Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Score:  B+

Directed by Jake Kasdan
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan
Running time: 119 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is another Hollywood bid for nostalgic audiences - but it should earn fans from every generation.  Led by a star-studded cast that brings great humor, the film has a clever, fascinating video game world take on the traditional action/adventure genre.  In fact, the usual blockbuster whiz-bang spectacle is almost an afterthought here.  Recommended for theater viewing.


In 1996, teenager Alex Vreeke receives a board game called Jumanji from his father.  He sets it aside, preferring video games, but the next day he finds a cartridge version of Jumanji; as soon as he tries out this strange new game, he disappears.  Twenty-one years later, four teenagers find themselves in detention.  Sent to the basement for punishment, they find the Jumanji video game and they, too, are swept away.  Suddenly in the middle of a jungle, the kids have not only been transported to another world, but they also find themselves in the bodies of the characters that they chose.  They are literally  in the game - one that they must play, and win, if they wish to survive and return to the real world.

This Jumanji sequel/reboot, unlike the original, has not one star but a raft of them, whose impressive performances give the film a significant boost.  Dwayne Johnson, the biggest (literally and figuratively) new Hollywood star of the past few years leads as "Dr. Smolder Bravestone".  Rather, Smolder is just the body - Johnson's acting reflects the person who inhabits that character, the timid teenage nerd, Spencer.  This is the driving element of the film, having four well-known stars playing teenagers, and it works remarkably well.  Johnson hasn't been placed in particularly demanding roles (in which he continues to improve), but he deserves credit here for allowing the audience to believe that the person behind his glowering gaze is a scared kid.  The script does allow him to show his hero side, too, of course, and also his surprisingly funny side.  Kevin Hart teams up with Johnson again here, and he is as reliably entertaining (via stealthy-good acting) as always.  His "Mouse Finbar" avatar holds a much-larger-in-real-life football player, with bizarre and hilarious character traits (one weakness: cake).  Karen Gillan is strong as "Ruby Roundhouse", a video game girl with all that entails, plays a shy but brilliant teenager.  Not given a lot to work with, Gillan still does well to avoid cliche and create a respectable, funny character every bit as capable as Johnson.  But Jack Black tops them all here, doing a superb job in the gender swap role ("he" is in fact a bratty teenage girl).  His mannerisms, from the voice to posture to gestures, are both effective and consistent in this; yes, it's a bit exaggerated, for comedic effect, but not over the top (IMO).  I haven't seen Black in much lately, and this makes me want to see more; he hasn't lost anything on his fastball.  Nick Jonas and Bobby Canavale co-star as the lost Alex and villain Van Pelt, respectively, but neither really add up to more than plot devices.

Jumanji is a high quality, mass audience adventure film that overcomes formula thanks to the stellar cast and a cleverly devised world.  I've said all I need to say on the individual cast members; stacking the deck like this far from assures success, but this foursome hits a grand slam.  Beyond individual roles, the film makes a good effort to establish relationships and connections among them from the start and build on them through the film.  These aren't exactly deep - the old friends who have grown apart, the nerds attracted to each other - but they hold up and should be particularly good for family and/or young audiences.  Then there are the "rules" of the game.  Most important, of course, is the avatar concept, but there are so many little things - from NPCs (non-playable characters) repeating the same dialogue over and over, to the characters having literal strengths and weaknesses - that truly immerse the audience in the idea of it being a game world.  And these details don't distract or come off as awkward in the flow of events, but rather enhance them.  Oddly, the film is weaker in some of the core genre elements: the action sets are a bit underwhelming, with little tension or sense of awe (purposely, as a family film?).  The plot is extremely straightforward (as many video games' are), but this is just fine as it allows the film to instead focus on its strengths - the performances, comedy, and video game aspects - and not drown them in pointless plot twists and contrivances.

***

Jumanji is about as good, solid entertainment for a mass audience as you can get, living up to the original even if in a much different way.  The 1995 film relied on one standout performer in a show of big, effective action but also a fairly dark, creepy tone.  The new film obviously has more of a team spirit, and is much lighter and brighter (and funnier).  It also gives me an appetite for more from its stars; the Johnson-Hart team is very effective (see 2016's Central Intelligence) and should continue on; Black returned from his hiatus to show he is still a top comedic force in Hollywood; and Gillan proves she has leading-lady acting chops, too.  This isn't award-winning material, but Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle has earned itself a spot on the re-watchable action/adventure shelf.  Certainly worth a trip to the theater, but also a good option to try sometime at home.



By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54174459