The Sci-Fi Movie Answer to Jumanji Premiered 21 Years Ago, And It Should Have Started a Franchise

Before video games became the norm, board games were a prime form of entertainment. They’ve definitely made it back into the spotlight thanks to social media and Kickstarter, and that’s a good thing. In the classic game Jumanji, you had to worry about stampeding animals and giant mosquitoes. Apparently, that wasn’t enough trouble for Chris Van Allsburg. His next magical board game sent two brothers into outer space. That was the idea behind Zathura: A Space Adventure. Jon Favreau directed this 2005 family sci-fi adventure with a young Josh Hutcherson and Kristen Stewart. It had a clever premise, some surprisingly impressive effects, and a relatable kind of sibling rivalry. Yet the movie never became the franchise starter it deserved to be. It seemed to have the perfect formula, so what’s the deal? Well, it turns out a lot happened behind the scenes that not many people know about. There’s a pretty interesting story behind that, too. Zathura Took the Jumanji Formula Into Outer Space When Zathura arrived in theaters on November 11, 2005, audiences already knew the basic idea. Find a mysterious board game, start playing, and watch your surroundings turn into a complete disaster. This time, though, there were no stampeding rhinos or hungry crocodiles. Walter and Danny Budwing discover a strange space-themed game in their basement. One roll later, their house blasts into outer space. The brothers soon encounter meteors, alien creatures, and a malfunctioning robot with a serious attitude problem. Their teenage sister Lisa gets caught up in the mess, too. Kristen Stewart plays Lisa, while Josh Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo bring the squabbling brothers to life. Dax Shepard also appears as a mysterious astronaut who knows considerably more about the game than he initially lets on. Watching the trailer got me excited to revisit this movie, especially seeing all the fun space-themed chaos unfold again. I really enjoyed Zathura, and its combination of adventure, humor, and sibling rivalry still holds up surprisingly well. It’s definitely a movie worth revisiting every now and then, especially if you’re in the mood for a fun family sci-fi adventure. There’s a fun connection here that makes the movie even more interesting. Author Chris Van Allsburg wrote Zathura as a follow-up to his original Jumanji book. Jon Favreau didn’t want audiences to think they needed to watch the earlier movie first. He wanted Zathura to stand on its own. That’s why the film never turns its connection to Jumanji into a big story point. It simply gives us another magical game with some very unfortunate consequences. The movie also arrived almost exactly ten years after the original Jumanji hit theaters in December 1995. That’s a pretty neat bit of timing for a spiritual successor that deserved considerably more attention. Why Zathura Deserved Its Own Sci-Fi Adventure Franchise One of the best things about Zathura is how much of its space adventure feels tangible. Favreau didn’t simply fi