RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Nim's Island
Nim's Island

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Nim's Island (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
49 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:95

Fresh:47

Rotten:48

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: Despite good intentions, Nim's Island flounders under an implausible storyline, simplistic stock characters, and distracting product placement.

Rated: U [See Full Rating] for mild adventure action and brief language.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:02-05-2008

Synopsis: Based on the popular children's novel of the same name by Wendy Orr, NIM'S ISLAND follows the adventures of Nim Rusoe (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE's Abigail Breslin), a spirited young girl who lives on a... Based on the popular children's novel of the same name by Wendy Orr, NIM'S ISLAND follows the adventures of Nim Rusoe (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE's Abigail Breslin), a spirited young girl who lives on a remote island with her scientist dad, Jack (300's Gerard Butler), and a host of animal companions, including an iguana, a sea lion, and a sea turtle. Nim's idyllic life gets shaken up, however, when her father goes missing while on an ocean outing. Seeking help to find Jack, Nim contacts her favorite literary hero, explorer Alex Rover (also played by Butler), who, in reality, is uptight--and distinctly unadventurous--author Alexa Rover (Jodie Foster). Against her better judgment, Alexa journeys to Nim's faraway home, setting a series of thrilling and funny moments in motion. Directed and written (in part) by the husband/wife team of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, NIM'S ISLAND revels in its fanciful premise, never getting hung up on its unrealistic plot points. (E-mail on an extremely secluded island?) While Breslin and Butler are charming, the real revelation is witnessing the oft-serious Foster ham it up in a role requires plenty of slapstick, fish-out-of-water moments. Although teens might roll their eyes at NIM'S unapologetically sugary scenes, younger children will enjoy the giddy mood present of the ISLAND. [More]

Starring: Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin

Starring: Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin

Director: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin

Director: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Screenwriter: Paula Mazur, Joseph Kwong, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Producer: Paula Mazur
Composer: Patrick Doyle
Studio: Fox-Walden

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Trailer 2
    >
    No Parties While I'm Gone
    >
1 - 3 of 3

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Reviews for Nim's Island

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
81 - 95 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

There are some thrilling sequences, but it's equally groan-inducing as well.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/03/08
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

An eye-filling and heart-warming story

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
04/03/08
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even as the derivative roots of "Nim's Island" are clearly visible, kids will no doubt vicariously enjoy Nim's adventures and Edenic existence.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
04/03/08
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

Directors Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin deliver some eye-catching fantasy sequences in the early scenes, but the film grows more mundane and the tone more uneven as it goes on.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
04/03/08
Keith Phipps
Keith Phipps
AV Club

Keep your shirts on, ladies. You don't need to rent a child to see this mildly diverting, if middling, adventure.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/03/08
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

Can filmmakers no longer create true-to-life inspirational stories about people in extraordinary circumstances?

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
04/03/08
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

Nim's Island is a movie for kids who like to think and read and use their imagination, and for parents who may be tired of family fare that's nothing but a litany of cutesy pop-culture references.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
04/03/08
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press

Nim's Island is a picturesque adventure-comedy that quickly capsizes under the weight of its obnoxious slapstick, pedestrian dialogue and general unwillingness to rise above stock ideas and situations.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
04/03/08
Justin Chang
Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Parents and kids can find more real adventure in a Sunday afternoon trip around a mall parking lot.

Full Review Source: Metromix.com | comment Comment
04/03/08
Matt Pais
Matt Pais
Metromix.com

Nim's Island is an old-fashioned kids' movie. Parents might find flaws, but the 12-and-younger set will find characters and a movie worth rooting for.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
04/03/08
Bill Goodykoontz
Bill Goodykoontz
Arizona Republic

Walden's family fantasy is an agreeable (but no more) digital-age version of the old classic novel.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
04/03/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Despite its formula and flaws (chief among them Foster’s sitcom-campy performance), Nim’s Island is a perfectly pleasant, agreeably innocuous ’tweener adventure film.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
04/03/08
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
L.A. Weekly

Think of it as a safari tour for toddlers -- perfectly safe but without any of the legitimate thrills found in a real adventure.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
04/02/08
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

So why does Nim’s Island feel so charmless and rote? Perhaps it’s because the film feels like an amalgam of other movies’ plotlines.

Full Review Source: MSNBC | comment Comment
04/02/08
Alonso Duralde
Alonso Duralde
MSNBC

Based on Wendy Orr's children's novel, Nim's Island is the perfect family film, a congenial, heart-warming story whose endearing characters are a pleasure to join, as they journey to find the hero within.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/26/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
 
 
81 - 95 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
all

Latest News for Nim's Island

August 04, 2008: RT on DVD: Watch an Exclusive Clip from Starship Troopers: Marauder
Sparred by the triumphant onscreen return of a certain Johnny Rico, we turn our DVD-minded focus to a few stars of yesterday popping up in new DVD releases this week: Casper van... More...

July 13, 2008: Jodie 'Brave One' Foster is still peeved, though now it's less about what bad people do, than how icky their unsanitary their germs are. And she isn't half bad either doing a divine nitwit dining on worms or playing soccer with a coconut in the wilds. Opens in new window
More...

June 04, 2008: UK Box Office Breakdown: Carrie Beats Indy
It was grizzled masculinity versus shopping-obsessed, emotionally-open womanhood at the box office this week -- yep; Indy Jones battled Carrie Bradshaw, with the archeologist... More...

May 07, 2008: UK Box Office Breakdown: Summer Season Begins With a Bang
Summer box office season began with a bang last Friday, with Iron Man the first of the pumped up, big-budget teen-friendly blockbusters to emerge from the bowels of the... More...

See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Your first look at the swashbuckler.

Vampires

Vampires

We rank cinema's bloodsuckers.

Avatar

Avatar

The full trailer for Cameron's epic.

2012

2012

12 facts about Emmerich's disaster flick.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
4
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
102
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
63
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
  • McTeigue Says Superman Is "In a Weird Place" Source: MTV
204
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
147
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
129
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
74
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
51
  • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
50
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
31
  • Ho, ho, ho! It's RT's Great Big Gift Guide!
0
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
16
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
41
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Nim's Island at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Nim's Island at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.