Jumanji uses a board game to unleash chaos on a town. Zathura uses a board game to isolate a family in the void. The latter is arguably more frightening because there is nowhere to run. You can't leave the house—the house is the spaceship.
When the power goes out, Danny discovers an old, metallic mechanical board game called "Zathura." Unlike a standard roll-and-move game, Zathura is a steampunk anomaly. The moment Danny presses the button, a card pops out with a simple command: "Meteor Shower." film zathura a space adventure
The house lurches. Stars bleed through the windows. The living room rips free of Earth’s gravity and tumbles into an asteroid field. Jumanji uses a board game to unleash chaos on a town
The film does not shy away from this darkness. For a significant chunk of the runtime, Danny is a statue, and Walter is forced to play the game alone. He must confront the reality of his anger. This is where Hutcherson shines as a young actor; his panic when he realizes he might have lost his brother forever is visceral. You can't leave the house—the house is the spaceship