Majin Planet

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

SPOILER ALERT

This movie was one of the first gems of 2007. So far it is the best movie of this style that I have had to pleasure to view. It will easily be considered one of the best movies of 2007. The movie had a great story, amazing character development, and had huge points to make about life. If like me, you hadn’t heard of this story before, and only saw the trailers, you will be in for a pleasant surprise.

To begin, you have to look at this movie as an actual movie. I was a bit hesitant at first, mainly because the advertisements portrayed this as a more kid-like movie. I began to hear more about the movie, on the news, and began to learn about what the movie is actually about. Then I started to break down the walls I had already built up around this movie and decided to go to watch it. The movie is much more than just about a children’s imaginary land.

The true story of the movie revolves around dealing with bullies and being accepted in society. To summarize, the movie begins with the lead character Jesse, who lives on a farm with his father, mother and three sisters. It begins right before school starts again after the summer break. During the first day a new girl to the school comes into the story Leslie. During the first day the two main characters participate in a race in this race Jesse is outrun by Leslie and after Jesse learns that Leslie just moved in next door they begin to develop a friendship. During their friendship they sympathize with each other in everyday situations, which include being bullied and feeling like an outcast. These mutual feelings lead them to use their imagination to create a new world called Terabithia.

Most of the movie is not spent in the world of Terabithia. It revolves around dealing with bullies in life and the hardships of not being accepted. As Jesse and Leslie’s friendship develops so do they as characters. You get into their heads and begin to empathize with them. I found myself during the movie, and after, thinking about similar experiences I had in life. You get a real feeling for what the director was going for and he does a good job with making you feel attached to the character as some part of your childhood or your life today. This makes it even more difficult when you see the story progress and a death occurs. When this happens you almost lose a part of you and this was the kind of movie that you get choked up in when a character dies.

In the end this movie has a very big message. You should realize that you cannot always change your situation in life but you can try to make it better. To be able to enjoy life you must be able to hold on to some of the values you had as a child. If you can create a place, such as another world, that can act as a center for you in the end you will be able to overcome the harshness of the world. Hold onto those fond memories you have had in your life and cherish them.