Film Talk: Looking Back – Rolling the dice with Jumanji

Directed by Joe Johnston, 1995’s Jumanji (the original and still the best) was an adventure flick like few others. Loosely based on the 1981 children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, the film’s primary antagonist was a rather ruthless supernatural board game that brought various calamities from its theme to life. I for one have never looked at a Cluedo board the same way since...

Written by Van Allsburg, Greg Taylor, Jonathan Hensleigh and Jim Strain, this fabulous yarn starred the ever-magnificent Robin Williams and a young Kirsten Dunst along with David Alan Grier, Bradley Pierce, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, and Bebe Neuwirth.

With an intriguing premise that film fans of most ages could enjoy, along with the late Mr Williams at the height of his powers, Jumanji got the cinema-going crowd of the day rather excited indeed. But would it deliver on expectations?..

When young Alan Parrish discovers a mysterious jungle-themed board game in 1969, he doesn’t realise its incredible powers until he and his friend Sarah sit down to play a round that will change their lives forever.

Having taken a fateful roll of the dice, Alan is transported into the jungle realm of Jumanji, in which he must wait until the dice read five or eight. A startled and traumatised Sarah runs from the house, never to return, and the game is left unfinished, with Alan having disappeared, seemingly forever.

Twenty-six years later, a new family moves into the now vacant Parrish mansion, and its two young children, Judy (Dunst) and Peter (Pierce), discover the mysterious and aged game in the attic.

Unable to resist their curiosity, they begin playing, and realise Jumanji may be more than it seems when their turns summon a swarm of giant jungle mosquitoes as well as a troop of troublesome monkeys! Inspecting the games rules, the pair discover that all will be returned to normal once the game ends, and so they continue to play.

Calamities continue, but it is not long before a five is rolled, and a now adult Alan Parrish (Williams) is released from the game. Realising that Judy and Peter are playing the same game Alan started 26 years ago, the trio attempt to locate the now grown-up yet still traumatised Sarah (Hunt), knowing they need her to finish the game and rid the town of the jungle chaos Jumanji is unleashing upon it.

But with the threats it throws out growing bigger, stronger and more dangerous, will the quartet finish while there is still anything left to save?..

Though Jumanji was released to somewhat mixed reviews it was a firm box office success, grossing $263 million worldwide on a budget of about $65 million.

The tenth highest-grossing film of 1995, it went on to spawn an animated TV series, along with a related film – Zathura: A Space Adventure – and two direct sequels.

We all have our favourite Robin Williams flicks, and while I would agree that Jumanji is perhaps no Mrs Doubtfire, Hook or Aladdin, it is certainly among those films that showcase the magic of the great man at his finest.

With strong turns from a superb supporting cast, Williams was given a fantastic canvas upon which to shine and delivered a performance that would cement Jumanji as a childhood favourite for so many of us who were born in the 80s.

A classic of no mistaking, you will be hooked once again as soon as you hear those drums...