Twelve-year-old Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and his younger brother, Danny (Jonah Bobo), figure they’re going to be in for a boring time when their father (Tim Robbins) is suddenly called away on business. Walter agrees to play a board game Danny has found in the basement. The boys quickly discover the game Zathura has some unusual qualities—a roll of the dice unexpectedly launches their home into outer space, and Walter and Danny must fend off menacing robots, angry aliens, and showers of interstellar debris. As they try to figure out a way back home, they get unexpected help from an earthling astronaut (Dax Shepard) who has also lost his way.