I’d been avoiding this movie for a long time. That is, until Betsy posted her best kids book-to-movie adaptations, and this was on the list. Well, I figured if Betsy liked it, then it must be good. So, the next time I saw it at the library I grabbed it and watched it with M and C.
(We made C read the book first, though.)
I came to this book as an adult, having missed it (among others) as a kid. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it or was concerned about the movie, especially after seeing the trailer: they turned Terabithia into a fantasy movie? Eek.
I needn’t have worried. (Actually, as I watched the movie, I remembered what my brother-in-law said the summer it came out: he was angry and felt like he’d been gypped because he thought he was going to go see a fantasy flick and ended up with a tear-jerker.)
Anyway.
I liked that it stayed true to the story, and yet worked as a movie. It wasn’t just scenes from the book, which is a downfall of many book-to-movie adaptations, and yet, they didn’t change it substantially, either. There was a sense of Jess’s father’s sternness, of Jess’s need to prove himself. (By the way, Josh Hutcherson did a fabulous job. Anna Sophia Robb was good, too, but I was a bit more distracted by her acting than Josh’s.) I liked the friendship between Josh and Leslie, how it brought out the best in both of them. And, yes, I liked the way they portrayed Terabithia: sure it was fantastical, but how else to portray what was in Leslie and Jess’s imagination? The filmmakers worked it in pretty seamlessly, moving between Terabithia and the real world.
My only complaint was the ending (if you haven’t read the book, then don’t read this part…). Maybe it was me (it most likely was, since M was bawling): I didn’t get worked up nearly as much as I did while reading the book. I wanted to bawl, I wanted to sob like I remembered doing, but all I got was a little teary eyed.
That said, it’s a minor complaint… and really not worth not seeing the movie over.
Verdict: the book’s beautiful, and the movie does it justice. Hooray!
The Book Nut 
I got a little teary eyed at this, too, but nothing like with the book. And I wish they'd kept the fantasy stuff out of it. It was a good movie without all that.
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True, Amanda. Though I think they did the best they could with the imaginary world. That said, they shouldn't have marketed it as a fantasy movie. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised.
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I wasn't familiar with this book at all when my son checked it out from the library 2 or 3 years ago. I told my Assistant Director at the school where I was working (who also taught an undergrad Ch's Lit class for 10+ years) and she was a bit horrified that he was reading it as a 6 or 7 year old, and asked me if I knew how it ended… I felt like an idiot because I had no idea what the book was about at all! He's read it again since then, and never seemed to be terribly affected by it (he liked it, but never got all weepy or anything). I've wondered about the movie… maybe something he and I could watch together now that he's 9?
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