A brisk, imaginative family adventure with a surprisingly eerie edge, powered by Robin Williams’ emotional warmth and a strong sense of practical-effects spectacle. It’s as much a spooky coming-of-age story as a fantasy romp, which gives it lasting appeal beyond the nostalgia factor.
51% ★★★☆☆ (1,216,664)
Jumanji
Where to watch: Netflix
Movie · Adventure · Fantasy · PG
1995 · 1h 44m · ★ 51% (1M)
It's a jungle in here.
Director: Joe Johnston
Starring: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce
Overview
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.
Director
Joe Johnston
Production
TriStar Pictures, Interscope Communications, Teitler Film, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Cast
Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Bradley Pierce, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, Bebe Neuwirth, David Alan Grier, Adam Hann-Byrd, Patricia Clarkson, Laura Bell Bundy, James Handy, Gillian Barber, Brandon Obray, Cyrus Thiedeke, Gary Joseph Thorup, Leonard Zola, Lloyd Berry, Malcolm Stewart, Annabel Kershaw, Darryl Henriques
Where to watch
Netflix, fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A brisk, imaginative family adventure with a surprisingly eerie edge, powered by Robin Williams’ emotional warmth and a strong sense of practical-effects spectacle. It’s as much a spooky coming-of-age story as a fantasy romp, which gives it lasting appeal beyond the nostalgia factor.
Best for
Families with older kids
Viewers who like adventure with mild horror elements
Fans of practical effects and creature chaos
Robin Williams admirers
90s nostalgia seekers
Skip if
You want polished modern CGI
You dislike child-endangerment tension in family films
You prefer light, purely comedic adventure
You’re looking for a slow-burn fantasy worldbuilding experience
Overview
Jumanji works because it treats a children’s fantasy premise with real danger. The board game isn’t just a gimmick; it’s a force that turns the house into a pressure cooker, and the movie keeps finding new ways to escalate the chaos without losing its sense of fun. The result is a rare family film that can feel thrilling, funny, and a little unsettling all at once.
Worth noting
Robin Williams gives the movie its heart, balancing manic energy with genuine sadness and vulnerability. That emotional layer keeps the story from becoming just a parade of effects and set pieces. The younger cast also helps sell the stakes, especially as the film moves from playful curiosity into full-blown survival mode.
Bottom line
Its effects are very much of their era, and some CGI has aged better than others, but the practical creature work still gives the film texture. What lingers most is the tone: a kid-friendly adventure that isn’t afraid of loss, fear, or the idea that growing up means facing the game instead of hiding from it.
Top Letterboxd reviews
♡ abigay (4★) · 5063 likes
the part where alan asks if his parents are still around and the guy is like, "yeah, i see 'em now and then. they're over on adams street"... and then he goes to adams street and it's a CEMETERY and they're DEAD. i would have gone back and punched that guy in the face.
they turned that little boy into a monkey for absolutely no reason
Georgia Coley (3.5★) · 1790 likes
Jumanji is a children's version of a horror movie in every sense of word, and even more surprising than that: it's actually got a strong emotional core, anchored by Robin Williams' terrific performance. I loved this movie as a kid, because unlike lots of other children's entertainment, it actually made me FEEL things like fear and sadness.
Madi (4★) · 1453 likes
The CGI monkeys are my new sleep paralysis demons.
2006 · Fantasy, Family, Comedy · 1h 48m · PG · Where to watch: Disney Plus
Shares the premise of ordinary spaces becoming sites of magical chaos and adventure.
Themes
childhood and adulthood, grief and family loss, games and rules, chaos unleashed, courage under pressure, responsibility and growth, fantasy invasion of the ordinary, survival adventure