Last year, news broke that Sony would be making a new "Jumanji" movie and fans didn't hesitate to question the idea. However, with the latest info about this new movie, do things look any brighter?
Previously announced star Dwayne Johnson recently confirmed that the new "Jumanji" would not be a remake as many had initially suspected, but that it would operate as a distant sequel to the 1995 Robin Williams film. This news has to come as a relief to many who were upset at the prospect of Johnson attempting to fill the shoes of the late Williams, but is it enough to truly inspire hope for this new interpretation?
"Jumaji" started life as a 1981 children's story, written by Chris Van Allsburg. However, the 1995 film adaptation took many liberties in expanding upon the original story and that version of "Jumanji" is the one that most fans are familiar with. Its enduring popularity no doubt comes as a result of Williams's charming portrayal of the central character in the film adaptation. So it comes as no surprise that fans were dismayed to learn that Sony was moving forward with a new iteration of "Jumanji" so soon after Williams's death. Considering the bad reputation remakes have come to develop in modern pop culture, this announcement was sure to be met with ire regardless of Williams's involvement. The timing only inspired even more disdain.
On a personal note, I love the 1995 film. I grew up watching my VHS copy of that movie on repeat. I generally try to keep an open mind when it comes to Hollywood's tendency to remake the classics, but in this case, even I was skeptical. "Jumanji" never felt like it needed much more expansion and I feared that Hollywood would fail to capture the magic that made the first film a beloved part of my childhood. Still, I tried to keep an open mind even with this. Thankfully, things seem to be looking up for the new iteration of "Jumanji" and I feel like a bit of cautious optimism is warranted.
Johnson's recent confirmation that the new film will be a continuation of the original has been quite a relief. The original film's ending implied that the titular board game would continue to entice new generations of players and the new film seems to be building on that ending. A new "Jumanji" film that acts as a distant sequel to the original could actually help to reinforce the original's central idea about how the magical game is a recurring menace that will continue to haunt players across decades.
My optimism about this new film is still only cautious optimism. There are still many ways in which the new movie could fail to live up to the standard set by the 1995 film. Still, cautious optimism is a lot better than what many of us felt at the initial announcement. Maybe now, we can just wait, hope, and see.
