Are you a child from the 1990's? Then there is a good chance you watched this 1995 family-fantasy many times and loved it. This has never been an amazing spectacle, but there are still several good points that make this a lasting film.
At the time, people thought it was really only Robin Williams that caused this movie to get made. Sure he is the crown jewel like most of his films, but anybody else as the protagonist and the movie still would have been good. Not as good as having the late comic, but okay.
In 1969, Branford, New Hampshire was a small, lovely town. The Parrish family was the most wealthy, owning the shoe factory. When Mr. Parrish says that he plans to send his son, Alan, to boarding school, Alan is angry and plans to run away. His friend, Sarah Wittell, arrives and they play an odd board game Alan found earlier in the day. Alan gets sucked in and does not get released until 1995 when his house's new residents (Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pearce) pick up where Alan and Sarah left off.
After Alan gets sucked into the board game and comes out, we get to know very well what happened in the 26-year gap. And old wives tale says Mr. Parrish killed Alan. In reality, Mr. and Mrs. Parrish thought Alan ran away. Mr. Parrish did all he could to find his son. All his time and money spent eventually led to his factory folding and the rest of the town losing business. This subplot is what I have always loved about this. Mr. Parrish barely shows his love to his son, but devoting everything he had into finding him is heartbreaking. When adult Alan (Williams) meets the new tenants whose parents died, more sadness is added. Unlike most Robin Williams films around this time, what "Jumanji" has is completely earned.
This movie is not without flaws. "Jumanji" is a board game that just requires you to roll two dice. Dunst even points out that there is no skill involved. It would be better if there was more things to happen in the game. I get that mythical things get unleashed and the players try to stay clear, but that's not really IN the game. That brings me to my next point: half o the things the are unleashed from the game look beyond fake. CGI was not this bad in 1995!
There are lots of movies that you loved as a kid but hate as an adult. "Jumanji" is not one of those.
3/4
At the time, people thought it was really only Robin Williams that caused this movie to get made. Sure he is the crown jewel like most of his films, but anybody else as the protagonist and the movie still would have been good. Not as good as having the late comic, but okay.
In 1969, Branford, New Hampshire was a small, lovely town. The Parrish family was the most wealthy, owning the shoe factory. When Mr. Parrish says that he plans to send his son, Alan, to boarding school, Alan is angry and plans to run away. His friend, Sarah Wittell, arrives and they play an odd board game Alan found earlier in the day. Alan gets sucked in and does not get released until 1995 when his house's new residents (Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pearce) pick up where Alan and Sarah left off.
After Alan gets sucked into the board game and comes out, we get to know very well what happened in the 26-year gap. And old wives tale says Mr. Parrish killed Alan. In reality, Mr. and Mrs. Parrish thought Alan ran away. Mr. Parrish did all he could to find his son. All his time and money spent eventually led to his factory folding and the rest of the town losing business. This subplot is what I have always loved about this. Mr. Parrish barely shows his love to his son, but devoting everything he had into finding him is heartbreaking. When adult Alan (Williams) meets the new tenants whose parents died, more sadness is added. Unlike most Robin Williams films around this time, what "Jumanji" has is completely earned.
This movie is not without flaws. "Jumanji" is a board game that just requires you to roll two dice. Dunst even points out that there is no skill involved. It would be better if there was more things to happen in the game. I get that mythical things get unleashed and the players try to stay clear, but that's not really IN the game. That brings me to my next point: half o the things the are unleashed from the game look beyond fake. CGI was not this bad in 1995!
There are lots of movies that you loved as a kid but hate as an adult. "Jumanji" is not one of those.
3/4