Blu-ray Review: Nim’s Island

Nim’s Island comes to Blu-Ray in startling clarity. In my humble opinion, nothing looks better in Blu-ray technology than a tropical island with a crystalline blue sea, complete with sand and palm trees. It’s a mini-vacation, wrapped in a greatly told story, made for kids and adults alike. Nim’s Island is a must see!

The plot line of the movie is pretty basic: Nim (played by Abigail Breslin) and her marine biologist father live on an amazing island. As she puts it, “All and all---not a bad life!”

And it seems a great life, with the exception of missing her mother (some really good story artwork at the beginning of the movie that describes the situation, and this really comes alive on Blu-ray).Nim has some animal friends to keep her from being lonely, and her father (played by Gerard Butler), and a really cool tree house to live in. She also reads her favorite adventure series by her favorite author Alex Rover (who comes into it later and is played by Jodie Foster). Nim has quite the imagination, and kids will love her spunky nature and her amazing ability to find the best possible solution to various situations. Breslin does a wonderful job in her role as Nim, I thought she managed the perfect blend sweet yet tough and smart.When Nim’s father goes on a sailing expedition to gather plankton, and gets lost in a stormy sea, Nim has to survive on her own. With the help of her animal friends, she manages to get along, and also with the help of satellite and internet capabilities (these remote islands have such wonderful technology!), she strikes up an email friendship with Alex Rover.In my opinion, Foster is the star of this movie and really makes it worth watching - at least from the adult perspective. Foster plays the Alex Rover character, a San Francisco author, who writes this amazing adventure series about her character, also named Alex Rover (Butler brings him to life on screen as Foster’s imaginary friend).Both Alex Rovers are so much fun to watch on screen that you tend to forget about Nim’s problems on the island – which is being invaded by tourist.

The author Alex Rover is afraid of life. She won’t leave her house, even to get the mail, but the adventurer Alex Rover is an “Indiana Jones” type who is afraid of nothing. The best humor comes when Butler and Foster come together and he tries to get her to do things she doesn’t want to do (like get in the taxi, fly in an airplane to the island). I found myself watching, mesmerized, by Foster’s performance, she is that good, and combined with Butler’s acting, they are unstoppable as a comedy team. When the island is threatened by tourists, the eco-friendly message comes out: don’t mess with nature! Nim has to rid the island of those pesky lawn-chair toting, fruity-drink sipping people who would otherwise ruin her island. These scenes are told with humor and some over-the-tops characters and when the volcano spits out ash at them, well, you kind of knew something big was coming. While Nim is busy saving the island and worrying her father might never return, Foster’s Alex Rover is trying to get to the island - with the help of the other Rover. He coaxes her along, prodding her when necessary.When Foster finally arrives, a battle-weary Nim is heartbroken by the reality that Foster is not the Alex Rover she was expecting. The Blu-ray comes loaded with special features that take you behind the scenes to show you how the film came to life. There are deleted scenes which expand on the story, and commentary from Foster, Breslin, and directors/writers Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett.

My personal favorite feature was the “Nim’s Spyglass Bonus View Mode” which pops up a picture in picture screen that lets you in on the filmmaking process. As the movie plays, the bonus view mode shows how the scenes were shot, gives a look at the animal training involved, and has interviews with cast/crew from the film. There is also a trivia track for the film that pops up information throughout the movie.The Blu-ray also comes with a few games for the kiddos, but I am not sure that they will be impressed – given today’s video games. The “Write Your Own Alex Rover Adventure Game” features a Mad Libs style format where you pick certain words to make an adventure then hit play. Coconut Soccer Game lets you pick one of Nim’s friends and knock coconuts onto the shore as a timer counts down. “Seaside Shuffle” has you lining up different shells to make combinations and clear them off the board before the tide wipes it out.The 1080p picture is perfect and every aspect of this film is in focus and crisp. The crystal clear picture really helps sell the island setting and is another example of just how great a format Blu-ray is. Nim’s Island was made for Blu-ray and the picture and sound make it worth the extra bucks to pick it up on Blu rather than DVD.Nim’s Island is a film that the entire family can watch and will enjoy. The Blu-ray picture is amazing and will help keep the kids locked on the animals and settings of the film. The chemistry between Butler and Foster will keep the adults laughing and Abigail Breslin gives Nim enough heart to keep everyone charmed. I highly recommend this film!