‘Jumanji’ (1995) Maintains its Magic Over 25 Years Later (Review)

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For anyone who grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s, no other movie could ever replace “Jumanji” (1995) as the best fantasy adventure film. Directed by Joe Johnston, the first-ever installment of “Jumanji” follows the story of siblings Judy and Peter Shepherd who find a mysterious board game that bears the same name as the film. Taken by the mysterious object, the two decide to play it and throw the dice. At every turn, the game summons a variety of creatures the siblings must overcome — from giant mosquitoes and a swarm of monkeys, to a roaring lion and even an adult named Alan Parrish.

As it turns out, Alan Parrish was a kid who got sucked into the game 26 years earlier. In the hopes of finishing the game and restoring everything to normal, the three set out to find Sarah Whittle — the other person who initially played the board game alongside Alan. With each turn spewing enormous and devastating organisms, such as carnivorous vines and herds of animals, the town and house where the siblings just moved in are eventually devastated and overrun by jungle wildlife. The movie ends with Alan dropping the dice, getting the right number, and winning the game.

About a quarter of a century later, the original Jumanji film continues to be a favorite among cinephiles. First and foremost, the film’s plot is incredibly engaging, heartfelt, adventurous, and triumphant. Not only does the film tackle the effects of a family tragedy on children. “Jumanji” also highlights the emotional dissonance that typically takes place between fathers and their sons.

Secondly, many of the effects that made Jumanji pop during its launch were groundbreaking in 1995, to say the least. A large portion of the effects were made through the combination of full-scale animatronics by Amalgamated Dynamics and miniatures by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) — and yet, all the animals that Jumanji released felt and looked real. According to an article by Screenrant, ILM raised the bar by investing new tools that enabled animators to develop extensive libraries of convincing facial expressions for each animal in the film.

Thirdly, the story was truly brought to life by bright and effective actors. Robin Williams, who played the adult Alan Parrish, was nominated for Best Actor by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, who played Judy Shepherd and Peter Shepherd, respectively, were also nominated for the Best Performance by a Younger Actor Award.

Lastly, the reason Jumanji still holds up even after all these years is because of its significant influence over pop culture. The original Jumanji film inspired a generation of wide-eyed viewers to, as the game’s iconic line goes, find a way to leave their world behind. The Jumanji franchise kept the magic going by generating three more film installments in “Zathura: A Space Adventure” (2005), “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017), and most recently, “Jumanji: The Next Level” (2019).

A fourth film is reportedly in the works, and even outside the world of film, fans have been treated to a three-season run of the “Jumanji” TV series, as well as similarly titled video games for the PlayStation, XBox, as well as Android and iOS apps. A post on ‘The Movies That Inspired the Slots’ by Gala Spins adds that gaming giant NetEnt also recently paid tribute to the film with a reel inspired by the eponymous board game, allowing players to roll the dice and move across the board to win rewards. The film has even made its way to a Pachinko game, a type of mechanical game popular in Japan, which further highlights the franchise’s impact across genres and borders.

All this just goes to show how a film can be a timeless work of art that lives on from generation to generation. With an outstanding cast, a dedicated special effects and animations team, and a compelling and cleverly conveyed plot, it isn’t surprising that Jumanji is able to stay as one of our favorite movies to this day.