I watched "The Bridge to Terabithia" on a whim with my wife and daughter with little foreknowledge of the plot. I'd never read the Newbery Award-winning book by Katherine Paterson, and I'd seen only one trailer for the film, which left me with the impression it would be a Narnia knock-off. It's not.

I'm not dissing "The Chronicles of Narnia," which in its way was a remarkable film. But "Terabithia" didn't deserve the CGI-laden marketing campaign it received; far from a fantasy blockbuster, this is a deep and thoughtful movie that places substance over sparkle -- a rare treat in the sprawling field of youth-oriented theater. It ranks up there with one of my favorites, "The Secret of Roan Inish," which accomplished more with no special effects than most family-friendly movies could with a billion-dollar budget.

But I just can't shake "Terabithia" from my head, a fact owed mostly to the performance of AnnaSophia Robb. As Leslie, a spirited young girl with a fiery imagination and endless good cheer, AnnaSophia captured my heart. She's the kind of person you want to know when you're a child and, as my wife remarked midway through the film, she's the sort of young woman you'd be happy to see your daughter grow up to be.

An outsider despite her youthful good looks and family wealth, she finds her perfect match in Jesse (Joss Hutcherson), another outsider who has withdrawn into his art to escape a chilly home life and his own problems at school. Together, they discover a secret getaway that might seem like a fairly ordinary patch of woods to most people; to them, it's a magical world replete with fantastic creatures, hidden dangers and amazing triumphs. It's here the special effects intrude more than accentuate the film; the story would have benefited from a vaguer sense of Jesse and Leslie's own wonder. We don't need to see CGI creatures to believe that these two children do.

The strength here, besides outstanding performances from the two lead actors, is the impact of a story that knows no amount of fantasy can prevent real-life tragedies from occurring. And the tragedy here -- it's hard to write about it without giving it away -- slams into unsuspecting viewers like a sudden kick to the gut.

Parents of younger viewers should be prepared to have a long and serious talk with their children after this movie, but that's not a recommendation to avoid it. "Terabithia" deserves to be seen, discussed and seen again. (Although use some discretion; very young children should wait before seeing this.) My thanks to director Gabor Csupo, as well as writer Paterson, for giving kids something honest and real rather than another serving of high-energy fluff.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor

I read the original book The Bridge to Terabithia when I was a kid. I don't remember very much from the book, but I remembered the general premise and the ending. When I originally read it, I really liked the book. So, obviously, when hearing that they were making it into a movie, I was very skeptical. Most good books don't translate into good movies. Then I saw the previews for the movie, and I was even more skeptical. This was not a book about fantasy lands and magical beings. This is no Chronicles of Narnia. I think it's much better, but it's certainly different.

This movie is about friendship, and imagination. It's the story of two fifth-graders, Jesse and Leslie, next-door neighbors, who are both outcasts. They aren't readily accepted in school, and aren't in love with their home lives, either. They grow a fast friendship where they "travel" to an imaginary land, Terabithia. In reality, it's just the woods behind their houses. All of the CGI that you see advertised is simply their imagination, and there's really very little of it. Just about every CGI-animated scene in the movie is shown in the previews. That is NOT what this movie is about, although that's what Disney would have you believe. It's about imagination and creativity, and how children should be encouraged to use that imagination.

I have a problem with all of the parents giving this movie terrible reviews because they say it's not child-appropriate. I don't have an opinion as to whether or not it's appropriate for children, that's for each individual parent to decide. Some kids can handle it, some can't. It doesn't take much research, however, to find out that this is not the happiest of stories. Any parent who really cares about what their kids see is going to research the movie BEFORE allowing their kids to see it. That involves either looking it up online, asking friends who have already seen it (or read the book), or watching it themselves FIRST to screen what their children see. I will not ruin the story by saying what happens, but if you really want to know, spend five minutes doing some research. Read the other reviews on this page, for crying out loud. But if you bring your kids to a movie that you haven't researched at all and it's not what you expect, don't blame the movie for your lack of effort. I understand Disney falsely advertised this movie, of course they did. Advertising it as another Chronicles of Narnia is certainly going to bring more sales in. But this movie is VERY GOOD. One reviewer said you have to be masochistic to enjoy a movie like this. I don't believe that's true. You simply have to appreciate a well-told story. Sometimes life sucks, and sometimes really terrible things happen. That's what the book was about, and this movie is faithful to that story.

