Bridge to Terabithia: Critic Reviews

In Bridge to Terabithia, the two middle schoolers who stumble onto a whole new world don't seem all that wowed. And the movie ... never decides if it's a fantasy or coming-of-age story.

Consistently smart and delicate as a spider web, Bridge to Terabithia is the kind of children's movie rarely seen nowadays.

Narnia fans might find some enjoyment in this children's fantasy adventure.

The story is a pleasant enough diversion with a positive message about seeing the troubled person behind the bully and the importance of keeping an open mind.

The beloved children's book has not just survived but thrived in its adaptation to the screen, its delicate combination of coming-of-age angst, tragedy and fantasy handled with assurance and taste by first-time live-action director Gabor Csupo.

Very Sad Things prompt Very Big Questions, and this movie is smart enough to avoid Very Easy Answers.

Far from a computer generated escapist fantasy, this film is an unpretentious and touching tale of preteen companionship and loss.

Everyone involved genuinely seems to believe in the power of imagination to enliven -- and enlighten -- the darkest realities, and that's a magic this film captures beautifully.

Has inspired moments but too often feels like an extended after-school special, albeit one with good production values.

Elaborately mounted, expensively produced and filmed with style and empathy, it's an adaptation of Paterson's Newbery Medal-winning book that manages to expand the original vision, yet preserve much of its intense emotion.

It's the sort of movie I admire more in retrospect than I did while watching it.

Bridge to Terabithia the movie, like the book, is buckets-of-tears sad. Director Csupo and company manage to get that -- the simple power of a story about kindred souls, about loss, about the limitless possibilities of a lively mind -- just right.

There are trolls and magical creatures, but they are the parsley on the plate. The film is a real human story about love and imagination and loss, infinitely superior to most of Hollywood's machine-stamped fantasies for children.

Terabithia picks up a lot of emotional punch as it rolls along, and anyone leaving the theater with a dry eye should be checked for a pulse.

One of the most grounded, realistic kid films to come along in a while. It's comical, cute and adventurous, but it also shares true-to-life emotional issues that many preteens face.

The imaginary world dreamed up by two youngsters in Katherine Paterson's coming-of-age classic has been realized imperfectly, but with intelligence and sensitivity nonetheless, in Bridge to Terabithia.

Terabithia has buckets of gentle sincerity. Since there aren't any dumb jokes or hip visuals, it's easy to get caught up in the simple messages: Be good to your sister, don't be a bully, use your imagination in a pinch.

A fanciful, emotional and entertaining movie.

For all that Bridge to Terabithia does to encourage children to exercise their imaginations and pursue the arts, the movie's producers give only glimpses of the wonderful creatures and magical kingdom dreamed up by two children.

This is easily the best family feature of the early year.

A tenderly executed adventure-fantasy.

Effortless performances from the two young stars ultimately make this movie worthwhile, regardless of the age of the kids watching.

A wonderfully heart-wrenching love story for tweens, teens, and even adults who fondly remember when a friendship could be ignited by a gesture as simple as offering a stick of Juicy Fruit.