5 Things We Love About The Jumanji Film Series

woman in black shirt and black pants standing on hanging bridge
Photo by Fabio Fistarol on Unsplash
Spread the love

Jumanji is a film series that has had a cult following since it was released all the way back in 1995. It was a movie that captured the imagination of many, with action and adventure, and a little bit of horror thrown in for good measure. Considering it was turned into a real board game, TV series, and even a theme for slot machines, its popularity is obvious.

Many believe the new remakes of the film are just as good, and considering the new characters and added levels of action they feel like what Jumanji would be like if it was real. Here are 5 reasons to love the Jumanji series.

Characters

Clearly the characters of the films probably play the biggest part in why the movies are so popular. Robin Williams was an absolute legend, and his acting, comedic timing and general persona was perfect for the role when the first movie came out.

brown dirt road between green plants during daytime
Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

He was able to add a lot of humor to a movie that at some points could be scary to some viewers, but he was also able to appeal to older viewers, meaning everyone was sitting on the edge of their seats and loving the film.

In the newer movies, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson play off each other brilliantly, with each of them having their own unique character and proving that, in this case, too many cooks don’t spoil the broth at all.

Story

The story of Jumanji is very fun and enjoyable. A board game that basically comes to life and sucks you into its world is quite unique, the way the aspect of the board game and real life played out side by side made the movie very exciting and interesting to watch as you had no idea what was coming next.

Fast forward to 2017 with the release of Welcome to the Jungle, the board game being found and then turning into a video game cartridge was a really cool tie into the original. The concept of The Rock, Kevin Hart, Jack Black Karen Gillan being sucked into the game as teenagers and transforming into their adult characters is also a very enjoyable and different aspect compared to the original.

With the second movie putting the characters back into the game to save one of their own, you might think that the concept is a bit overplayed at this point, however, the combination of the characters, comedy and adventure keeps it very fresh and as enjoyable to watch as the previous two films.

Sequels

Many might still be under the impression that adding sequels or movies that rely on the same concept as the original would kill what made the first movie so good. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

While the movie is a classic, the sequels stayed true to the concept while adding their own unique spin that not only pays homage to the original, as there is a mention of Robin Williams’s character, but also makes the movies stand on their own.

Comedy

Obviously there is going to be comedy and laughs when Robin Williams was part of a project. The original Jumanji is no different, when he still found a way to make a joke or funny comment even in the midst of extreme action.

Jack Black is a naturally funny character that we all know and love, while Kevin Hart and The Rock are good friends in real life, meaning the jokes and comments don’t feel forced and fake, something you will always notice in a film that is trying too hard to be funny.

Brilliant Video Game Movie

Many video game movies have fallen very short of expectations in the past. On the other hand, the new Jumanji films really embrace the video game world around it, and don’t just use it as a  slight influence.

The fact that each character has lives, their own strengths and weaknesses, and there are even NPCs that act like the NPCs we know from video games. It is also the perfect type of film to incorporate a video game theme.

The character changes are also a unique touch, with the fact that the original characters in “real life” transfer into proper video game characters, instead of just being themselves in a different world. It is a fairly small touch, but a really good one.

As mentioned, Jumanji is one of those films that many thought shouldn’t be remade simply due to how much the original is loved. However, the storyline and casting of the new one has shown that you can keep the original intact, while expanding the story.

It is also great that the new movies don’t rely on nostalgia too much. They can be films you can watch and understand without ever seeing the original, and they don’t lean on jokes, moments or tropes from the original, they make their own. All three Jumanji films are brilliant, and if you haven’t already, you should definitely give them a watch as soon as possible.

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*