Bridge to Terabithia: Unexpected depth

On one hand, you have the lower-order kid flicks, a string of fart jokes and potty humor meant to prepare children for a lifetime of watching Van Wilder and Scary Movie sequels. Then there are those higher-level entertainments that allow children -- and their parents -- to consider deeper issues. Bridge to Terabithia, based on Katherine Paterson's novel and directed by Gabor Csupo, is Richard Ford material compared with most dreck aimed at the Nickelodeon set. Bridge to Terabithia centers on the realistic issues that dog children's lives: bullies, demanding parents, grumpy teachers, irksome little sisters and having to wear hand-me-down sneakers.

Jesse Aaron's (Josh Hutcherson) parents are working-class, with more children than they can handle and a bleak, wood-frame house in the country. They spend their downtime hunched over the calculator going through the hopeless family budget. The bullies on the bus mockingly dub Jesse "farm boy" for his disheveled wardrobe and hangdog manner. Jesse's salvation from the mediocrity of middle school comes in the unlikely form of a feisty new riot grrrl in town, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), the daughter of two writers. Leslie's athleticism and adventurous spirit -- along with an anime heroine's colorful, punked-out wardrobe -- defy the girl stereotype as much as Jesse's love of art and animals bucks his blue-collar father's macho example. Together they represent a more elevated, creative reality above the fray.

Jesse and Leslie escape the grind of middle school in forest adventures and their invented kingdom of Terabithia, explored every day after school. Many will be surprised, however, by how little the fantasy elements promised in the movie's trailer factor into the film. Bridge to Terabithia is more concerned, like Finding Neverland, with how fiction is a way of grappling with our real-life fears. Those expecting a kid's interpretation of Narnia or Middle Earth may find Bridge to Terabithia's emotionally devastating content far from their expectations. But the end result cuts deep. The two leads are utterly engaging as they retreat into their fantasy life to break free from the bullies and ghouls in the world but find something far darker haunting them.

Bridge to Terabithia, 4 stars. Directed by Gabor Csupo. Stars Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel. Rated PG. Opens Fri., Feb. 16. At area theaters.