Jumanji is a film that had its fair share of jumpscares but was overall a beloved film that several grown-ups today remember watching fondly. However, a theory has been making the rounds on Reddit, which paints the entire film in a much darker and sinister light.
According to the theory, Jumanji as a game has a lot more dire consequences than we realize. This stems from the fact that when the game ends in the present, Alan and Sarah find themselves back in the past, back to when they started the game. Not only that, but they also remember everything that transpired in the timeline, even though it has never occurred.
Alan and Sarah remember everything
The protagonist of Jumanji, Alan Parish, played by Robin Williams, started the game in 1969 with his love interest Sarah. The game was left unfinished after Alan was stuck inside Jumanji, only to be picked up twenty-six years later by Judy and Peter Shepherd.
However, when the game ends 26 years later, the final consequence is such that all elements of the game that escaped from it will be returned to it. This, however, is where the problem starts. Van Pelt, the big game hunter who has been haunting Alan since he was in the game, purchases a gun from outside the game, and when Alan wins the game, the gun that belonged outside the game also ‘returns’ in the game.
Further, Alan and Sarah are returned to their own time, when Judy and Peter did not exist. However, they have all the memories of what happened in the 25 years to come, making it so that once the dice touches the game, everything that follows is a consequence, even if it directly does not relate to the game. It implies that Jumanji, if it ever had an unfinished game in the past, and the players died before finishing it, everything that could have existed from that point until now, could be a part of Jumanji.
Jumanji might just reset after its players die
Alan and Sarah were not the only time-displaced players in the game. In the sequel of the film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, we meet Jefferson McDonough, played by Nick Jonas, who has been stuck in the game since the 1990s. The character was also returned to his time once the game was won, while the younger cast was returned to their time, which is what we can assume happened to Judy and Peter in the original film.
This would mean that when the game ends, whether players dying or winning the game, the game resets such that everyone goes back to a time before they played Jumanji. The consequence for losing the game can be assumed that the game will reset but not restore anyone to life. This is how the game could work, given that Judy and Peter did recognize Sarah and Alan despite their meeting for the first time at the Christmas party.
