Jumanji

A special effects extravaganza from the director of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids that begs the question: Why would anyone want to play this game? One unlucky roll of the dice and a player can literally be sucked into it. That's what happens to 12-year-old Alan Parrish, who re-emerges 26 years later (as Robin Williams) when two children unwittingly begin a game of their own, unleashing a host of tropical terrors, from stampeding elephants to a monsoon. Expanded from Chris Van Allsburg's award-winning book. Recommended, because of the sell-through price, but a word of caution: a PG-13 rating would have been more appropriate. This Jumanji plays for keeps. (K. Benson)[DVD Review—Nov. 15, 2005—Sony, 2 discs, 105 min., PG, $19.95—Making its third appearance on DVD, 1995's Jumanji (Deluxe Edition) sports a nice transfer with Dolby Digital surround sound. DVD extras on this double-disc edition include audio commentary by the SFX crew, a 20-minute “making-of” featurette, an SFX featurette (15 min.), three storyboards (4 min.), a “Production Design: Bringing Down the House” featurette (3 min.), a Jumanji survival game with 25 riddles, “The Extreme Book of Nature” with descriptions of the animals in the film, an “Ancient Diversions” showcase of six magic tricks, photo and conceptual art galleries, and trailers. Bottom line: a mix of old and new special features, this edition—released to tie-in with the arrival of Zathura (also based on a Chris Van Allsburg book)—is recommended, overall, for those who don't already own the “collector's series” edition.][Blu-ray Review—Sept. 22, 2015—Sony, 104 min., PG, $19.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1995's Jumanji features a decent transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by the SFX crew, two episodes of Jumanji: The Animated Series (45 min.), three behind-the-scenes featurettes (38 min.), a motion storybook read by author Chris Van Allsburg (9 min.), reflections on the film (5 min.), storyboard comparisons (4 min.), a virtual board game, trailers, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a popular fantasy film.]