Zathura: A Space Adventure (also known simply as Zathura) is a 2005 American science fiction adventure film directed by Jon Favreau. It is an adaptation of the 2002 children's book Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg, author of the 1981 children's book Jumanji. It is a standalone spin-off of the 1995 film Jumanji and the second installment of the Jumanji franchise. The film stars Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart, and Tim Robbins.
The story is about two brothers, Walter and Danny Budwing (portrayed by Hutcherson and Bobo respectively), who find a mysterious board game in the basement, which transports their house into outer space. Along with their older sister Lisa (Stewart) and an astronaut (Shepard), they try to survive the game so they can return home.
The film was shot in Los Angeles and Culver City, California, and was released on November 11, 2005 in the United States. Unlike Jumanji, which was distributed by TriStar Pictures, the film was distributed by Columbia Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, but was not commercially successful, grossing $65.1 million worldwide against a production budget of $65 million.
Plot[]
Walter and Danny Budwing are two brothers who do not get along with each other or with their teenage sister, Lisa. While their divorced father is away at work and Lisa, whom he left in charge, is napping, Danny discovers an old space-themed board game called Zathura in the basement. When he starts playing, the game produces a card that summons a meteor shower inside the living room. Walter and Danny realize playing the game affects reality.
The boys discover the house is floating in space. Lisa, thinks she has overslept and it is evening and prepares to go out. The next card puts her in cryonic sleep, leaving her frozen solid. Walter concludes they must win the game to return everything to normal. As they continue to play, Walter and Danny overcome the dangers presented by the game cards, including the appearance of a defective robot, passing too close to a star, and an attack on the house by a race of reptilian aliens called Zorgons. One of Danny's turns produces an astronaut, who methodically eliminates the house's heat sources, as Zorgons are attracted to heat. He tells Walter to blow out the pilot light on the furnace, but Walter does not blow it out, out of fear of getting attacked by the robot. The astronaut lures the Zorgons' ship away by ejecting the boys' father's couch after setting it on fire.
Walter demands the astronaut to leave, but Danny chooses to let him stay. Growing increasingly agitated, Walter accuses Danny of cheating by supposedly moving his piece prematurely; when Walter tries to move the piece back and takes his next turn, the game reacts as if Walter was cheating and ejects him from the house, but the astronaut rescues him. On Walter's next turn, he receives a card that brings a shooting star that allows him to make a wish resulting in another falling out between the boys. Fearing the worst, the astronaut is relieved to discover that Walter wished merely for an autographed football. He explains his origins, saying that he and his brother had played the game fifteen years before, and after an escalating fight, he wished his brother was never born, resulting in him being unable to finish the game without the now nonexistent second player.
Lisa awakens from her stasis and, still oblivious to the situation, turns up the heat. This causes the Zorgons to return and anchor their ships to the house. Lisa finally discovers their predicament, and the four hide, but realize that they left the game behind. Danny finds the game aboard one of the Zorgon ships, but is spotted. Walter uses a "Reprogram" card he drew earlier to fix the robot, who attacks the Zorgons instead, causing them to retreat.
Walter receives another wish card; he uses it to bring back the astronaut's brother in gratitude of his help and support, causing a double of Danny to appear. The astronaut reveals he is actually an older version of Walter from an alternate universe, and commends his younger self for making a better choice than he did in his timeline, and the astronaut and the alternate Danny merge with their counterparts as the future changes.
A fleet of Zorgons return to attack the house. When Danny makes the winning move, it is revealed that Zathura is a black hole, which proceeds to suck up the Zorgons' fleet and the house. The siblings reawaken in the house as it was before the brothers started the game, just as their father arrives home. Their bond renewed, they promise to each other and to Lisa to not tell anyone about the game and their adventure. After they leave with their mother, Danny's bicycle, which had been orbiting their house, falls from the sky.
Cast[]
- Josh Hutcherson as Walter
- Jonah Bobo as Danny
- Dax Shepard as Astronaut
- Kristen Stewart as Lisa
- Tim Robbins as Dad
- Frank Oz as the voice of Robot
Additionally, John Alexander performed as the Robot, Derek Mears as Lead Zorgon, and Douglas Tait, Joe Bucaro, and Jeff Wolfe, portray individual Zorgons.