A surprisingly original, unique and sharp take on video games (playing on numerous 90s video game tropes), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle updates the original Jumanji board game premise for the twenty-first century.
An interesting layer of meta finds Jake Kasdan directing – son of Lawrence Kasdan (co-writer of The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark. . .), Welcome to the Jungle comes off as a quasi-combination of the two. . . the foursome who centre the feature are a ragtag team like in Star Wars, while the jungle adventure will immediately remind many of an Indiana Jones archaeology adventure – never a bad idea to create a hybrid of two of the most popular franchises in American history.
Filled with clever casting, each high schooler who unwittingly plays the game gets a wholly different avatar from their true persona – nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff) becomes the all-round dynamo that is Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson); football jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) turns into the tiny, allergic-to-cake zoologist Franklin ‘Mouse’ Finbar (Kevin Hart); queen bee Bethany (Madison Iseman) transforms into overweight cartographer Professor Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black); and shy, introverted Martha (Morgan Turner) is kickass commando Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan).
Entering the retro style video game, the four teens, in avatar form, must beat every level in order to escape their analog prison (a caveat is that they are only provided with three lives, after that, game over). Tasked with outsmarting Jumanji’s villain, Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale), the casting seems like a touch of genius, yet they never really give the terrific actor anything to do. Perhaps you could argue that this is because he is a video game character that does not have consciousness, but that does not negate the fact that he is basically a non-factor – a few bugs moving in and out of his nostril/ear does not make for heavy tension.
While the foursome make their way, sometimes gracefully, at other times awkwardly, through the levels, eagle eyed viewers with spot some nice touches – a simple homage is paid to the original motion picture, as those who have seen the 1995 film will learn where Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) lived during those long years when he was stuck within the game, while wrestling fans should notice a cool crossover which finds Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Dr. Bravestone destroying a nameless henchman with the Rock Bottom – his finisher move from back in his wrestling days with WWE (formerly WWF). . . you could definitely smell what the rock was cookin’!
Filmizon.com’s Nikolai Adams with Karen Gillan, who plays Martha turned Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
With four leads on top of their respective game, Jack Black (in female form – playing a self-obsessed, 16 year old girl) and Karen Gillan are the real scene stealers. Specifically, look for Black’s gender swap freak-outs and for Gillan when she has an awkward first kiss with Spencer (as well as her misconstrued attempt at flirting as a distraction – while the rest sneak around the gunned baddies. . . her failures lead into an impressive dance fight). Perhaps, it is at this point that the film’s slick action and visuals deserve to be mentioned, for Kasdan finds a solid blend between over the top CGI extravaganza and more traditionally styled set pieces.
With a title like Welcome to the Jungle, one would expect that the adrenaline pumping Guns N` Roses tune would find its way into a raucous action sequence – prime editing and film making would make for one heck of a scene. . . sadly, they roll the song out at the end of the film, too late to really mean anything.
Also, though the clever video game observations make for entertaining fare (for those who grew up gaming in the era of the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, you’ll feel right at home), the very family-friendly story sometimes comes off as a bit lame. . . it would have been nice if the film making team had pushed the envelope just a bit more – there were plenty of opportunities for some edgier body switching jokes and visual gags without getting ridiculously obscene and over the top.
Frivolous if forgetful fun, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a somewhat surprisingly successful sequel that comes more than twenty years after the original. Its cast, cheeky story, and slick action are its selling points – anyone looking for something more (in regards to depth, subtlety, or anything else that could be considered thought-provoking) should look elsewhere. Also, for those who can’t get enough, a sequel is coming out this December (2019). So, welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun and games – at least enough for a visit.