I'm in my mid-twenties. When I went to see this, I went with a few friends of mine, all of us adults. Every one of us loved it. The two main actors (the two kids) are REALLY good. Jesse is the introvert and Leslie is the extrovert. You really buy into their friendship as you watch them learn to know one another. You want Jesse to punch the bully in the face; you want Leslie to stand up to the eighth-grader.

By the end, you could hear plenty of sniffles throughout the audience, including coming from my friends. Heck, I knew the story beforehand, and I still teared up. It's difficult to watch, but I believe the story was handled with very much care by Disney. Overall, this is an excellent movie, if not with reservations. If you're concerned with what your children see, then spend some time and find out what's in the plotline. But this movie is really good.

I know absolutely nothing about the young adult novel that this film, "Bridge to Terabithia," is based on. For this reason, I will only review this film for its contents and not on how well it translates the book to the screen. With that said, I can claim that "Bridge to Terabithia" is just one more wonderful film that's been produced as of late for youngsters that's based on a book or book series. Produced by Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures, this film tells the story of Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson of "Zathura"), a boy who lives in poverty but escapes from reality through drawing fantastical creatures and worlds. When a new neighbor moves in who marches to the beat of a different drum, the two of them combine their imaginations to create the kingdom of Terabithia. The neighbor is Leslie Burke, and she's played by the likeable and enthusiastic AnnaSophia Robb ("Because of Winn-Dixie," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"). She and Jesse take their personal miseries from school and at home and turn them into trolls, evil squirrels, grenade-like pinecones and a whole slew of other creatures. All of the bad people of Terabithia are lead by the Dark Master, a smoky, phantom-like creature.

As the story unfolds, Jesse and Leslie form a strong friendship both in reality and in fantasy. When Jesse is asked to go to the museum by his music teacher (the excellent Zooey Deschanel), he intentionally leaves Leslie behind. Why? Because like any most boys in middle school he happens to have a crush on his music teacher (It's Zooey Deschanel, who wouldn't?). When a tragedy occurs, Jesse's worlds, real and fantasy, experience dramatic changes.

"Bridge to Terabithia" is essentially a coming-of-age tale where kids who aren't quite children but haven't yet reached adulthood come to feel the consequences of reality. Jesse and Leslie love their fantasy world, but each day brings more reality with it. The cast is headed up by Hutcherson, Robb, and young Bailee Madison (Jesse's cute little sister, May Belle). The supporting cast includes Deschanel, the always reliably gruff Robert Patrick ("Terminator 2") and Lauren Clinton. While the adults play key roles in this film, it's really all about the kids.

The special effects are very good, though most pre-teens will pick up on their limitations. However, the special effects take a backseat to the story, which is always refreshing to see these days.

Parents with younger children should know that the tragedy aforemetioned may be very tough for youngsters to take. I won't go into details, but just know that it's one of the gravest tragedies that can occur in anyone's life. There are also two instances of strong language. The "d" word is used repetively in both of them. One occurs in the back of a truck after church and the other happens in the greenhouse at Jesse's home when he loses his father's keys. Other than that, there isn't anything in the film that you really need to look out for.

As a fantasy tale, "Terabithia" works well. It works better as a film about a young boy and his friend who come to terms with reality. I highly recommend this film for families, just be prepared to do some heavy explaining with younger children (under eight) when reality really, really hits home. Fans of this movie may also enjoy "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," the "Harry Potter" films (although as Harry gets older, the movies and books become geared more towards older children), and "The Neverending Story." Also, even though I haven't read this particular book, I have read plenty of other young adult books in my day. Pick up "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeleine L'Engle, any of the "Harry Potter" books, or any other wonderful child and pre-teen fantasy for your children to read if they enjoy this film.

Highly recommended.