Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Movie Review

"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" on the outlook seems to be a film that has "bad idea" written all over it. It's quite surprising that this was greenlit in the first place. But here's the thing, the team behind it actually pulled it off. By not taking itself too seriously while presenting an interesting update on the concept of what constitutes a Jumanji game, the film is a total quirky and laugh-out-loud romp that is effective as a sequel as you could ask for to one of the most beloved films two decades ago.

The mystic Jumanji game learns that board games are no longer cool and decides to shapeshift into a video game. Four high-schoolers of different cliques go into detention and find the game. As they play the game they get sucked into the perilous world of Jumanji and are transformed into avatars with unique skills. They’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives with a limited number of tries to return an all-powerful crystal or they’ll be stuck in Jumanji for good.

If we could describe "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" in one word is would be brave. Why you may ask? Because the team behind it was able to take a simple concept and make it their own. This film could have easily turned out to be another "Jumanji" duplicate but they decided not to and that alone gives top marks for the film. What's more important though is that the revised premise, how silly it might seem, is acceptable even plausible. Turning this into a video game of sorts is fun and open ups scenarios that could have never worked from an original concept standpoint. The characters are also extremely likable with their own strengths and weaknesses that the film successfully toys around with throughout its runtime. Without spoiling much, look out for Jack Black as his performance was the best of the bunch but the others are not far off. Visually, the film was great but it had some rough edges. CGI-generated stunts were pretty obvious but the overall setpieces were outstanding, to say the least. The only gripe we have is the villain which felt under-utilized and underpowered for how he was portrayed. Overall, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is a fantastic adventure film and follow-up. It's not on the same level as the original but it does well enough to be a whole lot enjoyable.

Rating: 4 reels




Why you should watch it:
- a not-so-serious follow-up that works
- great comedic chemistry from the main cast

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the villain was filler material