MovieChat Forums > Nim's Island (2008) Discussion > A good, mediocre movie?

A good, mediocre movie?

posted 16 years ago by bcurti
19 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else feel this way after watching it? This was a hard one to summarize. Obviously, Foster and Breslin are two talented actresses, but the whole storyline plot just seemed thin, without much substance. Maybe this would have been better if they would have injected more action and adventure on the island, and less on Rover's agoraphobia and over delayed arrival to the island. Don't get me wrong, the scenery was beautiful, Nim's pet creature's were a delight.....but, eh...somehow, you felt like the "new" relationship between Nim, her Dad and Rover could have expanded at the end...just a bit, to add some reality to the new found dynamics. My three kids...12, 9 and 6 enjoyed it, but after it was over, they basically walked out of the room....no, "wow, that was great movie, I want to see it again." Like I said, a good, mediocre movie.

[–] VoyagerSamfan87 16 years ago

Really? I had the opposite reaction. When I saw it I had the "wow, what a great movie, I want to see it again" reaction, but oh well-to each their own, right I can get why it may not be someone's cup of tea but I was really surprised by how good it was since I knew nothing about it.

Giles: Don't taunt the Fear Deamon
Xander: Why can he hurt me?
Giles: No, it's just tacky.

[–] Ninja_Kitty 16 years ago

The movie is good spirited and entertaining, but nothing beyond that. It is far of becoming a cinematographic jewel :)

Life is precious, and it’s our own - not any god’s.

[–] bcurti 16 years ago

I probably could have re-worded my original statement by saying that this movie was "very well made" with some mediocre plot lines, a bit low with the adventure action and an ending that was too abrupt. The scenery was beautiful, though. Anyone ever been to that of Australia?

[–] sunbatt50 16 years ago

I'd say it's average for a family movie; maybe a bit ambitious, but no classic. Some of the scenes went on too long with Jodie Foster in the boat.

[–] katyzone 16 years ago

You said it perfect! I was like, wow, she arrives, but no great adventure, no nothing. All the stupid stuff on the ocean liner should of been cut out so that Alex and Nim could of had at least 1 adventure.

And shooting those animals with the catapults was just inane.

And no romance between the dad and the author. Wha? Where was the story?

Its like they had to end the movie and just ended it. Maybe they blew the budget and just wrapped up what they had in the can and called it "done"!

But I did like premise a lot! Would make a better series.

[–] Robyn51 16 years ago

I believe the author has written a follow up story titled 'Nim's Sea' so perhaps that is why they left the 'Nim's Island' movie a bit open ended. I wonder if they plan to make a sequel to the NI movie and if the same actors will be in it? It seems that although NI was not a huge blockbuster, it did make some profit so perhaps they will look at a sequel.

[–] emncaity 16 years ago

Maybe it was low expectations that did the trick, but I really loved this movie--and I am decidedly _not_ the type to like every film that comes along. (Actually used to work as a critic, was in a film program, etc.) I do remember thinking late in the story that if you viewed it as a film for adults, obviously it had big flaws from that perspective with the screenplay, broad peripheral characters like the bad-guy developers, etc. (as one of the other posters pointed out), but as a film for kids I just loved it. I suppose it got extra points because I really do have a soft spot for kids' movies that make their kids smart and self-sufficient and that don't depend on put-down humor where the kids are smarter than the doltish parents. Obviously NI does very well in this regard. Yeah, I loved that. Plus it was very pretty to look at.

It's also possible that I liked it as much as I did because I haven't read the book and have nothing to compare it to, no thoughts about what it should match up to, etc. How's the book? And what level of reader is it for?

[–] emncaity 16 years ago

>> I do remember thinking late in the story that if you viewed it as a film for adults, obviously it had big flaws from that perspective with the screenplay, broad peripheral characters like the bad-guy developers, etc. (as one of the other posters pointed out), but as a film for kids I just loved it. <<

Just a quick clarification: What I mean is, like most kids' movies for the past couple of decades at least, this one seems to want to include elements that will make it at least tolerable or even enjoyable for adults. I think it does a pretty good job of that, but as with most such films, it's easy to let your evaluation standard kind of migrate from looking at it as a kid's movie to looking at it as compared with other films for adults. Looking at it strictly as a children's film, I thought it was really good, if a bit flat for adults in some spots.

