There are some thrilling sequences, but it's equally groan-inducing as well.
Nim's Island (2008)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
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
Reviews for Nim's Island
Even as the derivative roots of "Nim's Island" are clearly visible, kids will no doubt vicariously enjoy Nim's adventures and Edenic existence.
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.
Keep your shirts on, ladies. You don't need to rent a child to see this mildly diverting, if middling, adventure.
Can filmmakers no longer create true-to-life inspirational stories about people in extraordinary circumstances?
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.
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.
Parents and kids can find more real adventure in a Sunday afternoon trip around a mall parking lot.
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.
Walden's family fantasy is an agreeable (but no more) digital-age version of the old classic novel.
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.
Think of it as a safari tour for toddlers -- perfectly safe but without any of the legitimate thrills found in a real adventure.
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.
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.
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. ![]()
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...
More DVDs
| 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… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Nim's Island at Rotten Tomatoes
- Nim's Island at IGN
Fresh Links
Featured

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

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



Top Critic

