by Ruth Woodhouse

Created on: April 26, 2008

"Nim's Island" is a great family movie based on the book by Australian author, Wendy Orr. Directed by husband-and-wife film-producers, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, it has been very aptly described as "Robinson Crusoe" meets "Home Alone".

Starring the delightful young actress, Abigail Breslin (from "Little Miss Sunshine" fame) as the feisty 11-year-old Nim, the movie is set on a secret tropical island in the South Pacific (its true location being off the coast of Queensland, Australia).

Nim and her father, Jack Rusoe (played by Gerard Butler) have lived alone on this island for as long as she can remember. Jack is an ocean scientist, as was her mother, who lost her life at sea.

Living an idyllic lifestyle in this island hide-away, Nim has developed some special relationships with ocean creatures including a sea lion called Selkie, a lizard called Fred, a turtle called Chica and a pelican (called Galileo), along with others.

When her father decides he's going out to sea for two nights to search for an elusive organism, Nim manages to convince him she will be fine staying on her own, as some baby turtles are about to be born and need her assistance.

No sooner has he left than an email arrives for him from Alex Rover, whom Nim believes to be the world's greatest adventurer, and the subject of her favourite book series. In actual fact though, Alex is Alexandra, a reclusive, neurotic female writer with several phobias, who lives in a San Francisco apartment. She is having trouble conjuring up her latest adventure title about her heroic alter-ego and is doing research into volcanoes. Finding a National Geographic article about living in the shadow of a volcano - written by Nim's father - she contacts him to ask if he can help her. Star-struck Nim replies with great excitement that she's sure Jack will be glad to help when he gets back from his trip.

In the meantime Jack's boat is struck by a tropical monsoon that night and is broken up, springing a serious leak. Nim is awoken by the ferocious storm, which wreaks havoc on the tree- house in which they dwell.

Next morning she does her best to clean up and has further email communications with Alex, who, believing her to be Jack's assistant, is unperturbed when she volunteers to go and have a close look at the dormant volcano atop the island's mountain.

When she falls off the side of the mountain and suffers a severe cut to her leg, she confides in and calls upon help from her hero, accidentally referring to Jack as

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>