Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Tymon Sutton The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

MichaelMRamey I re-watched this film recently and it is much better than I remember. It's a great family adventure film. The cast is amazing with Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Greer and a young Kirsten Dunst. The graphics are actually pretty decent considering this game out in the mid-90s.

jimbo-53-186511 2 kids discover a board game in a house that they have recently moved into with their aunt. They discover the power of this board game when all hell breaks loose after an array of animals from the board game come to life. They also release Alan Parrish a man who has been trapped in the board game for 26 years. Alan, the 2 kids and Alan's old friend Sarah must work together to end the game and finish what they started.For what it is, Jumanji is quite an entertaining film; there is plenty of noise and chaos and the idea that they must finish the game in order to return to normality does give the film a sense of urgency and makes Jumanji a fairly involving film (once it gets going). Unfortunately, a lot of what you see between point A and point B is repetitive (all the animals that come to life arrive for a short time, do essentially the same thing and then disappear). This cycle is repeated throughout the film which does make the film feel a little monotonous.On the flip side, director Joe Johnston (realising that he's working from a flimsy script) throws everything at the screen and despite being repetitive the film does have some exciting sequences and occasional moments of comedy. It's actually the energetic way that the film is directed that saves the film slightly as in lesser hands it probably would be a complete disaster.Williams was always good value to watch and puts in another fun turn here; although in the moment when he's released from the board game he comes dangerously close to 'overacting' but just about gets away with it I think. Jonathan Hyde also does well in a dual role (although he clearly had more fun with his role as Van Pelt). Williams is nicely supported by a young Kirsten Dunst and the likes of Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Grier and Bradley Pierce are also OK in support.There are some problems with this picture such as a weak narrative and poor special effects and I also felt that the effects side of the production was more important to those concerned than the actual story creating a style over substance effect - although the film is geared more towards kids so perhaps this was intentional. I also found the film to be a little contrived; Alan needs to find his old friend in order to finish the board game and despite 26 years passing she's conveniently living in the same house she grew up in as a child. Yes I mean it's possible, but it's also terribly convenient.Still flaws and all this is still pretty entertaining and it also has quite a nice ending essentially showing what would have happened had they not played the game in the first place. It's worth watching, but perhaps would have been better with a stronger and better developed story.

MJB784 Jumanji looked like a really cool movie when I saw the trailer, but while there were some cool scenes like the man-eating plant, there is no need for anyone to play this game. There's no reward or explanation of how the game was made and how many have been made. Nor do we see the world inside the game when the boy gets sucked in before being played by Robin Williams. He also didn't tell anyone what the world of Jumanji is like for over 30 years. Cool idea, not executed properly.

hasansalman-70614 This movie took me back to my childhood, fortunately for me, my journey was not cumber sum as Alan's. the movie reminded me of the fun we had watching the movie with our cousin and enjoying the fantasy of a magical board game. the movie also made me realise that what a marvellous actor Robin Williams was. it saddened me that a person who spread happiness could come to an unfortunate end.