Nim's Island
By David Vaughn   •   August, 2008 Nim (Abigail Breslin) lives on a remote tropical island with her scientist father (Gerard Bulter) and her faithful animal pals—Fred the lizard, Galileo the pelican, and Selki the seal. When her father gets lost at sea and the island is "invaded" by tourists, Nim enlists the help of her favorite author, Alex Rover (Jodie Foster), to help her out of her predicament.

Nim's Island is made for kids with overactive imaginations and for adults who can look past its flaws. Gerard Butler and Abigail Breslin do an admirable job, but I just couldn't buy Jodie Foster as the reclusive writer. Still, despite its shortcomings, this is a fun family film.

Fox delivers another fantastic AVC encode with Nim's Island. Detail and color saturation are breathtaking, especially on the tropical island with its rich green jungles, crisp blue ocean views, and inviting sandy beaches. Flesh tones are a bit on the orange side, but this fits with the sun-rich environment. Black levels don't quite approach the inky standard, but they are adequately deep and provide decent shadow detail.

The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack delivers a worthwhile experience, especially for a kid's movie. The surround channels are very active, especially during the monsoon that happens upon Nim's father. Dynamics are especially strong with thunderous bass and whipping wind. Subtle sounds aren't forgotten either—especially when Nim is on her adventure in the jungle and insect noise provides some nice ambience. Dialog comes through clear and concise, and the front soundstage has first-rate imaging.

There are many bonus features on the BD50 disc, including three featurettes, some deleted scenes, and two separate audio commentaries—one with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin and the other with directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flacket. Other supplements include a Bonus View PIP, three games geared for the kids, and a Nim's Island trivia track.

My kids enjoyed this movie much more than I did, but that's not to say I didn't have a good time. The fable-based story has a lot of redeeming attributes and sends a decent message to younger kids. Abigail Breslin is on top of her game and is worth the price of admission alone. Recommended for families with pre-teen kids.

Release Date: August 5, 2008

Film: 6 out of 10
Picture: 9 out of 10
Sound: 9 out of 10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD30

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Pioneer Elite SC-09TX THX Ultra 2 AVR
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector