My Movie Review on Jumanji (1995)
What’s up, peoples? I’m back with another review.
Today, I’ll be reviewing Robin Williams’ Jumanji (1995).
In this film, siblings Peter (played by Bradley Pierce) and Judy Shepherd (played by Kirsten Dunst) move into an old mansion that used to be owned by a very wealthy and successful family called the Parrish family. However, while exploring their new home, the youngsters find a curious, jungle-themed game called Jumanji in the attic. When they start playing, several jungle dangers wreak havoc on their home and town. They also free Alan Parrish (Robin Williams), who's been stuck in the game's inner world for since he was a child, and was the first to find the game before the Shepherd children were born. To set things right, the children, Alan, and Sarah Whittle (played by Bonnie Hunt), Alan’s childhood friend who also took a role at the game years before, must finish the game so that the dangers of the jungle can go back inside of it.
First off, let me just say that this film is another movie that clearly hasn’t gotten the kind of recognition and love it deserves. I mean, 53% on Rotten Tomatoes?! Are you kidding?! This film is far from terrible. It’s awesome!
The story and plot line of it all was full of definite intrigue. It’s got tons of action and thrills, as well as great drama and emotional feel, many of which can be either sad or heartwarming. Additionally, it contains surprising humor on the side, the result making you go from chuckling to laughing. The credit for it all definitely goes to Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain for providing a rollicking good time.
The direction by Joe Johnston was additionally amazing. He captured everything to where you can instantly consider it a classic, from the cinematography and camera shots, to the thrills and emotional depth put into the film.
The special effects and puppetry were impressively used coming from a 90s film outside of the Jurassic Park series. I mean, yes, there were some obvious signs of the animals and plants not being real, but they actually fit well and feel natural too.
The acting, casting, characters, and character development were fun and memorable in addition to it all.
Robin Williams gave another winning performance in this film. Since I was a child, this was the very first live-action film I knew him by, and even today, I can never stop remembering how remarkable he was in this movie. The fact that he also followed the script most of the time was something that impressed me among other things, because it shows that his talents still shine even when not improvising a lot. He gave off such awesome depth, emotion, and personality to the grown-up Alan Parrish.
Likewise, Bonnie Hunt was someone I really enjoyed seeing in this movie. Playing the character of adult Sarah Whittle, she too portrayed her part perfectly. She gave her character such great personality, effort, even some unexpecting comedic-timing. She truly earned the Saturn Award she won for Best Supporting Actress.
The chemistry that Hunt and Williams had between each another while playing their characters was enjoyable too, and I absolutely loved the improvisation they used with one another.
Jonathan Hyde was brilliant too. It amazed me that he was able to play two characters in the same film. The first character is Alan Parrish’s father, Samuel Parrish. The second character is the main antagonist, Van Pelt the big game hunter. He played both characters like a pro!
Van Pelt is definitely what I’d like to call a terrific villain. Despite coming from the game, he isn’t without complexity, depth, personality, and character development. To boot, he shows himself to be dangerous and threatening, and he perfectly reflects the bullies that Alan had been dealing with in real life.
There’s another reason behind why I can’t help but applaud Van Pelt, really. It’ll all be explained in my review of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
In conclusion, though, the Jumanji film starring Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt is an absolute masterpiece, and one that’s clearly overlooked.
So, I rate Jumanji (1995) five out of five stars.
