WARNING: This Review May Contain Spoilers
When Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was released, I was genuinely nervous that it was going to be a remake of the Robin Williams film that I loved watching growing up. However, while watching it, I spotted some key things (normal people call them Easter Eggs) that told me this and the follow-up film (Jumanji: The Next Level) were actually going to be sequels. It also probably should have been a clue that both the subsequent films have taglines…
The Other Side
Obviously with the change in technology and Jumanji going from board game to video game, things needed to be switched up. Also, I guess the whole idea of things coming out of TV screens is all done and dusted what with The Ring and all, so seeing things from the other side – actually seeing the place Alan Parrish is sent to in the first film – gives the subsequent films a new dimension.
The Discovery
It’s probably really silly of me that when watching Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, it didn’t dawn on me that it picks up where Jumanji ends. The closing scene of the first film, after Alan and Sarah drop the game into a river, of course, two girls find it washed up on a beach. It’s almost the same in the opening scene of Welcome to the Jungle, the only difference being that it is a man who discovers the board game and it’s in America instead of somewhere in Europe (I think?)
Alan Parrish was Here
Possibly the second obvious clue that these are actually sequels. In case you’ve never seen the late, great Robin Williams’ film before, the lead character is Alan Parrish – who gets sucked into the board game and gets stuck in, you guessed it, Jumanji. In Welcome to the Jungle, Alex is living in Parrish’s house that he builds while he’s trapped (First Step; build a shelter). To be a little more in your face about it; there is literally a carving in a piece of wood ‘Alan Parrish was here’ (hence the title of this section).
The Missing Piece
Obviously the missing piece turns out to have nothing to do with the elephant piece they find – however it is pretty key to this article. I’ll admit, it’s taken watching the films back-to-back to actually make this connection but it’s actually another reference to Alan Parrish. In the first film, when he and Sarah play Jumanji, Alan’s playing piece is the elephant. Just a subtle little nod by the director.
Ways it Could be Considered a Remake
So, we’ve had this style of discussion already when I covered the Evil Dead films, just this time it’s the other way around. Firstly, the re-introduction of Van Pelt. For me, they could’ve written the new story without him and it would still work. It just throws questions into the mind even though we know the film is set after Alan makes it out of the game.
Then there’s Alex. Just like Alan, he disappears for 20 years and, as far as we know, is believed to be dead. You could say that he is Alan Parrish, they just weren’t able to give him the same name.
Place of Residence
So, moving on to the second film here (I guess technically third film, Jumanji: The Next Level) and obviously you can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m sure this is the first time that we find out they live in Brantford. In case anyone reading this doesn’t know why this is relevant, Brantford is the town that Alan Parrish grew up in and where the whole of Jumanji is set.
Aunt Nora
This is actually a really odd one for me. Knowing what we know from the first film, Aunt Nora is no longer an important character to the plot line. What I mean is, because Alan and Sarah stop Judy and Peter’s parents going on holiday, and in turn saving their lives – they never end up in the custody of Nora meaning she has no reason to be in Brantford to buy the restaurant. I think I may have overthought this a little bit…
In Conclusion
This is more of a personal conclusion than my usual ‘this is good, this is bad’ scenario. I am actually happier that these films turned out to be sequels rather than being remakes because I think trying to re-do a film that could be considered a classic to some people (I am some people) would be a huge mistake.
