Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in the Jumanji sequel viewers didn’t know they wanted. After months of speculation, and hesitation, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a fun and modern sequel to the beloved 90s film starring the late Robin Williams.
Minor Spoilers below!
Picking up where the original movie left off, the board game washed up on some beach, only times have changed and kids would rather play video games. So Jumanji adapts. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know that the story follows 4 kids in detention that get sucked into the Jumanji video game where they take on video game roles, played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black.
While I overall really enjoyed the premise, especially any nods to the original film, my major complaint is in the acting of our “main 4” – ie the two-people-playing-different-versions-of-the-same-character. As a viewer, it feels like only Karen GIllan and her younger version talked, attempting to make sure that they were, in fact, the same character. Sadly, I believe Gillan is the only traditional actor in the cast, as Kevin Hart only knows how to be Kevin Hart. Unfortunately it was on his younger version to attempt to make the connection. Jack Black’s portrayal of a teenage girl felt like a caricature rather than an actual fully developed role, and The Rock is a former wrestler.
Lastly, I’m a big fan of crude humor. But I think there were 2 too many dick jokes in the 2 hour movie – not that there are a limit of dick jokes per movie, just that 2 of them were unnecessary… actually, one of them was unnecessary. The other just could’ve been done better.
Overlooking the discrepancies, this fun, action-packed, family friendly adventure is absolutely worth seeing.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is rated PG-13 and playing everywhere now.
— Yael Tygiel