Years before Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson starred in his ownJumanjifilms, Robin Williams' classic comedy got an even better sequel in a completely different movie. Since the originalJumanjiwas released in 1995, it has become an absolute classic. The film retained so much of its popularity that it was rebooted in 2017, when Dwayne Johnson’sJumanji: Welcome to the Junglehit theaters. Johnson’s legacy sequels proved so popular that they garnered well over $1 billion at the global box office, andJumanji 4was recently confirmed. Despite their success, however, Johnson’sJumanjimovies aren’t the best sequels in the franchise.
Johnson’sJumanjimovies are a lot of fun and great in their own right, and they’re even among thebest Dwayne Johnson moviesout there, but they’ve still been outdone. Interestingly,Jumanjihas an often-forgotten spinoff movie that recaptured the same magic Robin Williams did in 1995. It was so good, in fact, that it surpassed Johnson’s films even before they were made. One of thebestJumanjimoviesdoesn’t even have “Jumanji” in its title, and it came out over a decade before Dwayne Johnson’s legacy sequels did.
Zathura Was A Spiritual Successor To Jumanji (& It Was Even Better)
Zathura Essentially Brought Jumanji To A Science Fiction Setting To Tremendous Effect
Even though it’s not a direct sequel, 2005’sZathura: A Space Adventureis a great spiritual successor toJumanji.Zathurafollows Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo) as they play the titular board game Zathura.Like inJumanji, Walter and Danny quickly realize that the things they do inZathuraalso happen in real life, from meteor showers to invasions by lizard-like aliens. The movies have extremely similar premises - which makes sense, given they’re both based on books by Chris Van Allsburg. On top of their premise, however, bothZathuraandJumanjitell stories about the challenges of childhood, unintended consequences, and how to finish what you’ve started.
Zathurais technically considered a spin-off of theJumanjifranchise, though it doesn’t contain any references to the earlier film or book.
Zathuraisn’t just similar toJumanji, however, it’s actually better. The originalJumanjiwasn’t a critical success: it received just 52% onRotten Tomatoes, and critics generally thought it was a serviceable but underwhelming kids' movie.Zathura, on the other hand, received 77%, and was widely praised for its visual effects, its moving emotional plot, and its inventive take on the sci-fi genre. The story of Walter and Danny learning to love each other, for example, is a lot more emotionally effective than the story of Alan Parrish trying to get back to his childhood. Even thoughJumanjiis better remembered by posterity,Zathuraarguably deserves it more.
Zathura Captured Jumanji’s Essence Better Than The Dwayne Johnson Movies
Zathura Recaptured Jumanji’s Originality & Unique Sense Of Adventure Better Than Johnson’s Movies Could
One of the biggest reasonsZathurais such an effective spiritual successor toJumanjiis because it recaptured some of the latter’s magic.Jumanjiis an icon for a reason: very few other films were able to create an adventure that was both completely otherworldly and entirely familiar.Whether it’s a horde of human-sized mosquitoes or Peter turning into a monkey-boy,Jumanjiwas able to take these fantastical elements and give them real weight and stakes.Zathuradoes the same, and it’s hard not to be mesmerized by a suburban house floating through an asteroid belt or a killer robot rampaging through a living room.
How Zathura Connects To Jumanji (Is It A Sequel?)
Zathura’s plot is eerily similar to Jumanji’s, but the space adventure isn’t a mere knockoff. Both board game movies have the same origin.
Dwayne Johnson’sJumanjifilms, on the other hand, didn’t have the same spark that Robin Williams' did.Welcome to the JungleandThe Next Levelare both fun adventure movies, but they really could have been their own series.Aside from the generic jungle setting and the idea of characters being sucked into the game world, the laterJumanjifilms don’t have much in common with the original. Johnson’sJumanjimovies simply didn’t have that strangely alluring blend of mystical action in mundane settings likeZathuradid. For that reason,Zathurais a much better sequel toJumanjithan either of the more recent films.
Jumanji
TheJumanjifranchise originated with the 1995 fantasy adventure film about a magical board game that unleashes real-life jungle dangers into the world. The franchise was revived in 2017 with a modern twist, transforming the game into a video game that traps its players inside an adventurous jungle world. The series blends action, comedy, and fantasy, attracting a broad audience and becoming a major box office success.
