Does the Rebooted Jumanji Series Reflect the Gaming Community? Let’s Take a Look
The recent reboot of the classic 1995 film, Jumanji, was hugely successful and sparked a huge franchise. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle took some of the elements which made the original so well-loved, but combined these with a modern-day twist designed to appeal to today’s audience of well-versed gamers. Not only has the 2017 film gone on to inspire a sequel and a number of other games, it can also be lauded for its success in reflecting the gaming community of the 21st Century.
Hugely Successful and Thriving Franchise
Welcome to the Jungle raked in a whopping $962 million worldwide and was the fifth-highest grossing film of the year of its release. A sequel was inevitable, and 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level also took the box office by storm, earning $800 million. Another film is said to be in development, which will help to expand the franchise further.
It is apt that there are plenty of games based on a film series which centres on a magical game. People who enjoyed the films can revisit characters and themes that they loved, while other players may find the games first and then feel compelled to watch the movies. These related games include the Jumanji online slot from NetEnt, which is one of the most popular games in the Swedish developer’s library. The latest casino bonuses in UK for these games can provide players with some free playing money to enjoy Jumanji.
On mobile, there have been some Jumanji titles as well. When the 2017 picture was released, there was Jumanji: The Mobile Game which was designed as a companion app for the film. Another exciting offering is Jumanji: Epic Run from Crazy Labs by Tabtale.
Gaming Industry Loyalty and Plenty of In-Jokes
The creators of the rebooted Jumanji films were wise to change the way Jumanji was played for modern audiences. In the 1995 version, Jumanji was a board game, but this was changed to a video game in the 2017 instalment. At this time, retro games were rising in popularity, so screenwriters Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinkner cleverly opted to use an early style console game similar to those found on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Once within the game world of Jumanji, the writers used a number of tropes and jokes which will have appealed to gaming audiences. For instance, each character had their own set of strengths and weaknesses which had an effect on how they played the game. They also had a limited number of lives which were tattooed on their arms. Whenever they died within the game, one of the lives would magically disappear. This is definitely something that gamers can relate to, especially those who enjoy playing arcade titles which require players to insert more coins when they run out of lives.
One of the reasons for the overwhelming success of the rebooted Jumanji films is the fact that they reflect the gaming community of today and feature elements which appeal to this modern viewer. As the gaming industry evolves, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Jumanji writers incorporating other aspects of new technology.
