THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995              TAG: 9512150055
SECTION: DAILY BREAK              PAGE: E8   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   68 lines

THERE'S PLENTY TO SEE BUT NOT MUCH PLOT IN ``JUMANJI''

``JUMANJI,'' long anticipated as one of the major hits of the holiday season, is heavy on special effects but weak in wit and plot. In other words, it offers a great deal to see but very little to stir - either the emotions or the funny bone.

To a moviegoing public awed by computer-generated effects, ``Jumanji'' offers rhinos, zebras and elephants traipsing through a living room; a roaring lion in the hallways; and a raging river tearing apart the house.

It's a great deal of visual sightings for the money.

There are also monkeys riding motorcycles.

The down factor is that the character played by Robin Williams is surprisingly lacking in his usual madcap comedy.

The plot, based on the 1981 children's book by Chris van Allsburg, is a bit much to put up with merely for the sake of the stunning effects. Alan Parish, at age 12, has problems with his father when he becomes isolated in a weird jungle board game. That's back in 1969. He can only be freed from the game if someone else plays it, and rolls a five or an eight on the dice.

When Sarah, his friend, is understandably too frightened to continue the game, the board gets packed away in the attic for 26 years and, meanwhile, Alan learns to survive in the rainforests of Jumanji. Two new children, Judy (played by Kirsten Dunst of ``Interview with the Vampire'') and Peter (Bradley Pierce), find the game and liberate Alan, who, as an adult, is played by Robin Williams.

Bonnie Hunt, a witty actress who usually is limited to TV situation comedies, plays the grown-up Sarah.

The creatures are unleashed at the same time as Williams. This means that a herd of monkeys steal a squad car driven by a perplexed David Alan Grier.

While the film is aimed primarily at children, it is a bit hairy for the little ones - particularly with threats to its young stars. Dunst is pricked by a poison flower and terrorized by giant spiders. Bradley's character slowly turns into a baboon because he cheated during his turn playing the game. As an effort to mix fantasy, adventure and comedy, the film is notably successful only with the fantasy. What should be a combination of emotion and action is primarily just a roller-coaster ride. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

COLUMBIA/TRISTAR

Robin Williams is freed from a board game after 26 years in

``Jumanji.''

Graphic

MOVIE REVIEW

``Jumanji''

Cast: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie

Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, Bebe Neuwirth

Director: Joe Johnston

Screenplay: Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor and Jim Strain

Music: James Horner

MPAA rating: PG (intense for very small children, but otherwise

harmless)

Mal's rating: Two 1/2 stars

Locations: Greenbrier 13 in Chesapeake; Circle 4 in Norfolk;

Columbus, Lynnhaven Mall, Surf-n-Sand in Virginia Beach.

by CNB