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'Zathura' looks and feels more real than its predecessor

I hope that people don't skip Zathura, thinking it's merely "Jumanji in space."

While that description is fairly accurate, this unofficial sequel to Jumanji is superior in nearly every way. Zathura flies about as high as the house in the film does.

Sony Pictures 'Zathura' A- The verdict: One of the most winning family films in many moons. Director: Jon Favreau Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, Tim Robbins Run time: 95 minutes Release date: Nov. 11, 2005 Rating: PG for fantasy action and peril, and some language. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'Zathura'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Specifically, the house in the film flies into outer space once two young brothers, Danny and Walter (Jonah Bobo and Josh Hutcherson), dust off a funny-looking game they find in their dad's (Tim Robbins) old house. Once they begin playing the game, it spits out cards that tell them they will be visited by meteors, a giant robot, snarling, lizard-like aliens with lots of teeth and the like. Unless the bickering brothers find a way to cooperate and finish the game, they may never see home — or at least Earth — again.

Like all adaptations of Chris Van Allsburg books, the film of Jumanji, released in 1995, had a very thin plot. Because the author relies much more on pictures than text to carry his books, filmmakers have to find ways to pad his stories into a full-length movie.

At this, Jumanji was only partly successful. While the movie about a game that turned a town into a jungle was a fun roller-coaster ride, at its core it was little more than a very elaborate and very long digital effects demo reel.

Since digital effects were still relatively new at that time, many of the shots looked exactly like what they were: cold computer creations. More importantly, because Jumanji so heavily used pixelated plants and animals as a crutch, the movie lacked heart.

Hot off the success of Elf, director Jon Favreau found a novel approach for Zathura. A fan of old-school family entertainment, as evidenced by Elf's homage to the stop-motion animation of the classic TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Favreau decided to go low-tech.

While Zathura's outer space setting necessitated some digital work, most of the effects eschew computers and rely on real objects, ranging from models to what looks like the classic man in a big rubber suit. The physical effects don't just make Zathura look more real: it feels more real.

But even this backward-looking technique would mean nothing if Zathura didn't have a good story. This movie's theme of siblings learning to appreciate each other will prove resonant to anyone who has ever wished, even for a moment, that their brother or sister didn't exist. The movie gets the point across by being direct without being too cloying or preachy.

Bobo and Hutcherson make very believable brothers — sometimes almost too believable. Their constant squabbling is mildly irritating, and the movie would have benefited from more interaction with their older sister, played by the talented Kristen Stewart, who spends too much of her screen time frozen solid when the game starts, thanks to an unlucky card. Even when she thaws out, she takes way too long to wise up to the otherworldly environment.

But these flaws are mere specks in a constellation of wonder. The smart and witty screenplay by David Koepp and John Kamps throws in everything from a reference to the raw teen angst film Thirteen to the ingenious, mind-bending subplot of the astronaut (nicely played by Dax Shepard) who helps the boys.

Favreau's nostalgic game-playing makes for one of the most winning family films in many moons.