Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Full Review)
- Brady Moore
- Dec 19, 2017
- 2 min read
If you grew up in the 90’s, odds are you remember Jumanji, the movie about a jungle themed board game being brought to life. Starring the late great Robin Williams, this movie has become a classic fun family film. But nothing is sacred in Hollywood. So you had to know it was only a matter of time before someone reentered the world of Jumanji whether you want it or not.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is technically a distant sequel. Taking place years after the original, this time the board game has magically changed into a video game. After a nerd (Alex Wolff), a jock (Ser’Darius Blain), a popular snob (Madison Iseman), and a quiet loner (Morgan Turner) get detention and discover the Jumanji game, they are sucked inside where the nerd becomes the macho hero (Dwayne Johnson), the jock becomes the diminutive sidekick (Kevin Hart), the quiet loner becomes the sexy bad ass (Karen Gillan), and the popular girl becomes a tubby old male archaeologist (Jack Black). To escape the game, they’ll need to get assistance from a pilot (Nick Jonas) and defeat a villain with the ability to control animals (Bobby Cannavale).
If you’re going to revitalize an old, popular property you can go one of two ways: Do the exact same thing over again or try something new. Welcome to the Jungle does more of the latter and it makes the film much more successful. This movie doesn’t try to be anything like the original, instead focusing more on the gimmick of being set in an adventure video game while keeping the same family fun tone.
The cast is what makes the movie a thoroughly entertaining experience. Johnson, Hart, and Black are all equally hilarious and play their roles well. They take turns owning each scene with some memorable physical comedy. The one weak link is Gillan, who is understandably a bit out of her element in a comedy. The younger cast isn’t terrible, but they aren’t on screen long enough to come off as anything more than stereotypes.
There are a few cheesy moments and the story is basically void of any real twists or turns, but the action is popcorn movie good and the laughs are heavy. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ends up being a movie worth a watch with moments that resonate well after its viewing. If you disassociate it with the original, it becomes that much more enjoyable and it could easily be just as memorable for a new generation of younger viewers.
FINAL GRADE: B
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