In the hands of Elf director Favreau, this unofficial sequel to 1995's Jumanji retains that film's wondrous sense of imagination while avoiding the avalanche of special effects that threatened to swallow the viewer whole. Anyone who survived the digital stampede a decade ago or is versed in the work of author Chris Van Allsburg (who wrote the book the movie is based on) will find the premise familiar. Two brothers stumble upon an old board game, only to discover that playing it produces results that are anything but imaginary. What makes the difference here is that Favreau doesn't abandon his cast and story halfway through.
Played by Hutcherson and Bobo, rival siblings Walter and Danny are presented as both empathetic and believable, which happens less frequently in family films than you may realize. Along the way, our two protagonists will be bombarded by meteors, attacked by aliens and a renegade robot, rescue a stranded astronaut (Shepard), purposely burn down the house and be forced to haul their cryogenically frozen older sister (Kristen Stewart) up the stairs. We know how it will end, but the entire cast and crew are full of surprises along the way.