Last night on ABC Family, I came across one of the only Disney live-action film from the last few years that is worth anyone's time. It's the story of Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson), a miserable, constantly bullied kid who lives in a house out in the country with four sisters (two older, two younger), and he'd trade them all for a good dog. He has a difficult relationship with his hard-working father and his only refuge is in his drawings. At least it was until he met Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), a girl with a wild imagination and a constant smile on her face. Leslie introduces Jess to the world of Terabithia, a magical kingdom that both of them create in the woods behind their houses. In Terabithia, they are the rulers, and they fight trolls and evil creatures belonging to the Dark Master (creatures they model after bullies at school). It's a story about imagination, about a friendship that develops out of two kids were just too odd to fit in with the rest of their classmates. Neither of them ever had much luck making friends, and through this world that they created, Jess finally feels that his life is worth something, until tragedy strikes.
I wanted to discuss this film because it raises a really big question when it comes to selling a film. Bridge to Terabithia is a story about friendship and imagination, where not much happens, and the biggest plot point in the film is something that you can't put into a trailer. The film was heavily marketed as a fantasy film, and it gave the impression that it would be a film very much like The Chronicles of Narnia. I remember the way it was marketed on ABC Family last night. It was placed into a "Magical Weekend" along with The Chronicles of Narnia. It uses this marketing, because it draws audiences. The film opened strongly on Presidents Day Weekend with just over $28 million, and it ended up earning about $80 million in the US, and $120 million worlwide (with a budget of $60 million). So, the marketing was successful in the sense that it drew people into the film, but many complained that they were let down by the advertisement, because when they saw the film, they didn't get what they expected. A lot of people who read the book also complained about the trailers, because when they saw it, they thought the filmmakers had butchered the book by expanding on the fantasy world (which is not described in much detail in the book) and making it into a Narnia-like fantasy. But the film is actually very close to the book (even though the fantasy sequences are beefed up with some CGI).
I'm about to spoil the biggest plot point in the film, so if you haven't seen it, or read the book, read no further. This plot point became a real shocker for people, mainly parents who were expecting their children would see a nice family fantasy film. The film follows Jess and Leslie's various adventures in Terabithia, including hunting a giant troll, getting Jess's dad's keys back, and even a little detour into church where Leslie gives a new insight in how we can view religion ("I think God goes around damning people to hell, he's too busy running all this.") Jess has a crush on his music teacher, Miss Edmonds, who invites Jess on a trip to a museum to encourage his artwork. He thinks about inviting Leslie, but decides not to. When he comes back, he learns from his worried-sick parents that Leslie tried to swing across the rope that leads her into Terabithia, and the rope broke, causing her to fall into the creek, where she got knocked unconscious and drowned. From here on out, the film acquires a more solemn tone, dealing with grief and guilt, but finally acceptance of Leslie's death. I read on IMDB message boards that the film upset a lot of people who were not prepared for it, and for those who had lowered expectations, they were pleasantly surprised by how deep the film is. I was of the latter group. When I saw the advertising, I wasn't really sure I wanted to see the film, but then I read the reviews (which were surprisingly positive) and decided to go see the film. I already had the plot point spoiled (which is why I noticed a shot of Leslie waving to Jess, and though, they're setting this up to be her last shot, her big goodbye) but that didn't ruin the feel of the film for me. It made me feel like I was 10 years old, and now every time I see it, different scenes get me.
Another performance that really impresses me is Bailee Madison, who plays Jess's second-to-youngest sister Maybelle. She idolizes her big brother, and wants to be around him all the time, but he keeps pushing her away because he's embarrassed and annoyed by her, and part of the story is also about appreciating the people you have and the people who love you, because they may be gone one day. There's a scene that really got to me this one time I saw it on ABC Family, after Leslie's Death, Jess goes to look for her in Terabithia, but instead finds Maybelle trying to cross a fallen tree over the creek. First he helps her up from the log, but he then tells her to go home. In his anger, he even shoves her to the ground. The scene brought tears to my eyes, not just because of Maybelle being pushed away, but because of the way Josh Hutcherson displays his grief in that scene.
I'm actually really glad Disney made this film and didn't sugarcoat the story. I read about the book. Katherine Patterson wrote this book after her son lost his best friend (who was struck by lightning on a trip to the beach with her parents). He was 8 years old at the time, and she remembers how she had to deal with his grief, so she wrote this story for him, but also to show children how to deal with the loss of a best friend and how you can create this magical place for them that keeps them alive, even after they're gone. David Patterson, the author's son, co-wrote the screenplay for this film and was also a producer, so his emotions were very much on the screen when building the story, the way he dealt with his grief and how lively the friendship became. It's one of the few Disney films I've seen lately that looks to convey something beyond a wholesome message and actually teach children about the hardships of life and how people can move beyond those hardships. It also explores themes of socio-economic statuses (Jess's parents are constantly worrying about money, and therefore expect Jess to be down-to-Earth) and it looks for a non-oppressive way of viewing religion. It's a shame it was marketed the way it was, but in all honesty, this film had a target audience of children and teenagers, so it was going to be hard to draw children into watching what the film was really about. The advertising drew them in to the film, and then they got the surprise of what the film was really about, while still getting the CGI battles and special effects they found in the trailer (only on a much smaller scale). Fans of the book who expected the film to tell a completely different story were pleasantly surprised (except perhaps by the fact that Terabithia is actually visible to them) and those who can appreciate a surprise got it). To me, it was probably the most pleasant surprise I got last year, and I urge you all to give it a look.
No comments:
Post a Comment