The Jumanji franchise is one of the most iconic adventure series ever. Originating from Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s book of the same name, the franchise launched in 1995 with the Robin Williams-starring blockbuster and has stretched into different formats and modern times with the animated series and the Dwayne Johnson-led sequels. As the franchise looks to expand this year with its fifth movie, Jumanji: Open World, fans now have the chance to rediscover the star-studded Jumanji spinoff everyone forgot about.
Videos by ComicBook.com
A decade after the mainstream success of Jumanji, the franchise returned to screens in 2005 with Zathura: A Space Adventure. The standalone spinoff starred a roster of soon-to-be major stars, including future The Hunger Games and Twilight stars Josh Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart, alongside Dax Shepard and Tim Robbins. Zathura was directed by Jon Favreau and is essentially Jumanji in space. It centers around two squabbling brothers who are propelled into a thrilling interstellar adventure when they play a magical board game, forcing them to work together to survive against cosmic dangers. The movie is criminally overlooked in the larger Jumanji franchise, but fans can rediscover it for free after it started streaming on Pluto TV on May 1st.
Zathura: A Space Adventure Is an Overlooked Sci-Fi Adventure Gem
Zathura: A Space Adventure hasn’t gotten anywhere near as much attention as the other Jumanji spinoffs, especially the newer additions to the franchise, which is really a shame since it’s actually really good. If you liked Jumanji, there’s a good chance you’ll like Zathura. The movie successfully replicates the “magical board game causing chaotic real-world dangers” formula of the original, even though it moves the story to a high-stakes space adventure, where characters are plunged into immediate danger that doesn’t let up until the game is finished. And unlike the action-comedy focus of the later Jumanji films, Zathura focuses on the sibling relationship of Danny and Walter and their emotional growth.
Paired with strong directing from Favreau that provides a nostalgic yet fresh adventure feel and great performances from the cast and practical effects that still hold up incredibly well, Zathura really is one of the best Jumanji movies. Holding a “Certified Fresh” 77% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is even tied with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as the highest-rated Jumanji movie to date. And given that it’s a standalone film, it’s accessible even to those who haven’t seen the 1995 original or the modern sequels.
Other Sci-Fi Movies Now on Pluto TV
Zathura: A Space Adventure is far from the only sic-fi movie freshly streaming on Pluto TV. The free streaming started May with a wave of fresh arrivals that include plenty of science fiction films. Now streaming on Pluto TV are movies like Congo, Project Almanac, Ultraviolet, and the 2005 War of the Worlds remake.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of TOHO Animation -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
Courtesy of Viz Media -
Courtesy of Crunchyroll
