Jumanji (1995)

Throw the dice and take a turn, Jumanji made the critics gurn.

Jumanji is directed by Joe Johnston and based on Chris Van Allsburg's short story of the same name. It stars Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce and Jonathan Hyde. The story is about a weird board game that when played unleashes hazards from the jungle with every throw of the dice. Once you have started playing you have to finish the game for normality to be resumed.

Simple in plot and coming off as an excuse to show off some impressive effects -said the critics - Jumanji defied the critics of the time to become a box office winner and a family favourite. Enough of a favourite to spawn a sequel (Zathura 2005), an animated TV series and a board game. In truth the film is reliant on the effects to entertain, with the cast (all competent and enjoyable) merely lurching from one perilous throw of the dice to another. But to call the film shallow is wrong and ignorant. There's flecks of bad parenting, peer pressure, grief and bullying, while the impact of a missing child on one town is a noteworthy addition to the story line. You wonder if those critics actually paid attention during their free viewings?

Yes it's berserker family fun, but it's not without worth in the writing either. Besides which, for the action set pieces and the laughs, they alone mean the film has its merits. 7/10

The original movie. Robin Williams makes this movie funny. Honestly without him the movie would be nothing.

I’d watched this for about twenty minutes before I realised that it was Kirsten Dunst who was keeping her panic-stricken younger brother “Peter” (Bradley Pierce) as they discover a rather elegant looking board game in their new home. We already know that this used to be the lavish home of the shoe-making “Parrish” family and that playing the self same game, a quarter of a century earlier the young “Alan” had had a mishap that had caused a mystery that prevailed to this day. Anyway, the two youngsters having a go nowadays soon realise that this isn’t like Cleudo or Monopoly, this one has an habit of delivering quirky rhymes after each throw followed by lions, monkeys, deadly mozzies - indeed anything that can trash the town, their house and the brand new police car of “ Clive” (David Alan Grier). Luckily, he throws a five and that presents them with the long-missing lad (Robin Williams) clad in leaves and adept at playing this thing from the inside. All the need to do is find his playing companion from back in the day (Bonnie Hunt) and complete the game. How hard can it be? Well aside from all the carnage, the game also presents them with the shotgun toting, “Quatermain”-esque, “Van Pelt” (the multi-tasking Jonathan Hyde) who is determined to see them all as trophies on his wall. Now they have to stay alive, finish the game and hopefully right some wrongs. No, there isn’t any jeopardy, but Williams, Dunst and the enthusiastic Pierce keep this quickly paced family adventure rollicking along nicely. Sure, Williams always did over-egg his roles, but the kids and Hyde work well as a foil for that and the rolls of the dice easily introduce a new chaotic scenario for each of them as they try to cross the winning post. It’s good family fun that whizzes along in a sort of “Smokey and the Bandit” meets “Tarzan” fashion.

I’d watched this for about twenty minutes before I realised that it was Kirsten Dunst who was keeping her panic-stricken younger brother “Peter” (Bradley Pierce) company as they discover a rather elegant looking board game in their new home. We already know that this used to be the lavish home of the shoe-making “Parrish” family and that playing the self-same game, a quarter of a century earlier, the young “Alan” had had a mishap that had caused a mystery that prevailed to this day. Anyway, the two youngsters having a go nowadays soon realise that this isn’t like Cleudo or Monopoly. This one has an habit of delivering quirky rhymes after each throw followed by lions, monkeys, deadly mozzies - indeed anything that can trash the town, their house and the brand new police car of the increasingly beleaguered “Officer Bentley” (David Alan Grier). Luckily, “Peter” throws a five and that presents them with the aforementioned, long-missing, lad (Robin Williams) now an adult, clad in leaves and adept at playing this thing from the inside. All they need to do now is find his playing companion from back in the day (Bonnie Hunt) and complete the game. How hard can it be? Well aside from all the carnage, the game also presents them with the shotgun toting, “Quatermain”-esque, “Van Pelt” (the multi-tasking Jonathan Hyde) who is determined to see them all as trophies on his wall. Now they have to stay alive, finish the game and hopefully right some wrongs. No, there isn’t any jeopardy but Williams, Dunst and the enthusiastic Pierce keep this quickly paced family adventure rollicking along nicely. Sure, Williams always did over-egg his character roles, but the kids and Hyde work well as a foil for that and the rolls of the dice easily introduce a new chaotic scenario for each of them as they try to cross the winning post. It’s good family fun that whizzes along in a sort of “Smokey and the Bandit” meets “Tarzan” fashion and has held up quite well.