the swearing and atheistic traits of the characters, but I did not and I think what Leslie said in regards to the Bible is something every child should hear. It can be beautiful if you want it to be. The swearing also makes the movie more realistic, despite the fact that it is a fantasy movie.

Despite being a movie made in 2007, it was still made with great quality. Regardless of how well or badly the movie aged, this was intended for children and it did well as a children’s movie.