JUMANJI 2, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and Ken Ralston

I'm sure the story in the trades concerning Ken Ralston and JUMANJI 2 probably escaped most of you, because... well you weren't that crazy about the first JUMANJI (a film I enjoyed and now face the scorn of all my friends who hated the damn monkeys) so you just kept on scanning past. But... Well Robogeek who reads to the bottom of all articles had a vacuum tube or two bust when he read that Ralston's next project for Columbia after directing JUMANJI would be.... a remake of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND.

Well, I started doing a bit of inquiring about JUMANJI 2 and got a rough (oh so rough) basis for the film. Allegedly the story goes that the President of the United States finds in a strange old European shop an old game of Jumanji. He happens to take it back to America with him, and strikes up a game with... it's my understanding... The Vice-President. The President gets sucked into the game... The VP sees this as his chance to sieze power... puts the game in a closet somewhere and sets about his evil rule. Somehow someone years later breaks out the game... releases the Prez and a hoarde of his animal compadres that save us all from the evils of the corrupt (now President). Sounds a bit like a wacky version of Marc Singer's BEASTMASTER... and usually I'd be all against this project, but...

Call me naive... but I believe this is the first one of the GREAT EFFECTS ARTISTS (Phil Tippet, Ken Ralston, Dennis Muren and Richard Edlund) from the ol Star Wars days... to get a crack at directing a big budget film. I'm hoping (against all common sense) that somehow the story is much better that the rudimentary breakdown I was given. I mean... Ken is an Academy Award winner for his work on RETURN OF THE JEDI, COCOON, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, DEATH BECOMES HER and FORREST GUMP. He is... simply one of the best, and contributed to some of the most amazing scenes in film history. I'm hoping and praying for his magic again....

Especially when it comes to the remake of MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. This is one of the three Ray Harryhausen films I own in 16mm (along with 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) and I love it dearly. I love Herbert Lom's character, but it is truly Harryhausen's work that is burned so indelibly into my mind's cornea. Whether it be the Crab, the Bees, the Chicken baby, the volcano, and on and on... Then there is Bernard Herrmann's score (please get Elfman or Ottman) which is just fantastic. For me... the realm of improvement would lay in the scripting... and the realization of some of the Verne elements that Harryhausen was unable, due to budgetary reasons, to take on. And lastly, the casting of great actors. Of all the Harryhausen films... this is one that I don't feel is a perfect film (for me). I adore it. I love his creations... I love the score... But the rest didn't really match up for me. Although, I have seen the film over 20 times if I've seen it once.

Personally, I was hoping Ralston would get the chance to do DINOTOPIA first, but... I guess they're waiting to see what comes from that lawsuit with Lucasfilm that the Dinotopia people are doing over that end parade scene. Hmmmm... oh well....

Seriously though folks, let's keep our eye on JUMANJI 2 and MYSTERIOUS ISLAND... one of our fanboy heroes is at the helm... I hope it turns out for the best...