Everyone out there with children has gone through the same ordeal. Our kids see a commercial on television for some movie that captures their attention and we get dragged to the theater so they can see it. Even worse it that commercial is for the DVD of said flick which means we will have to view this disc repeatedly over the next few months. There is some light at the end of this tunnel, ‘Nim’s Island’. This is a children’s movie that adults can not only sit through with there children but enjoy. There is nothing deep here and in fact there shouldn’t be. Just keep in mind that the target demographic here is the children. You really can’t judge a film like this by the same criteria as would a movie intended for more mature audiences. This is whimsy; a world of fantasy that mixes with the real world. After all this is how an imaginative child lives their lives; merging reality with their vivid daydreams. Another caveat is this flick is more for the young girls watching not their brothers. The central character is a tomboy of a girl living with her father on a deserted island. There are adventures but the young boys may be reluctant to admit that they might enjoy it if only they can get over the gender prejudice prevalent at that age. There are some tense moments but nothing that a parent should be concerned about. It is rated PG so some parental discussion should precede allowing the youngest members of the family watch. It used to be that films for young girls were rare. Thankfully, there have been young actresses like Dakota Fanning and the young star of this flick, Abigail Breslin whose popularity is changing this idea with the studios. Girls have always had the Disney princess movies but now they can enjoy a live action flick where they can identify with the protagonist.

The story here is based on the book ‘Nim's Island’ by Wendy Orr. Translating it to the screen is another group effort consisting of Joseph Kwong, Paula Mazur, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. Levin and Flackett have the most scrfipting experience and have worked together on the brilliant but cancelled TV series, ‘Earth 2’ as well as the young girl oriented ‘Madeline’; the later providing insight in to bringing a popular children’s book to the screen and writing for young girls. This pair also takes up the directorial duties while Mazur puts on the additional hat of one of the producers. This is considerable talent behind the scenes and it shows in the presentation of the film. The writers break the main story into three interlocked but distinct parts. First there is the story of a little girl living on a remote island with her father. He goes missing and she panics. Then there is the author of adventure novels who can’t even step out side her front door. Lastly there is the little girl trying to keep her secluded paradise from becoming a tourist trap. They do an excellent job of not overwhelming the young audience with the movement between the story segments. This could easily become too much for a light heart adventure flick like this but the talent of the screen writers overcomes such potential problems nicely. They do take some familiar themes on here. You will see elements of ‘Jewel of the Nile’, ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ and even ‘Home Alone’ here but the key to the story working is the unique fashion that they are combined. Now this may seem silly to the adults but when you start watching all those grown up sensibilities will fade away yielding to your inner child. Parents watching will not be bored but can sit next to their kids and share the enjoyment.

As far as the direction goes Levin and Flackett do a more than acceptable job of pulling everything together. At first glance the pacing may seem a little off but on closer examination it was done just right. The first act of the film is idyllic showing young Nim playing with her animal friends while her father is busy at work. There is an obvious strong bond between father and daughter that is established in this section of the movie that is required for the subsequent events to play out. The scenes depicting the mental problems of the adult author in the States are done in a slap stick way but for a young audience it is the best way to show some serious emotional problems in an adult. It lays the foundation for just how much it took for the author to leave home and help save the girl and her father. The more intense and frightening scenes are kept in check so as not to outright scare the audience yet retain the heightened sense of danger necessary to provide the action. This film is crafted to suite the needs of the kids and works very well on that score.

Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler) is a marine biologist who species in aquatic life near volcanoes. He is a single father who lives with his ten year old daughter Nim (Abigail Breslin). She enjoys playing on the beach and forest with her friends; Selkie the Sea lion, Fred the Bearded dragon, Chica the Turtle, and Galileio the Pelican. Nim has a vivid imagination and loves the adventure novels about the exploits of Alex Rover. Rover is played in the fantasy sequences by Butler. Life is peaceful on their little island and everything is going well until Jack goes off on a ship for work and it wrecks. Unable to contact her father it seems that Nim has nowhere to turn. Making matters worse she injured her knee and it is getting infected. In san Francisco the author of the adventure books, Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) is working on a new novel that has to do with a volcano. She saw an article by Jack in National Geographic and emails him fro advice. The email is read by Nim and the girl relates her plight to the author begging her to come and help. Nim thinks that the author is the daring and brave character in the novels. Rover is an agoraphobic who is afraid to transverse the slight distance to her own mail box. In her own imagination Alex the adventurer convinces the frighten woman to pull it together and help the girl. While this is going on a cruise ship from Australia is off shore. It is filled with the rudest and crudest tourists possible. Nim is desperate to keep them from landing and making the beautiful island just another tourist dump. With the help of her animal friends she tries her best to make the island seem inhospitable. Rover does muster the courage and comes to save the day.

Butler is best known for the scantily clad, washboard abs king in the movie ‘300’. While the adult women will not get a view like that here he does demonstrate his acting range by depicting a loving father. Foster is an Oscar winning actress and renowned director in her own right. She also knows what it is to be a child star and this translates to chemistry with Breslin that is adorable to watch. While she is best known for taut, tense roles she shows that she can handle the goofy slap stick required here. Okay, Foster goes over the top at times but it is still fun to watch. Breslin is one of the latest in a line of young actresses who is sweeping the film industry. Like her predecessor, Dakota Fanning, Breslin has a command of her craft that is far beyond her years. She consistently gives amazing performances as she does here.

Fox has released this film to both DVD and Blu-ray. Both show the studio’s commitment to providing quality to the public. The DVD version has an anamorphic 2.40:1 video and Dolby 5.1 audio. The Blu-ray variation has a fantastic DTS-HD sound track. This extended audio is amazing in the detail that it provides. You will hear every little sound in the jungle and each animal in the distance. Both have a fun set of extras geared towards both the adults and kids. This film is an very good one to have around and enjoy as a family.