Welcome to Alternative to What: a weekly column that tries to find a great alternative to driving to the multiplexes. Based on releases of that week, the selections will either be thematically related or feature recurring cast and crew. The goal is to help you better understand the diversity of cinema and hopefully find you some favorites while saving a few bucks. At worse, this column will save you money. Expect each installment to come out on Fridays, unless specified.
THIS WEEK:
Jumanji (1995)
- Alternative To -
Ouija (2014)
Let's face it. This Halloween sucks for moviegoers. There isn't any definitively great new horror film coming out to scare the masses. Sure, Gone Girl is pseudo-horror, but there isn't anything with the heart or soul of a pyschopath coming out of the woodworks to kill whoever it is that he kills. At best, we have Ouija that is based off of the highly popular from decades ago board game of the same name. It was embarrassingly easy to play and rivals pet rocks for proof that society has gotten smarter. However, someone thought that it would make a great movie. In fact, it made a decent movie almost 20 years ago. It was called Jumanji.
For better or worse, Jumanji was an action adventure film for kids that had a lot of scares. Say what you will about the special effects, but the intensity was fun. From the director of The Rocketeer, it was Robin Williams in the prime of his family films with something he hasn't made before or since. He has a vibrant energy and optimism as he fights strange creatures that threaten to destroy the town. What's the catch? You have to play a board game in order for things to go back to normal. Along with a tale of a father and son reuniting, there's plenty of sweet moments that make this work on so many levels, save for maybe the effects. That is probably the only thing that Ouija might have over Jumanji. Otherwise, I doubt that there's a story.
I cannot attest to that many similarities, but Jumanji was a film that reflected the era perfectly. Kids were barely starting to discover video games and the board game craze was on its final stretch. After this, the games would start to vanish. However, it does seem reminiscent of Ouija in the right ways. Board games would never seem this fun no matter how you tried to shake it. You can throw dice, move pieces, but there was no way that your house would be overrun by rhinos or other various creatures. In that sense, these films are almost identical.
While this recommendation may not be the most appealing selection, it is the most in line with the subject matter that made sense. I like the film, but it definitely has a lot of detractors. I don't know that audiences nowadays would appreciate it as much, save for Williams' performance. The effects are a little dated and the action is absurd. Also, the plot in general may not do much for audiences of any kind. However, it does have its quirks and is worth checking out, provided that the description sounds interesting to you.
Still, in this case, it doesn't sound like Ouija is going to be that great. It's probably a great time to find a rental and spend the night watching something else. I don't know what, but Jumanji should at least get you started. It may be dated, but it has a lot of great parts that aren't cribbed by its special effects problems. So enjoy and realize that we're at the point where board game movies aren't rare, but the norm. Jumanji did it way before it became a fad, and we should all be grateful about that.
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