Jumanji is a memorable adventure and family film from the ‘90s, with a unique plot and special effects that are impressive for its time. This film was directed by Joe Johnston, who is also a visual effects artist and has directed many special-effect driven films like Jurassic Park 3 and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
The film follows the children, Judy and Peter (played by Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce), who move into the same house that Alan (played by Robin Williams) had lived in 26 years prior. Here, they discover an enchanted board game. Through this discovery, they unlock the entrance to a mystical world and learn that the game had trapped Alan inside the obscure world for two decades. By playing the game, the children unintentionally release Alan from the game, but they quickly realize that he isn’t the only thing that escaped. Soon, the three of them are chased by enormous rhinoceroses, malevolent chimps, and other scary creatures.
It is a film that never stops being thrilling, regardless of how antiquated the special effects are. It taught me as a child that films can be escapist, joyful, and significant — and, if lucky, all three at the same time. It was, in my opinion, one of the best films of the 1990s. Robin Williams‘ performance was fantastic; although the movie was already inclined towards the comedic genre, Williams added extra emotions to all the scenes, especially when comedy was required.
The film not only deals with the repercussions of a family tragedy on teenagers’ lives, but also emphasizes the emotional conflict that often exists between parents and their children. Two main lessons can be taken from the movie: firstly, that parents and their children should not let a generation gap come between them. They should try to understand one another more and parents should not let their own dreams and principles pressure their children. This concept was portrayed early on in the film through Alan’s father pressuring him to attend a boarding school that their family has been educated at for generations. Secondly, the very creepy and weird creatures that come out of the board game and present various challenges to Judy, Peter, and Alan as they are trying to complete the game can teach us to learn to face our fears instead of running from them.
Despite the recent remakes of the film, I think that the original Jumanji is the only authentic Jumanji. I remember viewing this on a DVD as a kid, and I recently rediscovered it on Netflix. The original film, inspired by the children’s picture book Jumanji written by Chris Van Allsburg in 1981, was rebooted with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) with no acknowledgment or thankfulness to the original story.
Jumanji’s visuals, although now outdated, seemed impressive at the time it was made — for example, the monkeys’ facial expressions looked quite real. Most of the animals, such as the spiders, monkeys, bats, alligators, and lions, were created using digital effects, which were pretty good for 1995. The rise of CGI in the early ‘90s made it possible to feature exotic animals in films like this one without the use of live animals on movie sets.
All of this proves that this film is an eternal piece of art that has passed down through the ages. It’s no surprise that Jumanji has remained one of my favourite films to this day, thanks to a great cast, a committed special effects and graphics team, and a gripping and cleverly delivered plot.
I am Priya Ghuman and I am a staff writer at The Cascade. I have a great interest in reading and sports, and I am a pianist as well. Lastly, I am an animal lover and I am always ready to volunteer and help anyone who is in need.