[–] patrick-310 16 years ago

I have to agree with you 90%. I had medium-high expectations and wasn't disappointed. It's a children's movie and I switched my inner kid on and enjoyed it thoroughly. Forget the plot, forget product placements, forget all of the improbabilities, just plain an hour and a half of silly diversion. That's what I expected, that's what I got.

Although the 'big' names in this film are Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler, it belongs to little Miss Sunshine Abigail Breslin. She portrays an exemplary model of a concerned daughter and environmentalist and a child.

[–] emncaity 16 years ago

Yeah, Breslin was a lot of it for me. I've got six kids of my own, five of them girls, and her character in Little Miss Sunshine made me a fan for life. I just love that kid--so much more real and unaffected than the Disney kids and Dakota Fannings out there, as far as I'm concerned.

[–] patrick-310 16 years ago

Strange that you use the term "Disney kids", Jodie was one of them. It prevented her from being Princess Leia in Star Wars, we all know where that went.

But I do agree that Little Miss Abigail is engaging and enthralling without the Disney allure. She's just herself.

[–] emncaity 16 years ago

>> Strange that you use the term "Disney kids", Jodie was one of them. It prevented her from being Princess Leia in Star Wars, we all know where that went. <<

Yeah, I forgot about that, actually. I was referring more to the overprocessed types they pump out these days--the Mileys, the Jonases, whoever. Jodie Foster is no "Disney kid" by that standard, no matter what her contractual obligation was at one time. I really, really like that woman as an actress, lemme tell ya.

[–] patrick-310 16 years ago

Ok yeah I you what you mean. Nowadays they're all like Velveeta - processed cheese in a box.

If you like that kind of stuff, try and get Candleshoe. It's typical Disney, no message, no blood, no sex, just plain silly fun. Jodie does her tomboy best. A good Saturday afternoon diversion.

[–] emncaity 16 years ago

Have you seen her in Little Man Tate? I just have a soft spot for actors who act like it matters to them to do the role well (as opposed to using the role for focusing on their own celebrity), and who seem to want to do important work. I know she's made a few films that weren't, you know, Important, but generally it seems to matter to her to do films that mean something beyond their running time.

[–] Monknificent 9 years ago

Nicely put.
Can you believe she's been working in every decade since the 60's? That's 6 decades! Basically all her life! I wonder if actors call it 'being a "lifer"'!
She was in The Doris Day Show, Gunsmoke AND Bonanza! Seems incomprehensible!

"It's too late... Always has been, always will be...
Too late."

[–] Prismark10 10 years ago

Its a weird film. I thought the whole thing was in the writer's head.

Its that man again!!

[–] yusef-ghanima 9 years ago

especially the Phoenicians being greek worriers, when they are in fact Palestinian sailors.

i mostly will not be able to answer your reply, since marissa mayer hacked my email, no notification

[–] hbh-2 10 years ago

I think the problem with people when they see movies like Nim's Island is that they don't think of it as what it is; A movie for children. I am sure the story is not 'too thin' for the target audience.

It would be nice to hear from some children who saw the movie - unfortunately too few of them are posting to IMDb, IMO.

To me the movie appeared flawed in many ways, like who leaves his little child alone - going out onto sea without even checking the weather forecast? There is no way that it's possible to get that much electricity out of 4-5 small solar cell pads. One would have some kind of petrol driven generator to combine it with. Things like this. But for a kid, or for the sake of writers freedom, it could make sense. In another universe, etc.

So I started to look more at the larger perspectives of the story - it's quite moving. The phobia ridden writer overcoming her fears and get's out of that building where's she spent many years. Then the terror at sea, where the father is in grave danger of being killed, tensions build up. The mini plot with the buccaneer ship works well too, since it's the link between the writer and the island, without them she would never have gotten there (in time). Followed by the very close drowning scene, with the girl coming her to the rescue - riding a seal!!! And the ending with the father returning - in a self made watercraft - feelings run high when he meets up with his daughter - and I guess most people see a strong attraction between the writer and the father.

I am quite sure I would have found this movie fun back when I was 6-7 years old. Early childhood is a dream like state of mind, while we slowly learn the method of life on planet Earth. It's too bad that most of us tend to forget or ignore the memory when we once viewed the world in a completely different way.

Rating: 7/10

[–] clacton0 10 years ago

This was on Five the other week here on TV.
Just seen and it was an OK film.
I gave Nins a 6 out of 10 to.

www.youtube.com/eastangliauk