In 1995, Robin Williams starred in the very first Jumanji movie, based on the book of the same name by Van Allsburg. Although it wasn’t a major critical success, it became a nostalgic favorite for kids of the 90s and received a quasi-reboot in 2017 with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The movie updated the original film’s premise for a modern era, transforming the Jumanji board game into a retro video game, pulling players into the fantastical world rather than bringing jungle elements to real life. The next installment in the franchise is Jumanji: The Next Level, which sees players yet again pulled into the video game world, albeit with new levels and challenges to face. Jumanji: The Next Level is largely a retread of the previous film, but some new, fun elements contribute to an exciting & uproarious adventure sequel.
Two years after the events of the first film, Jumanji: The Next Level picks up with the four main characters after they graduated high school and gone their separate ways, though they remain friends - mostly. When Spencer (Alex Wolff) ditches brunch plans with Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), Martha (Morgan Turner) and Bethany (Madison Iseman), they go to his house, only to discover he’s fixed the Jumanji game and gone back in. The three decide to go in after Spencer and save him, only to realize the game pulled in Fridge, Martha, Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and his estranged best friend Milo Walker (Danny Glover). Bethany, left outside the game, must figure out a way to get to her friends, while the others are faced with a new adventure as Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), Professor Shelly (Jack Black), Mouse (Kevin Hart), Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) and new avatar Ming Fleetfoot (Awkwafina).
Jumanji: The Next Level sees Jake Kasdan return as director, working from a script he co-wrote with returning screenwriters Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. As the movie’s title confirms, the Jumanji sequel features a new adventure storyline, one that takes them through a desert, a jungle oasis and up into the snowy mountains. This assures the characters have new action beats, many of which are incredibly fun and exciting to watch - and the run-and-gun style of Kasdan’s directing makes for an immersive experience. However, the shakiness of the camera during static scenes of the characters talking is more annoying than dynamic and the editing leaves something to be desired. Still, the new level and the quirks of the broken game, including the characters not being able to pick their avatars, offer some new entertainment within this already established world.
In fact, it’s the different character dynamics that helps the most in keeping this new Jumanji movie series’ format fresh, with Johnson and Hart getting to play new characters as the avatars of older gentlemen Eddie and Milo. To give the film some heart, Eddie and Milo are forced back together after being estranged for 15 years due to a business squabble. While that dynamic winds up playing second fiddle to the main adventure, and comes off as a more shallow emotional beat than the writers were likely hoping, it’s nonetheless incredibly fun to watch Johnson and Hart adopt the mannerisms of DeVito and Glover. In addition to those two, Black has a hilarious turn as Fridge in the Shelly avatar while Gillan anchors the movie with Martha as the only character back as the same avatar. Further, Awkwafina joins the group in The Next Level as a new avatar who fits right in alongside Johnson, Hart, Black and Gillan, making for an exceptionally funny character dynamic.
All that said, it’s difficult not to notice Jumanji: The Next Level is broadly the same movie as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Both feature an oddball group pulled into a dangerous world full of adventure, and they’ll have to figure out how to work together in order to survive. While the challenges and the group dynamics are different this time around, it’s roughly the same story. Thankfully, that story proved to be compelling enough in Welcome to the Jungle and it continues to be in The Next Level, even if it becomes a bit tedious by the end. Further, Johnson and Hart’s schtick as Eddie and Milo, along with Black’s performance as Fridge and the addition of Awkwafina, help to sustain Jumanji: The Next Level through the majority of its two-hour runtime. Altogether, even if the story of The Next Level is essentially a retread of its predecessor, there’s enough new dynamics and challenges for the characters to keep audiences entertained and immersed in the Jumanji world.
As such, Jumanji: The Next Level is a must-see for fans of the last film, and an entertaining thrill-ride for all moviegoers. The humor of the movie is absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious and while the heart is somewhat shallow, it does provide enough balance to elevate the comedy. Though the story wears a little thin after sustaining two movies, Jumanji: The Next Level sets the stage to reinvent the premise yet again in a third movie, which is exciting enough to get viewers excited for a threequel in the reboot series. Whether Jumanji: The Next Level is successful enough to warrant that film - and whether it can live up to the success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - remains to be seen. But ultimately Jumanji: The Next Level is fun for the whole family, providing an entertaining thrill ride through new terrain even as it stays firmly rooted in the Jumanji world viewers know and love.
Next: Jumanji: The Next Level Trailer
Jumanji: The Next Level is now playing in U.S. theaters. It is 123 minutes long and rated PG-13 for adventure action, suggestive content and some language.
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