Jumanji

Rating:
Summary: The uses of enchantment
Review: "Jumanji" is one show that Robin Williams doesn't steal from the other characters. He carries his own weight, but so do the rest of the cast. Not a weak character in this bunch.

The writing is creative, imaginative and compelling. The effects range from great (stampede, vines) to weak (spiders, monkey faces), but they don't get in the way of an engaging, fast-paced, even provocative movie.

The psychology may seem pop Freudian to some, but it serves the overall illusion created by the movie. I suspect that on a psychological level, "Jumanji" functions to let kids deal with the anger and estrangement they feel with their fathers (a la Bruno Bettelheim's "The Uses of Enchantment").

Carl, the African American shoe designer/police officer, provides some of the funniest material; unfortunately it smacks of an earlier cinema tradition in which the black faces were always the victims of gags that exploited their supposed fears or ignorance.

Over all, though, my daughter (7) and son (4) find it compelling and exciting -- and my wife and I find ourselves watching it again with them every time they put it in.

Rating:
Summary: A waste of resources
Review: Chris Van Allsburg's brisk, haunting storybook is turned into yet another Robin Williams vehicle about getting in touch with your feelings. Williams stars as Alan, a guy trapped for 26 years in the magical board game Jumanji. When orphans Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce find the game and roll the dice, they release Alan as well as various marauding beasts that flatten the sleepy suburbs. The movie gives Alan a cold father who comes back to haunt him in the form of a psychotic game hunter (both are played by Jonathan Hyde). The hunter, one can't help noticing, has a big gun. Freudians should have a field day with the movie: It's crammed with phallic/vaginal threats, plus constant images of cathartic violation. The animals, demolishing suburban propriety, are primal therapists.

Bonnie Hunt turns up as Alan's now-grown-up childhood sweetheart, who must spell out the movie's subtext: The stampeding beasts, and Jumanji itself, are manifestations of Alan's repressed anger at Dad. Why spend $65 million and thousands of hours sweating over computers to make a banal fable about the hazards of bottling up your anger? The animals do put on a show, but some of them -- particularly the lion and the monkeys, the ones with the most articulation in their features -- look jerky and plasticized. In format, "Jumanji" is a mild retread of "Jurassic Park" (the director, Joe Johnston, is supposed to direct the third "JP"), complete with the nuclear family of the guy, the woman, and the two parentless kids who all come together while fighting or fleeing from computer-generated critters. It was said to be too scary for kids, but the scariest thing about it is that it took three guys to write a screenplay this repetitive and psychologically glib.

Rating:
Summary: Just fun
Review: This movie has a great idea. And it's fun! Although it's rediculous, but I saw it 2 times. My complaint is that the trials seem to be more and more trite and unexciting. I love the first some surprises, such us bat, bug, and eat-flowers. But the tramples of the elephants, the shooter, the flood seems to be predictable. BTW, The ending of this movie is so bad, I dislike it so! A cliche!

Rating:
Summary: A fine Robin Williams film
Review: This is a film I enjoyed even though it made me recall some of the conflicts I had with MY father as I was growing up. I feel this is a good movie for saturday nights; a bit scarry but lots of fun. I'm not sure young kids would trust their board games again, but aside from that, I think it is fun for the whole family. Williams and the others of the cast are excellent and don't over play their roles. I certainly enjoyed it in the theater and continue to enjoy it as a video.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Jungle
Review: Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst face bigger-than-life jungle dangers in the family adventure "Jumanji". Young Alan Parrish finds a mysterious board game and is vanished to an imaginable jungle realm. 26 years later, two unsuspected children (Kirsten Dunst & Bradley Pierce) freed the now adult Alan (Robin Williams) and unleash the jungle world of Jumanji upon their quiet town. Based on the best-selling children's book, "Jumanji" is an exciting and fast-paced thrill-ride. Director Joe Johnston combines elements of adventure, fantasy and humor to create an enchanting family spectacle. The story is original and the characters are appealing. It contains some great special effects and thrilling scenes but a few effects weren't quite polished.

"Jumanji: Collector Edition" is a vast improvement over the bare-bones original. The picture quality is impressive and detail and the sound is clear and engaging. Columbia/Tri-Star has really kicked in for special features in this new edition. Though it lacks the multiple audio aspects of the original, this new edition contains behind-the-scene and FX featurettes, trailers, cast bios and animated menus. Overall, this DVD earns a "B+".

Rating:
Summary: What was that all about?
Review: Robin Williams' recent pictures tend to bore me to death but this one didn't. Somewhere along the movie there's a redneck gunnut playing... the Mexican National Anthem! How come? How weird!

(Besides, there's no mention of it in the credits. Should Mexico sue?)

Rating:
Summary: Quite OK!
Review: An average movie, the effects are a bit dated, but it is QUITE OK! The quality of this DVD is very good.

Rating:
Summary: Jumanji
Review: Movie is fine BUT DVD says Dolby 5.1 there is no rear channel information... May be great on VHS but not worth it for a good home theather setup.

Rating:
Summary: Wild animals are not pets
Review: A little boy and his friend discover a board game that brings the wild jungle right in his house and takes him prisoner. So many years later, another boy and girl (who move into the boy's house) release him from the game and have to finish the original in order to send all the jungle creatures back from wence they came. Excellent special effects keep this entertaining amid William's usual emmotional style of humor that gets tiring after 2 or 3 viewings of MRS. DOUBTFIRE. Suspenseful and action packed with chills if you watch in the theatre. Grier is funny as the cop and Byrd is pre H20.

Rating:
Summary: My Son's FAvorite
Review: I did not see this movie in the theatre, but we rented it last year on video and really enjoyed it. Surprisingly, however, my 5-year-old son was wild about it! I had heard it was too scary for young kids, but he loved it. In fact, it has become one of his all time favorite movies, and we have rented it so many times (at his request) that we're going to buy the video for him for Christmas. The special effects in this movie are great, and (unlike the professional reviewers), I think the character development is fine. I think reviewers forget that sometimes people watch movies just for entertainment and fun!