Customer Reviews
Interactive Excitement 
2006-01-21
I often seem to wonder why movies out there can be just outrageous at times. Nevertheless, I also know that there just aren't that many good movies out there right now which is shallow. That also goes with the same for great actors like Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, and the legendary Robin Williams. In the 1990's he was just everywhere as one of the funniest performers in comedy, and a fantastic actor to the bone. He was just great in films like Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage, and arguably one of the most outrageous and the most exciting films of the time, Jumanji.
Jumanji with Robin Williams, is about a young boy who feels his life is full of doubts and heartbreak finds a outrageous game, which turns fully interactive. When he comes back in the future, he has no idea of what life leads from the death of his parents, to finding a childhood friend, Sara Wittle played by Helen Hunt. Then, they have to finish the game they started in the years earlier. The movie is absolutely amazing with beautiful graphics from the wicked floods, to the calming lion sleeping in the bed of the house, and even the shocking thrill of the hunt as a British hunter also comes into play with the dice. The effects in the movie are absolutely unique and amazing from each details of the rhinos stampedeing, to the unique mutation of young Peter. The film also remains very unique and fun for all ages.
All in all with the recently released film Zathura in theaters, many may want to still consider that film. However, you may still want to see its competition, Jumanji first. I really loved this film the first time I saw it in the theaters about a decade ago, and if you've enjoyed it you know you have too. If you haven't seen Jumanji yet, you don't know what you're missing with the roll of the dice.
Mastering: B+
Price: B+
Story: A-
Fun & Enjoyemnt: B+
Overall: B 1/2+
Shocking Inducing Adventure for the Whole Family... 2005-11-13
The rhythmical thumping of exotic drums awakens innocent curiosity and a desire for adventure. As the drumming intensifies in both volume and beat, inquisitiveness strengthens together with a slowly escalating heartbeat. The combination gives a heightened level of attentiveness and physical alertness presents an opportunity of tense anticipation within the individual. However, the personal eagerness for suspense could reaches a point beyond personal safety and comfort where fear begins to affect the individual. Jumanji's rhythmical pounding helps tap on the idea of adventure, suspense, and fear through the naïve consciousness of children, which delivers a fantastic adventure that enters a magical realm of the perilous mystery.
A twirling green glowing fog shapes the letters Jumanji while a swooshing sound slashes through a distant howling opens the film. Consequently, the camera fades into a dark forest somewhere in the New England region where an adolescent and his younger brother swiftly move with purpose through the foggy night. The year is 1869 and the brothers are about to bury a padlocked strongbox in a remote location with the intention of securing the world from its content. In the dark hours of the secretive burial, horses twitchingly move while remote cries of wolves amplify the horror of the moment. Yet, the two children persist to submerge the chest within the earth, as a frightful hammering on drums seems to be coming from within the box. At the final stage of the entombment of the chest, the younger brother wonders what would happen if someone would find it. Fearfully the older brother utters the words, "May God have mercy on his soul." The suspense can undoubtedly escape the audience's attention in this brief opening.
One hundred years later, in the idyllic town of Brantford the young Alan Parrish (Adam Hann-Byrd) finds himself in a fearful situation with a group of bullying kids. His father too busy to listen, as he runs a successful shoe factory, demands that Alan faces his fears. Without the fatherly safety, Alan finds himself alone and abandoned, and thuggish kids are outside waiting for him. He has no other choice than face the beating. Afterwards, anger and sadness drift through him, but something catches his attention. A distant rhythmical drumming is coming from a construction site close by his father's factory where he unearths the strongbox that the two boys buried a hundred years earlier. Inside the box, Alan finds another box with the inscription Jumanji, which turns out to be a board game. After additional arguments with his father, Alan opens the game with his friend Sarah, but to their dismay they realize that the game has a very real and dangerous secret. Again, suspenseful anticipation seems to grow within the audience.
Twenty-six years later, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) move into the mansion where Alan once lived with their aunt Nora (Bebe Neuwirth), as they have recently lost their parents in an accident. Both Judy and Peter struggle with several issues at the same time such as their bereavement of their parents, the relocation, and having to live with their aunt. Yet, they have no idea what other struggles are awaiting for them when they too begin to hear the outlandish drumming coming from the attic. Nonetheless, Judy and Peter open Jumanji and unlock its secret by a simple roll of the dies. Here the film truly begins its rapid fall, after a slow climb on the roller coaster, which will swiftly throw the audience around in an amusing and suspenseful adventure.
Now the question is whether Jumanji upholds the quality after the initial twenty minutes. However, asking this in the review for Jumanji automatically suggests that the film falters, and Robin Williams has not even entered the story yet. Not that Williams' performance is bad. On the contrary, his acting actually elevates the quality of the film, as it makes use of a heavy dose of CGI graphics and special effects. The storyline is a little thin and the film feels too much like a video game where the heroes try to avoid monsters and creatures in order to stay alive. At times, the film sends out vibes similar to the cheat mode of invincibility turned on in a video game, which ultimately reveals the notion of a successful conclusion. Despite the flaws of the film, it offers a remarkable swift roller coaster that undoubtedly will keep many viewers attention through its flashy special effects and thrilling amusement.
Finally! 2005-09-28
This is one of my favorite movies! The effects were ok for it's time, but they look kind of cheezy now..Thats why I gave it 4 stars. But if you havent seen this movie, BUY IT!!
Ana Luiza Mansour 
2008-04-26
Lots of adventure and thrills... gripping till the end. Wonderful visual and sound effects.
Too dumb for adults, too scary for kids 
2007-07-29
This movie is too scary for kids...with all kinds of dark scary things manifesting from out of walls and sucking you in...and for adults too dumb. Perhaps the silliest thing is that Robin Williams' character has spent most of his life "in the game" and was living as a knife-wielding jungle-man...and then he decides to play again once he comes back...and what happened...just sits down with two kids, and a woman...that's it. Oh my God, what an idiot. I would get guns (rifles and shotguns), machetes, gear, etc...and when I started playing again I would be so so very much better prepared to deal with all the stuff that comes at you. Little kids might overlook this point and so might others, but you won't now that you've read this..
Don't watch this movie: duh.
You did just see three monkeys go by on a motorcycle; right? 2007-07-05
This movie was a fresh, original and entertaining show, you never know what will happen next! Great to see an original movie and not another same story/differnet actor spin off that has been the norm. lately.
Throw together a great storyline and actors like Robin Williams, and you get a movie that lived up to all the hype. Due to become a classic.
Hang on tight, you're in for a ride of your life! 2007-02-20
This came home at the behest of my older son, who saw the trailer on another DVD. I had avoided this movie when it came out, dismissing it as fare for kids (and I had none at the time), However, in the midst of all the mindless stuff the media releases in the guise of 'family entertainment,' this thoughtful yet thrilling movie is the real deal.
When 12 year old Allan Parrish shouts to his father that he "will never speak to him again!" he has no idea that he is about to (literally) get sucked into a board game that will leave him vanished without a trace, his friend Sarah traumatized at having bore witness to his disappearance, and the disintegration of his own family's fortunes as a result.
When Judy and Peter find the board game and unwittingly bring Allan back 26 years later, it's up to Allan to understand the consequences of his actions to put right everything that has gone wrong.
There are a great many teachable moments in this breath-taking movie, and you don't have to look too hard for them, either. My kids thoroughly enjoyed it, and I found myself enjoying it right along with them--a rare treat! Highly recommended.
:0) 2006-06-15
How can u not like JUMANJI alot of action and fun it almost makes u feel like your playing the game with them
