NIM’S ISLAND

NIM'S ISLAND is the kind of adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat while still making room for laughter and tears. Its fanciful filmmaking works, and the acting is superb. The story celebrates self-reliance, loyalty, courage, keeping one's word, never giving up, and love for one another.

The film's family concerns are light but real. Its animals are treated as highly sentient companions, and the movie carries an environmentalist message that animals are people too. God is strangely absent from this secular world, leaving its heroes self-sufficient to a fault. There are also two light profanities.

If your family enjoys imaginative adventure with strong moral elements, this is worth seeing. NIM'S ISLAND is WORTH THE TRIP for all ages.

Nim lives with her scientist father on an uncharted volcanic island in the Pacific, a paradise they have made their own. Her favorite adventure novels are written by Alex Rover, a fearless hero who seems ready for anything.

But Alex Rover is really Alexandra Rover, a reclusive author in San Francisco who is afraid to leave her house. When Alexandra begins emailing Nim, believing she is communicating with Nim's father, an unexpected friendship begins. Then danger comes to the island, and Nim needs help from the adventurer she believes Alex Rover to be.

Four stars means this is a terrific, well-made film that succeeds on its own fanciful terms. The movie uses an inventive approach to storytelling, combining voiceover, flashback, a bird's-eye view of three journeys, cartoon elements, painting, and stylized animation.

The filmmaking keeps the adventure lively and emotional. The acting is superb, with strong performances from Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. Even the animals are memorable. One scene seems a little silly, but it passes quickly.

NIM'S ISLAND presents a humanist, non-supernatural world that strongly emphasizes self-reliance. Its heroes face danger by relying on themselves, promising to keep their word and solve their own problems rather than calling on God. The film includes only two references to “My G*ds,” while God himself is otherwise absent.

That self-reliance is balanced by strong moral elements. The film honors loyalty, courage, heroism, love for one another, keeping one's word, and an appreciation for private property. It also presents light environmentalist ideas through its highly sentient pelican, lizard, and sea lion. The environmental message is less convincing when those animals bite or bonk people, but it remains part of the movie's outlook.

The film's central virtues are valuable, yet its world is cut off from the supernatural and from God's saving grace. Scripture offers a different picture of human strength: “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).

NIM'S ISLAND is terrific family entertainment: fanciful, emotional, adventurous, and rich in moral themes. Its secular worldview and light environmentalist message are worth discussing, but the concerns remain limited. For families looking for an exciting adventure, WORTH THE TRIP.