She flies through the air with the greatest of ease.
The premise is this: Nim (Abigail Breslin) lives on a deserted island with her scientist dad (Gerard Butler), and spends her time playing with the island animals and reading adventure stories by author Alex Rover. When Dad goes missing on an expedition, Nim reaches out to the author, thousands of miles away -- who turns out to be Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), who is neither a male, nor an adventurer. Quite the opposite: recluse Alex is an agoraphobe afraid of her own shadow. But she hears the girl's distress, and finds her way to the island to help. (Read my interview with Jodie Foster for the theatrical release.)
Some of it is a little corny (no more so than any kids movie) but ultimately its aim is dead-on. What little girl hasn't envisioned running amok in a tropical paradise and talking to animals? Even as an adult, I was able to get back into my 11-year-old brain and enjoy it. And even in a comic role, Jodie Foster's presence lends some weight to it. The scenery is gorgeous, and just looks fabulous on Blu-ray.
Extras: I found the "Nim's Friends" featurette the most interesting, going in to the animal training and working with Nim's talking friends. Other featurettes include "Abigail's Journey" and "Working on Water." There's also commentary by Foster and Breslin together and directors' commentary, plus 25 minutes of deleted scenes.
Overview: It's cute for a PG film, and tween girls will be into it -- pick up for the next slumber party. Available in both standard and Blu-ray formats.
