A much-loved children's novel is transferred to the big screen with loving care in "Bridge to Terabithia." Katherine Paterson's story of two creative "misfit" friends who conjure an imaginary kingdom that gives them respite from family worries, loneliness and school bullies resonates even more today.

Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is the only son in a family of five kids. His dad and mom struggle to pay the bills and don't have much time to acknowledge Jesse's artistic talents. When Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb) moves in next door and dazzles her teacher -- and Jesse -- at Lark Creek School with her writing abilities, a friendship born out of need and a similar sensibility is struck.

One day the pair, tired of being bullied at school for being different and for being, in Jesse's case, a "farm boy," strike out on an afternoon adventure. They swing over a rusty creek on an old rope and "discover" a world that is unique and magical and in which they can reign supreme and in which their outsider status holds no meaning.

Here possibilities can soar and they can "free the prisoners of the dark master" that tamps down upon their young lives and those of their spectral subjects.

If Jesse, burdened by chores and responsibilities, is less bold than Leslie, she tells him, "close your eyes and keep your mind open -- don't be afraid to dream." Soon this enchanted place they have called Terabithia becomes a haven and necessity for them both.

Through this mutual trust they slowly find a way to deal with the pressing issues at home and school. But it is not to last. Utilizing themes similar to those of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," the film grapples with -- and tackles -- large-scale metaphysical and religious questions about life and death and our place in the world in terms a kid can reason with and understand.

The two young actors -- Hutcherson and Robb -- are terrific and unpretentious. The only character who distracts is May Belle, Jesse's sister, who is the spitting image of Lucy in "Narnia" and seems to be competing for that place in the story.

Visually, the Terabithian world is impressively wrought and holds some surprises. Under director Gabor Csupo, the technical side never overshadows the live action or the character-driven story.

If anything, the movie -- like the book -- deals ever respectfully with questions about guilt and mourning and those dark masters that pervade a child's life and seem bigger than they do to an adult.

Soundoff (1 comment)
Share your own review.