Think 'Jumanji' in space

Chris Van Allsburg is quite possibly one of the most inventive children's authors of all time. His stories combine artistry with fantastical story elements in a way that is breathtaking.\n"Jumanji," a 1994 Robin Williams vehicle based on Van Allsburg's book, was a special effects bonanza featuring a board game that sucked its players into an African jungle. It is fair to say that Jon Favreau's adaptation of Van Allsburg's "Zathura" is basically "Jumanji" in space.\nThe story is decent and will hold the attention of most viewers under the age of 13. But the film is addled with simplistic plot developments, flat dialogue and a few too many sibling spats that can quickly wear on the viewer's patience.\nBrothers Danny and Walter don't get along. At all. In fact, they fight so much and so often that it's a wonder both have lived long enough to have this adventure together. When the younger brother, Danny, finds a board game in the basement of the house their father had just bought, he tries to persuade Walter to spend his Sunday playing it with him. When Walter refuses, Danny sadly resigns himself to playing the game alone, and is impressed when the game ejects a card reading "Meteor Shower: Take Evasive Action." \nSuffice it to say, the card is to be taken literally. Meteors shoot through the roof, taking care not to hit the boys, all while the house is launched like a rocket into outer space. After several sci-fi mishaps, more bickering and an attempt to convince their older sister Lisa that the house is indeed floating in outer space, the brothers continue playing the game in the hopes that finishing it will allow them to go back to Earth. They are soon joined by a stranded astronaut; the strong, good-looking, wise-cracking hero shows up halfway through the film. \nHenceforth, the boys, the astronaut and their sister Lisa (cryogenically frozen for half the movie) are faced with an alien invasion, an inconveniently programmed robot and the unlikely prospect of their ever returning to the suburbs. \nTo be fair, the astronaut character (Dax Shepherd) is interesting and funny, if not just fun to look at. The sister, played by brilliant young actress Kristen Stewart, is criminally underused but cute and believable just the same. \nAlso, several of the scenes between Danny and Walter do possess a note of truth in their portrayal of brotherly rivalry and contempt. But this concept is beaten in the ground with such a heavy stick that it's hard to care about all the way through the movie. And if that's going to be the prevailing storyline, it ought to be a little more compelling and a little less irritating.