ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE (2005) 3 stars out of 4. Starring Jonah Bobo, Josh Hutcherson, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart and Tim Robbins. Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg. Screenplay by David Koepp and John Kamps. Directed by Jon Favreau. Rated PG. Running time: Approx 105 mins.

       
Hey, parents, tired of listening to your kids spatting all the time? All that sibling rivalry and angst wearing you down?

        The perfect solution, then, is to take them to the nearest multiplex to see Zathura: A Space Adventure, an out-of-this-world fairy tale from a book by Chris Van Allsburg, famed author of The Polar Express and Jumanji.

        In fact, Zathura holds some similarities with Jumanji. Both deal with children's board games that come to life.

        Zathura centers on two brothers. Older brother Walt (Josh Hutcherson) is a worldly fourth-grader who has outgrown his 6-year-old brother, Danny (Jonah Bobo), whom he considers a pest.

        The boys' parents are divorced, and they are shuttled back and forth between mom and dad. This creates a situation in which they compete for attention and affection from their harried Dad (Tim Robbins).

        Walt, being older, is better at most things than Danny, who resorts to cheating at times in an attempt to win whatever game the brothers play.

        When Dad has to rush to the office, the boys are left alone in his massive old house with their sleeping older sister. Of course, they get into a scrape and, Danny hides in a dumb waiter. Walt lowers him into the basement — an effectively scary scene shot from Danny's point out view — where the youngster finds a musty old game, Zathura, under the stairs.

        When he begins playing the game, strange events overtake the boys and their house — which winds up floating in space.

        Keep in mind, this is a fantasy, so scientific accuracy does not apply.

        The boys, with their addled sister along, go through many adventures — some with the help of an astronaut (Dax Shepard) rescued by Danny — until they learn the meaning of teamwork and cooperation to win the game and return home.

        Director Jon Favreau (Elf) creates a childlike world for the movie. Mostly everything is shown through the eyes of the boys. He creates not only a sense of wonder, but moments of chills as well as some slightly scary sequences.

        His use of camera and sound when Danny is first stranded in the basement taps into a memory that many people can share from their childhoods, especially if they lived in an older, creaky house.

        Zathura is a fun adventure, an entertaining exercise that parents can use to show their kids the benefits of working together instead of against each other.

        Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at bob@bloomink.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site: www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom