These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: Jumanji
Alternative Character Interpretation: About Van Pelt. Is he perhaps a sociopath Complete Monster who hunts human beings just for pure sadism, or maybe he's a Noble Demon who just follows the game's rules and could also be redeemable if he had the chance? There's also another, infinitely more horrifying interpretation. What if Van Pelt was just another poor soul trapped in Jumanji like Alan was, but was either never rescued or was killed before finishing the game, leading to him becoming twisted into part of the game itself?
Complete Monster: Van Pelt in the TV show, who wants to kill Alan just BECAUSE and, unlike his film counterpart, is notAffably Evil and has noqualms whatsoever with shooting people who have nothing to do with his own conflict (he mentions in the second episode that he shot his own house maid.)
Fridge Horror: Alan needed someone to roll a five or an eight in order to free him from the board. Since it was only Sarah and himself playing originally, imagine what would have happened if Sarah had rolled again and she didn't get the number needed to free Alan. The game would've probably been stalemated and Alan would've been stuck in there forever. It was a damn lucky thing that Judy and Peter had started playing and managed to free Alan.
In a scene that shouldn't even have required special effects. When Van Pelt hands over the gold coins mentioned in Screw The Rules I Have Money, his arm and the coins falling has a very strange after-image look to it, as if they're made of sand. Considering this happens a few times with Van Pelt having occasionally blurry movements, and the animals, even puppets, also have the same type of blur at times, this could have been done on purpose. A nod to the fact that they aren't real and don't belong in our world to begin with.
The spiders toward the end of the film. The budget to the film was dangerously close to going over so they had to cut back and relied on puppets for the scene. It's incredibly obvious once they appear, especially since they move in a very jerky, wooden way (Picture that way a child makes dolls move, moving it forward while bouncing it up and down to simulate walking.) Never stops them from being any less terrifying.
Really none of the CGI has aged well. (Most CGI doesn't, after all.) But the monkeys are possibly the most glaring example.
This troper would argue the monkeys are MORE terrifying for that. There's something that's just... wrong. (This troper, however, will admit she does not like monkeys.)
