Despite their awkward introduction, two outsiders quickly become best friends. Leslie loves to tell stories of fantasy and magic. Jess loves to draw, but until he met Leslie it was something he kept to himself. Leslie opens up a new world of imagination for Jess. Together they create the secret kingdom of Terabithia, a magical place only accessible by swinging on an old rope over a stream in the woods near their homes. There, the friends rule the kingdom, fight the Dark Master and his creatures and plot against the school bullies.

For all it's worth, "Bridge To Terabithia" is a whole lot of hype but no substance. Everything from the title, the poster to the trailer, has been nothing but misleading. Produced by the same people who brought us "Narnia", "Bridge To Terabithia" pales in comparison to the previous blockbuster.

The movie begins very slowly and no matter how much you pray, it stayed very slow till the end. The story is essentially about the friendship between the two leading characters, Jesse and Leslie. The chemistry between them is visual but it isn't remarkable. If anything, it is generic. The rest of the cast seems to be just decorations in the movie with nothing to contribute. The only saving grace is AnnaSophia Robb's portrayal of the free-spirited and bohemian Leslie, who is the one exciting thing to look at throughout the movie. Her liveliness helps to boost her character while the others remain forgettable.

Jesse and Leslie wander often into the woods surrounding their homes, where they conjure and build imaginary lives. Giant trolls, beasts and shadowy hunters begin to appear before their eyes but yet, they seem a little less enthused than they really should. Although Leslie teaches Jesse to open his mind and imagine, the movie leaves you wondering if the creatures and surroundings are truly imaginary or perhaps real, especially in the scene where Jesse falls off a tree into the palm of a giant troll and is carried to safety. Slowly, the story just gets more and more confusing.

Whatever 'fantasy' the movie has promised, it falls short on expectations. A large part of the movie depicts the children's real lives instead of the supposedly CG surroundings, so bringing in little children with the promise of mythical creatures and magical kingdoms would disappoint them. With the crawling and uneventful storyline, you'll probably disappoint yourself as well. Perhaps reading the novel it was adapted from could be more insightful than the movie itself.

Overall, the film leaves much to be desired. There's lack of entertainment and for a movie targeted at young children, it ends with no 'moral of the story' either. You keep hoping for something miraculous to happen only for it to end in a huge disappointment.

If you are looking for an epic-styled sword-and-sorcery action the likes of "The Chronicles Of Narnia" or "Harry Potter", you will be sorely disappointed with "Bridge To Terabithia". However, if you're into the feel-good escapist fare that you can sink your teeth into, this Bridge will get you there...

"Bridge To Terabithia" is a tale about friendship and imagination. It is not all about giant trolls, magical castles and flying insect warriors that you may have seen in its trailers. Its protagonists, Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), are the kids-next-door type who face problems with their classmates at school. Jesse is a gifted artist but his drawings are considered silly and weird by the other boys in class.

Leslie, the new girl at school, is a writer with a heightened sense of imagination. She clicks off well with Jesse, her neighbour, and when they find a rope across a stream near their homes, they use it to get to the woods on the other side. Leslie imagines the place to be a magical kingdom called Terabithia and together, they explore a world of giant trolls, dragonfly warriors and other fanciful creatures.

'Terabithia' offers Jesse and Leslie their escape from the realities of school bullies, household chores and neglectful parents. Their friendship blossoms into what may be called 'first love'. The movie is also a down-to-earth story that does not discard the harsh lessons of life -- and death - even in a movie about make-belief.

Adapting from the book by Katherine Paterson, director Gabor Csupo (of "The Simpsons" and "Rugrats"), keeps the computer-generated effects to a minimum to allow the book's material to shine through. It helps that Paterson's son, David, is also the screenwriter, together with Jeff Stockwell.

The young leads, Hutcherson (of "Zathura" fame) and Robb (of "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory"), represent the middle class families of America and they display natural screen chemistry, helping to keep us enthralled throughout the movie. The other cast members are solid too, like the cute Bailee Madison as Jesse's younger sister May Belle; Robert Patrick as Jesse's strict but caring father; and a spirited Zooey Deschanel as their inspirational music teacher.

"Bridge to Terabithia" is a touching and heart-warming movie without trying too hard to tug at our heartstrings. Children who watch it would probably learn how to handle adversity (like the social problems at home and in school) and to let their imaginations fly; parents may understand their children more and adapt to nurturing creativity in their offspring.