Nim's IslandMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Nim's Island."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 55 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
7 OK for kids 7+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    Exhilarating and enchanting family picture. It's the best I've seen this year and highly recommended for girls and for boys, too. Read full review

  • 75
    Entertainment Weekly |

    It's hard to imagine kids not enjoying the good-hearted, lovingly shot fantasy of it all, and Breslin is charming, though most viewers past puberty will likely yearn to be voted off the Island. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Even as the derivative roots of Nim's Island are clearly visible, kids will no doubt vicariously enjoy Nim's adventures and Edenic existence. And how refreshing, for once, to see a girl embark on derring-do that, in Nim's own words, makes her the hero of her own story. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    This family comedy adventure from Walden Media is likable in a scruffy way. Its characters, especially the youngest one, are engaging, and few adults are immune to childhood fantasies about secluded tropical isles. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Ty Burr

    8- to 12-year-olds will have a good time, and you'll have a good time watching them have a good time. Otherwise, the film's an oddity. Read full review

  • 63
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    An entertaining, diverting adventure saga that offers excitement and a relatable heroine for children, and also will remind their parents of favorite classics from their own youth. Read full review

  • 63
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    Breslin, so memorable in "Little Miss Sunshine," suffers the most. Skilled and reactive with humans, she doesn't quite muster the same engagement with her finned and flippered costars here. Read full review

  • 50
    The New York Times | Jeannette Catsoulis

    Sweet but ho-hum adaptation of Wendy Orr's novel, a comedy-adventure that never quite finds its tone. Read full review

  • 50
    Los Angeles Times |

    The premise, from the book by Wendy Orr, is terrific, but the execution seems designed to make all but the youngest viewers fling copies of the book at the screen in frustration. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Justin Chang

    A picturesque adventure-comedy that quickly capsizes under the weight of its obnoxious slapstick, pedestrian dialogue and general unwillingness to rise above stock ideas and situations. Read full review

View more reviews for Nim's Island on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 7+ Book-based tropical adventure is good family fun.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this kid-friendly adventure movie has some intense moments of peril (particularly during two scary storms) but is ultimately a positive story with a great role model for tween girls (and boys!). The book-and-science-loving 11-year-old heroine is left alone on a tropical island by her father (her mother died when she was a baby, which is explained in the opening sequence) and has to fend for herself when he's delayed in getting back to her. She gets scared and upset and even hurts herself, all of which may bother some young and/or sensitive kids, but she's also resourceful and not afraid to ask for help.
  • Families can talk about whether this kind of movie is as entertaining as one with lots of special effects and/or animation. Kids: Which kind of adventure do you like better, and why? What makes Nim different from many other kid characters in movies and TV shows? Do you think she's a good role model? What about Alex Rover? What do Alex and Nim learn during the movie? What would you do in Nim's situation? Do you think it was right for her father to leave her alone on the island? Families who've read the book can compare and contrast the two. Which do you like better, and why?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: Nim is a strong, independent, resourceful girl who loves reading, nature, and science -- in other words, she's a great tween role model. Alex overcomes a lifetime of fears to help Nim. In helping each other, they both learn how to "be the hero of your own life story." On the downside, Jack does leave Nim alone on the island, but neither of them anticipates what will happen, and he works tirelessly to get back to her. Australian tourists are presented as a loud, oblivious, selfish horde, which is used to justify Nim's attempts to trick and scare them.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Several intense storm sequences in which boats are capsized and/or destroyed and people are in danger. Sharks threaten Jack's boat. Jack is knocked out at one point, and Nim scrapes up her knee pretty badly (some blood is shown) falling down a mountainside. The volcano rumbles and spews steam and ash, putting Nim and some tourists at risk. Nim uses a machete for lots of her island tasks, and Alex's hero carries ammunition. Some of the fantasy sequences he's in include fights with swords and other weapons, as well as life-threatening peril, but it's not very scary. The opening credits explain that Nim's mom died when she was a baby (it's told via animation but is still sad).
  • sex false0 Sexy stuff: Tourist beach scenes include some women in skimpy suits and/or showing cleavage.
  • language false0 Language: Very mild. Words include "dang," "bloody," and "stupid."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Fairly obvious product placements for Purell hand sanitizer and Progresso soup. Other brands include Mac computers, Expedia, and National Geographic.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dave White

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