Chris Van Allsburg’s novel, more kissin’-cousin followup than sequel to his JUMANJI/’95, made for this less well-received/less commercially successful film that now seems the better work; a fun-for-the-whole-family adventure you needn’t apologize for. With a Steven Spielberg '80s vibe to it (note regular Spielberg scripter David Koepp), Jon Favreau’s direction lays back just enough in pace & CGI overload (lots of analogue effects options taken) to let you join in the spirit of things as roughhousing pre-teen sibling rivals Jonah Bobo & Josh Hutcherson become Kids-In-Space when a dusty old board game lifts them into the galaxy, house and all, leaving older sister Kristen Stewart frozen solid in the upstairs bathroom. With off-kilter details helping to build suspense, an exceptional twist involving free-floating astronaut Dax Shepard, even a moral (‘there’s no place like home’) reminiscent of another airborne house story. And while no classic, missing Spielberg’s precise setups & timing, it's more like a film he produced in the ‘80s, still nothing to sneeze at. (Fans of Favreau’s recent work on THE MANDALORIAN should take a look.) Though composer John Debney probably burrows a bit too deeply into John Williams mode than he should. (Especially during the opening credits.)
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Another Spielberg touchstone finds the kids doing split weeks between households of divorced Mom (never seen) and Dad (underused Tim Robbins). That’s fine, but hard to believe they don’t prefer Dad’s clunky fixer-upper to Mom’s modern place. With its haunted basement, sneaky dumbwaiters, and a surprise waiting behind every French door & secret panel, the place is like a Member's Only clubhouse.
No comments:
Post a Comment