Nim's Island (2008) PG - 3½ Stars

I just love Jodi Foster is just about everything she does. She's one versatile actress! While I thought the parts of this movie were on the unbelievable side, I guess it could happen? But what father in their right mind would leave his young girl on the island alone while he went on a journey to discover a new species of I'm still not even sure what? But all that aside, it is a cute movie. I watched the "special features" and it was pretty cool showing the filming of the water scenes and with the animals and it appears they worked pretty hard to make it look believable.

On a special note, I think whom ever made the animated opening screen cut outs should be designing children's story books cause I really enjoyed that. The movie starts out in this mood and ends this way through the credits. Also I loved the fact, Nim was so excited to read her novels and use her imagination by reading books. For me, this was the main point of the movie, that reading books can take you anywhere you want to go.

Nim Ruscoe (Abigail Breslin), is living on a deserted island with her scientist father. Her mother was lost at sea and as the story goes, swallowed by a whale that still watches out over the island. Nim and her father live in a rather open style hut, complete with all the luxuries like electricity, satellite computer access and running water. When Nim's father wants to go on a trip for a few days to find a glowing plankton of some sort, Nim wants to stay home and read her new adventure book by Alex Rover. It seems her hero Jack Rusoe (Gerard Butler) comes to life and always finds his way into an adventure, and with his courage, gets out of tricky situations. Nim explores new adventures, in the same manor, with her animal friends on the island.

When Alex Rover is stuck on the final chapter of the next book in the series, she turns to the Internet to seek information on what it's like living along side of an active volcano. When Rover contacts Nim's father through email, Nim jumps on the chance to answer her greatest hero's email. She even climbs the volcano to report accurate descriptions about what she finds, thinking all the time she is mimicking Jack Rusoe. When she slips and falls and puts a large gash in her knee, and all alone on the island, she becomes uneasy of what to do next.

A large storm blows in and Nim's father is late getting back and Nim feels she must defend herself on the island to what ever lands on the beach. Rover becomes anxious to read, Nim is all alone and her father's missing, and Nim's knee has become infected. But never fear, Alex Rover to the rescue as Rover knows the coordinates to the hidden away island. But, the largest problem is, Alex is really Alexandria and she has an extreme fear about going outside of her front door. With her character, Jack Ruscoe, pushing her out her front door, Alexandria sets off for the adventure of her life time. But will her phobia hinder her to get there, and will Nim's father come home? Okay from here, you'll have to rent it and see how the story goes.

Summit Entertainment
Directors: Mark Levin, Jennifer Flackett
Writers: Mark Levin, Joseph Kwong, Paula Mazur
Producer: Paula Mazur