Nim's Island Review

Nim's Island was something I expected to like, but didn't expect that I'd really think it was fantastic.  Perhaps I was in the mood for a fantasy film, or perhaps I just really liked the idea of living on a beautiful secret secluded island!  Whatever it was, I really enjoyed this movie.

Only two people live on Nim's Island.  Jack is a scientist who is only really interested in single-cell beings.  He found this island and has vowed to keep it away from civilization.  The only person he shares it with is his daughter Nim.  Around 12 or so, Nim is loving the island life.  She is friends with the sea lions, the birds and the lizards.  Life is good for Nim and Jack.  Her favorite hobby is to read books about Alex Rover - an adventurous guy who goes on amazing trips and saves people in his stories.

I really appreciated that they explained everything so that it seemed realistic.  They had their own satellites for their phone/computer to work so they weren't cut off from the world.  Even though they lived on a secluded island, they did not live a secluded life.  People emailed Jack all the time with questions because he is very smart.  They also had a ship come every few months to drop off supplies like food and books.  Basically they made it seem like it could really happen so I wasn't wasting time trying to figure out how it could be possible.

The real plot kicks in when Nim's dad leaves for a 2 day boat trip to try and find more single-cell protozoa.  His goal is to discover a new one so he can name it after Nim.  He really doesn't want to leave Nim alone, but she convinces him she will be fine.  However, things go wrong for Nim, and things go wrong for Jack as well.  With no one else to communicate with, Nim turns to her hero - Alex Rover - who just so happens to be emailing her dad!  No way!  

Little does Nim know, but the real Alex Rover is actually a women.  She may be good at writing about adventure but she sure isn't good at living it.  In fact, she's afraid to even leave her house to get the mail.  Can Alex Rover help Nim?  Will Nim's father be ok?  Will someone come invade Nim's Island?  You'll have to watch to find out!

This was a great adventure story.  Obviously you wouldn't really leave a young kid alone on a huge island, no matter how secluded it was.  But the fact was that this was Nim's home.  She knew the island and the creatures of it.  I loved how they intertwined different fantasy stories into this movie at some points.  Nim learned most of what she knows through books, and they brought some of these stories to life as she read about them.  Her father was also a story teller and told her fantastic stories about her mother, who was no longer with them.

I've liked Abigail Breslin ever since Little Miss Sunshine.  However in that movie she played kind of a dork.  In this movie, she played a well-rounded nice young girl who lived for adventure!  She was very sweet.  Jodie Foster played the real Alex Rover, or Alexandra Rover actually.  I have heard some people say they didn't like her character, but I actually thought it was quite funny and brought something extra.  She was such a germaphob that you couldn't see how she could possibly help Nim.  Could she overcome her fears?  Gerard Butler played Jack, the father, as well as the fantasy version of Alex Rover that Nim had invented.  I didn't even realize it was the same guy playing both parts until I looked it up!  He was great in both roles and I really liked how much he would do to try and get back home to his daughter.  

Finally, I should mention that the scenery was amazing and especially in HD!  I don't know if this movie was done at a real island, but it definitely was nice enough to take me away into this fantasy land for a little while.  Overall, I think you can tell that I really enjoyed this!  Check it out :)