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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Fantasy > Teens > Literature > Bridge To Terabithia (Blu-ray + DVD-Video)

Bridge To Terabithia (Blu-ray + DVD-Video)

 

Picture: B+/B-     Sound: B+/B-     Extras: C/C+     Film: C+

 

 

Gabor Csupo is an animation producer whose name is most closely associated with The Simpsons, but everyone in the creative field directs sooner or later if they are successful enough and he makes his feature film debut with Bridge To Terabithia (2007) starring Josh Hutcherson and Annasophia Robb as opposites at school in track until crazy circumstances bring them together.

 

Though the film boasts being a Fantasy/Adventure film, most of it is actually a formula melodrama for children that only arrives at its fantastic parts later in the film.  Though it is not terrible, this is far from exciting and never picks up much.  For many, this will be boring, while Robert Patrick and Zooey Deschanel are the only recognizable faces among a mostly unknown cast.  When all is said and done, this plays like Pan’s Labyrinth lite and maybe you should read the book first.

 

The 1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image is shot by Director of Photography Michael Chapman, A.S.C., who used to work with the likes of Martin Scorsese, but is now sought after for much more commercial fare since his work on The Fugitive.  Unfortunately, that has been too broad and produced competent professional work at best.  He has no major challenges here except for visual effects integration and is one of the main reasons the film is as watchable as it is.  The anamorphically enhanced DVD version is not bad, but softer and less defined by comparison, though the digital effects look phony in both cases.

 

Both discs also have fairly good Dolby Digital 5.1, but the Blu-ray adds a PCM 48/24 5.1 mix that is the highlight of the disc with its dynamic and interesting sound design.  Sure, it has much dialogue, but even that is warm and clear in the PCM version.  I did not like the songs (especially the one Bryan Adams co-wrote) and Aaron Zigman’s score is lite.  Extras on both versions include two featurettes and as Music Video by Robb (!) while the DVD has adds two feature length audio commentary tracks.  One is Csupo, writer Jeff Stockwell & producer Hal Lieberman while the other offers producer Lauren Levine, Hutcherson & Robb.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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