EDIT: 4/28/2020



I apparently posted the review for Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle here by mistake instead of a review of the original film. I've left my original review intact here, but I'm now going to fix it and give this product the correct review.



Jumanji is a classic film and one of Robin William's finer outings that did one of the better jobs and blending his comedic skills with his ability to be dramatic and serious. And Jumanji IS a dramatic film. It tells a story that embraces healing, self worth, acceptance of past mistakes and the desires to correct them, and the effects that negative emotions can have on your life.



I'm going into full movie summary here so for a TLDR: Jumanji is an excellent movie that focuses on how running from your problems will just lead to negative consequences down the road. IT stares a fantastic cast with great and memorable characters and some great action sequences. Jumanji is a fully realized film that had a lasting impact on Hollywood, and fiction in general from many filmmakers and writers copying it and it's concepts and was later revisited in the spiritual sequel "Zathura" and then twice more with two sequels "Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle and "Jumanji: The Next Level"



Really the only thing bad about this film is that it drags a little near the end, when the novelty of the film's creatures and rampages starts to wear thin, and the CGI having aged, though watching this in 2020 some of the CGI still holds up remarkably well. Peter and Judy are somewhat annoying characters, though Kirsten Dunst does a fantastic job, just showing how great of an actress she is, even at such a young age. The story does have some level of awkwardness to it at some points, and watching it now there's just a level of cringe at how primitive stuff looks, but I suppose that's inherent with a film set in the late 90s.



I cannot recommend this film enough. While it has aged and Robin Williams is sadly no longer among us, it is a true modern classic that gives us a thrilling adventure while having a much deeper meaning behind it's madness.



___



Jumanji: Welcome To the Jungle is almost a perfect sequel. It modernizes the premise, being completely faithful to the original film while introducing brand new elements to the lore and universe. I absolutely loved how they weaved actual video game mechanics into the story, not just for generic action sequences but as actual story points, and I loved how the world FELT like a video game, with non-player characters acting out their roles like they would.



I just really loved how the movie expanded upon the old and evolved with the new. I had been expecting just a cash grab and I was so pleasantly surprised that it wasn't thanks to tight writing and a cast of incredibly charismatic actors that really fit the roles they are given. The only real flaw in this film would have to be the final act, which felt a bit rushed.