Family film entertains with magical, rugged survival tale

Shadowy, indistinct rows of seating huddle in a dim room beneath the murmur of expectant voices anticipating the wonders soon to come. Someone coughs. The dry crackle of popcorn snaps in the dark, accompanied by a sudden clatter as Skittles get away from their owner across the cement underfoot. These are all indications that magic is about to happen —movie magic.

Based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Australian author Wendy Orr, Nim’s Island is exactly what it purports to be: a high-adventure fantasy story filled with scenic vistas, Disney-esque animal sidekicks, low-density peril and heroic deeds.

Nim is an 11-year-old girl who lives on a volcanic island in the South Pacific with her father, Jack, a marine microbiologist.    

Nim learns of the world from her father’s books, animal friends and the tales of Indiana Jones-style escapades written by her favorite author, Alex Rover.

Life is one idyllic day after another until her father is lost in a storm at sea, leaving Nim to fend for herself.

With her island threatened by a pirate-themed cruise line intent upon despoiling its resources and her father missing at sea, Nim finds help in the unlikeliest of sources: Alex Rover herself.

Directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, Nim’s Island is aptly described by Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle as “a combination of Robinson Crusoe and Home Alone.”

Eric D. Snider of Film.com claims it to be “packed with wish-fulfillment, girl power, broad comedy and swashbuckling adventure.”

Aimed primarily at an audience of tweens, the film has an airy feel that doesn’t quite make up for the sometimes strained acting of the primary stars.

Kids won’t mind, but the film bogs down at points for adult viewers. Much of this can be forgiven, when watching the brilliant performance of Nim by Abigail Breslin, recently of Little Miss Sunshine fame.

The young star skillfully maneuvers a complex gamut of emotions ranging from carefree wonder, familial adoration and restless anxiety to desperate sorrow.

Jodie Foster provides somewhat troubling comic relief in the persona of reclusive author Alexandra Rover, a germophobe/agoraphobe living in self-imposed isolation and addicted to Purell hand sanitizer and Progresso soup.
 In a rare comic performance, Foster executes the role with her usual candor and grace, giving life to Rover’s helpless ineptitudes in dealing with the outside world.

The film is somewhat inconsistent, however. Sometimes the humor feels infantile, and at other times the dangers faced by Nim are gravely perilous.

The acting is also unbalanced; Abigail Breslin carries (steals, really) the show, while Gerard Butler feels like a fish out of water.  His lines are delivered awkwardly and unusually sophomoric for such a seasoned and talented stage actor.

Among the film’s most redeeming qualities, besides the gorgeous tropical location, are the empowering messages and character development it portrays.

“Be the hero of your own story,” says adventurer Alex Rover, ironically written by a self-proclaimed “borderline agoraphobic.”

For Nim, this means tackling a volcano, driving away pirate hordes, weathering tropical storms and keeping hope alive as she waits for her father. 

For Alexandra, it means swallowing her debilitating fear and stepping out her front door into the uncertain world, leaving the Purell at the airport security checkpoint and taking a plane across the ocean to an uncertain fate.

“Courage isn’t something you’re born with,” Jack says to Nim.  “It’s something we learn all our lives.”

Overall, the film proves itself to be a fair picture. It doesn’t avail itself as a great date movie for the college scene, but might be a great option for someone who is babysitting, taking care of younger siblings, or a parent looking for a good family flick.

The plot is predictable, and the narrative is filled with overused maxims, but its message is both positive and uplifting.

All said and done, Nim’s Island makes the grade with a solid B-.