Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Jumanji (1995)
Director: Joe Johnston
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Young Alan Parrish lives in a postcard '60s American town. One day, he and his only friend Sarah find a Victorian jungle-based board-game, 'Jumanji'. That night, as they play, the jungle comes to life. Her throw of the dice brings bats swooping through the lounge; his takes him into the game, whence he can return only if an opponent throws a seven. Unfortunately, a terrified Sarah runs off into the night, leaving Alan trapped in 'Jumanji'. Cut to the depressed '90s. Two young orphans move into the now decrepit Parrish house and find the game in the attic. They start to play, bringing into being a marauding lion, monkeys and an older Alan (Williams), presumed murdered for over 20 years. To reverse the effects of the game, Parrish knows they must play to the end. Subsequent throws produce a psychotic Victorian hunter (Hyde, excellent), earthquakes, floods and, best of all, a herd of rhinos, zebras and elephants stampeding through the town. This is an sfx movie par excellence. Although leading actors Williams and Hunt (as the older Sarah) give competent performances, script, direction and story are all subservient to Industrial Light and Magic's extraordinary computer-generated animals and effects. Hollow, but very spectacular.Author: NKe
Cast & crew
Director: Joe Johnston
Producer: Scott Kroopf, William Teiter
Cast: Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, Jonathan Hyde full cast
Genre(s): Fantasy
Duration: 104 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now