Jumanji: The Next Level
3/4
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Ser'Darius Blain
Rated PG-13 for Adventure Action, Suggestive Content and Some Language
"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" blindsided me when it came out 2 years ago. It was a clever send-up of four movie star personas and a wicked satire of 90's era adventure games. I recall laughing often and laughing hard. The film was a massive hit and a sequel was virtually guaranteed. This new installment isn't as funny or surprising as the one that preceded it, but it's still a good time at the movies.
Spencer (Wolff), Martha (Turner), Bethany (Iseman) and Fridge (Blain) have all returned from their first semester of college. For the most part, they are happy to see each other, but things are frosty between Spencer and Martha, as their attempt to hold together a long distance relationship proved difficult. To regain his confidence, he decides to go back into Jumanji. His friends go in after him, but things go wrong. Bethany is left behind, but Spencer's feisty grandfather Eddie (DeVito) and his former best friend Milo (Glover) get sucked in instead. The character assignments are also different this time around.
One thing that I was thankful for in this sequel is that it isn't a carbon copy of the original. The film knows its a sequel, and as such has a different storyline for the game. However the film is held back by a reliance on the contrasting personalities between the avatars and the people who occupy them. So while there is some merit to watching Dwayne Johnson imitate Danny DeVito and the inability of either Johnson or Kevin Hart to understand the concept of a video game (much less their situation), a little of this goes a long way. Much of it feels like padding and sloppy screenwriting. The first film cleverly parodied video games, but this installment doesn't seem to be too interested in mining this material.
At least the actors are having fun, which always translates to the audience. They have two qualities that sell their characters: no one is phoning it in and they aren't above looking like complete goofballs. We believe that the stars are avatars occupied by different people, which sells the concept and contributes to the high humor quotient. It's always nice to see Danny DeVito and Danny Glover on screen (even if they are trapped in the bodies of The Rock and Kevin Hart). The two are close friends in real life, and the chemistry between them translates to the screen. Special mention has to go to Nick Jonas, who brings the same warmth he brought to the previous film. No wonder he's a heartthrob.
"Jumanji: The Next Level" does what it sets out to do. It reunites audiences with characters they loved from two years ago, and it moves the franchise forward. But there are dead spots and the script is on the lazy side. Still, if you liked the first film, you'll like this one.
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Ser'Darius Blain
Rated PG-13 for Adventure Action, Suggestive Content and Some Language
"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" blindsided me when it came out 2 years ago. It was a clever send-up of four movie star personas and a wicked satire of 90's era adventure games. I recall laughing often and laughing hard. The film was a massive hit and a sequel was virtually guaranteed. This new installment isn't as funny or surprising as the one that preceded it, but it's still a good time at the movies.
Spencer (Wolff), Martha (Turner), Bethany (Iseman) and Fridge (Blain) have all returned from their first semester of college. For the most part, they are happy to see each other, but things are frosty between Spencer and Martha, as their attempt to hold together a long distance relationship proved difficult. To regain his confidence, he decides to go back into Jumanji. His friends go in after him, but things go wrong. Bethany is left behind, but Spencer's feisty grandfather Eddie (DeVito) and his former best friend Milo (Glover) get sucked in instead. The character assignments are also different this time around.
One thing that I was thankful for in this sequel is that it isn't a carbon copy of the original. The film knows its a sequel, and as such has a different storyline for the game. However the film is held back by a reliance on the contrasting personalities between the avatars and the people who occupy them. So while there is some merit to watching Dwayne Johnson imitate Danny DeVito and the inability of either Johnson or Kevin Hart to understand the concept of a video game (much less their situation), a little of this goes a long way. Much of it feels like padding and sloppy screenwriting. The first film cleverly parodied video games, but this installment doesn't seem to be too interested in mining this material.
At least the actors are having fun, which always translates to the audience. They have two qualities that sell their characters: no one is phoning it in and they aren't above looking like complete goofballs. We believe that the stars are avatars occupied by different people, which sells the concept and contributes to the high humor quotient. It's always nice to see Danny DeVito and Danny Glover on screen (even if they are trapped in the bodies of The Rock and Kevin Hart). The two are close friends in real life, and the chemistry between them translates to the screen. Special mention has to go to Nick Jonas, who brings the same warmth he brought to the previous film. No wonder he's a heartthrob.
"Jumanji: The Next Level" does what it sets out to do. It reunites audiences with characters they loved from two years ago, and it moves the franchise forward. But there are dead spots and the script is on the lazy side. Still, if you liked the first film, you'll like this one.
Comments
Post a Comment