Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Rhys Darby, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Colin Hanks (uncredited), Tim Matheson (uncredited)
Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Four high school kids are transported inside a mysterious video game, where they find themselves stuck in Jumanji. They must band together to beat the game so they can get home.

Review:

Tim: "They're making another Jumanji?" I groaned, the first time I heard about this film. It seemed like another Hollywood cash grab. No new ideas, so let's revisit the old ones. It felt wrong to make another movie after Robin Williams' classic 90s film. And I was totally wrong. As I sat down to watch this film, I wasn't oblivious to the great reviews, but I still felt skeptical. I was quite surprised to find this film deftly balanced honoring the original while telling a unique, different story in its own right. This is a film that pays tribute to the past while standing on its own. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a shockingly entertaining film. I had great fun watching this movie.

The most brilliant aspect of the film was having the four main stars playing avatars of very different high school kids. This dynamic is hilarious. You have Dwayne Johnson, the most physically imposing actor playing a scared, nerdy kid. Kevin Hart is playing a muscular star athlete. Jack Black is hilarious, playing a girly-girl popular kid. Karen Gillan is a shy wallflower. This creates so much entertainment both in the context of the story and with the cast. In the story, it's so funny to see people suddenly in control of bodies very different than their own. This creates a number of laughs, but it's also quite an entertaining journey to see them slowly embrace their new personas. In the context of the cast, it gives them a chance to really show some range. Johnson is a huge movie star, but he mostly does the same thing movie after movie. It was wonderful to see the change of pace here, playing a cautious, timid guy who isn't comfortable in his own skin. Johnson really rises to the occasion. Kevin Hart really embraces the bravado side of his personality. Jack Black channels the preppy popular girl in some hilarious ways. Karen Gillan does well being reserved and unsure of herself. It was just such great fun to see these actors all doing something unexpected and different to what they usually do. I can't stress how important the cast was to this film- they're all brilliantly cast, they are all likable actors. It's just great fun to see the four of them interact. This movie wouldn't have been nearly as effective without these four- each are so physically different, but they play off each other so well.

The film itself is both a fun, crazy adventure and also a funny comedy that brings in many familiar video game concepts. The whole thing is a bit unexpected but it just works. You love the cast, you get caught up in the adventure and it just creates this entertaining ride. The special effects are good enough that you get pulled into the world of Jumanji and the movie never takes itself too seriously. It's a comedy and it fully embraces that aspect of it. The movie seems to know everything you're seeing is ridiculous, so you might as well sit back and enjoy the ride. Jake Kasdan has mostly directed forgettable comedies, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him come into his own here.

Now, as much as I did thoroughly enjoy the film, there's a few weaknesses. There are a bit too many parts of the film that don't work as well. Some of the story was a bit too farfetched. Bobby Cannavale was too over-the-top in his performance. The movie was a bit too long at 1 hour, 59 minutes. I wanted to hit a few of these, but they are minor complaints- I enjoyed this movie so much.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a great reminder that not all sequels that come after a very long period are cash grabs. You can make a movie like this work. That's what Jake Kasdan did. He took a film that was successful in the 90s and reinvigorated it for the 2010s. I'm so surprised by this, but I'm very much looking forward to the next film in this budding franchise. Any way you look at it, this film was a resounding success.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Jumanji, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island