Zathura definitely has a neater concept with the whole idea of space. The effects were very cool, the robot was an excellent hazard and I got a big kick out of Dax Shepherd as the astronaut. The ending "revelation" as to what Zathura actually was is actually the neatest thing about the movie.
However, I felt Jumanji surpassed it on 3 very important levels: 1- The kids. Both kids in this film were much better then the Zathura kids, there was something much more deeper going on with the siblings besides the typical "I hate my brother" bit, and the older brother from Zathura kinda blew a few lines.
2- the dangers. Jumanji had many, many, MANY unique and various dangerous animals, events, and spaces to land on. Zathura's dangers had some really neat ones but ultimately failed at feeling as spontaneous and in their quantity. Finally 3- the story. Jumanji had an incredibly deep, dark, and moving storyline.
The whole issue with Alan trapped in the game for 26 years, coming back, picking up his life and finding out his parents died, town went to Hell, and with all the animals to boot, this was a really riveting storyline. It was dark and humorous, something most kid films avoid because it's too "serious" for kids.
Jumanji did a much better story and didn't feel sappy or too kiddish at all, Zathura's story didn't have the same gravity of "dire situation" like Jumanji did, with the animals going all over town and affecting everyone's lives where as Zathura remained firmly locked within the confines of the house and its owners.
But either way like I said, I truly enjoyed both films and still wished Jumanji had a direct sequel even though I did enjoy Zathura.
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