Jumanji (1995) Fun Movie, the Re-Watch Was Not Bad

Jumanji (1995)

In light of recent events, many people have been re-watching Robin Williams content from over the years. Robin Williams was very talented, but most of the time I did not prefer his comedy style. I decided to watch this film last night because I wanted to see something light hearted. After a long day of work and the stress of life, seeing an easy to watch film helps the night wind down.

The movie itself features the story of a boy who is punished by the decisions he makes as a child. His actions lead to him getting beat up by bullies for his name sake, getting a man fired from the factory, and sent away to boarding school. Now I will agree that not all of these things are in his control and his actions are not different than expected for a child of his age. In fact, I enjoy the beginning of this film because it’s a way to teach people about the gravity of their actions even at a young age.

The premise of this film is very odd because you start out with some dramatic irony. You know that the game is bewitched, but you don’t know anything about the previous players that were determined to get rid of it. You know they lived in the 1860’s and besides the civil war going on, there was not much for a young man to get interested in… Now this is a harsh criticism for a film that was has a target audience of 10 years of age. The important part is that curiosity leads to adventure.

The adventure for the character of Robin Williams seems a bit unfair compared to the rest of the plagues in the game. Helen Hunt had to continue playing the game in order for him to return. My real question is how he survived the jungle for 26 years at such a young age with little to no skills to speak of. Either way Robin Williams portrays a great comedic character that still hasn’t reached manhood and only wants to see his family when he returns. He is able to connect with the children easily because of this fact and it allows them to create several layers to their relationship.

Analytic arguments aside, Jumanji is fun to watch even so long after the years when I saw this in theaters. I have to train myself to not over think these types of movies. I really spend a large amount of time wondering how Robin Williams never noticed that Van Pelt (the hunter) looked exactly like his father or if it was meant to be symbolic of his father slaying his dreams. That would be a hard reality to face for 26 years in the jungle, having the only other human connection being your father and he trying to kill you. 

Sometimes I also wonder about them just simultaneously releasing a movie about a board game in order to make money off of an actual board game. It wouldn't be the first time it has happened. When it first came out I remember it was like $20 and only my rich friends could afford that. Is it a movie about a man and his relationship with his father, or a promotional tool to test the waters with movie products.