Jumanji
Movie, 1995, The board game, Set in Brantford, 1969 and 1995
Jumanji is #1 of 5 in release order and #1 of 5 in chronological order in the Jumanji.
The story
When siblings Judy and Peter discover an enchanted board game that opens the door to a magical world, they unwittingly invite Alan -- an adult who's been trapped inside the game for 26 years -- into their living room. Alan's only hope for freedom is to finish the game, which proves risky as all three find themselves running from giant rhinoceroses, evil monkeys and other terrifying creatures.
Jumanji recap
In 1969, twelve-year-old Alan Parrish finds a drum-beating board game buried at a construction site in Brantford, New Hampshire. Playing with his friend Sarah Whittle, he rolls and is sucked into the game, and Sarah flees from a swarm of bats. In 1995, orphaned siblings Judy and Peter Shepherd move into the empty Parrish house with their aunt and find the game in the attic. Their rolls bring mosquitoes and monkeys, and a lion and a grown Alan, played by Robin Williams, who has spent 26 years in the jungle. Learning his parents are dead, Alan realises the game must be finished, so he tracks down a traumatised Sarah and the four keep playing. Each turn brings something worse: a stampede through town, a flood, giant vines, a monsoon and Van Pelt, the hunter who has stalked Alan inside the game and now chases him with an elephant gun.
Jumanji ending explained
With Van Pelt aiming at him, Alan stands his ground, the board is completed and Alan shouts "Jumanji", which pulls every creature back into the game. Alan and Sarah return to 1969 as children, with full memories, and Alan reconciles with his father. They throw the game in a river. In 1995 the grown Alan and Sarah, now married, meet Judy and Peter and their parents and stop the trip that would have killed them. The final shot shows the game washed up on a French beach as two girls hear its drums.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Jumanji
Jumanji is streaming on Netflix in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 56%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Jumanji: The Animated Series.
- Chronological order: first, before Jumanji: The Animated Series.
What to watch before Jumanji
Nothing. Jumanji is the first of the Jumanji essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Robin Williams as Alan Parrish
- Kirsten Dunst as Judy
- Bradley Pierce as Peter
- Bonnie Hunt as Sarah
- Jonathan Hyde as Van Pelt / Sam Parrish
- Bebe Neuwirth as Nora
- David Alan Grier as Bentley
- Adam Hann-Byrd as Young Alan
- Patricia Clarkson as Carol Parrish
- Laura Bell Bundy as Young Sarah
- James Handy as Exterminator
- Gillian Barber as Mrs. Thomas
Directed by Joe Johnston.