I had heard that the initial reviews were that this movie was not very good. I was pleased to find that it was an enjoyable movie. My daughter said the movie was not exactly like the book but she loved it - I had warned her in advance that movies are almost never as good as the book. I am sure we will be back to see it at least 5 more times. The love story is very believable and the actors did a truely good job. It was not too scary. I felt it to be fine for my twelve year old who has read three of the books at this point. There was one scene which was the beginning of a love scene which I felt alittle uncomfortable for my daughter to see but there was no follow through so it was fine. Over all, as a teen movie I think it scored!!
I brought my kids 6, 8 and 11. They all liked it, but they all like every movie, so you can't go by them. It was enjoyable, a bit unrealistic, but it's a kids movie. The lizard was cute and so was the sea lion. Some of the water/storm scenes were unlikely because of the boat sizes vs. the size of the monsoon. Also, 11 year old left alone on island for a few days was a bit unusual, but like I said, it's a movie. Good, not great, but pleasant enough for an evening out. Could have waited for video.