'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle' A Review

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is a family fantasy adventure film more inspired by than a sequel to the 1995 original. The magic board game has transformed into a video game and after gather dust for twenty years four high schoolers(two nerds and two popular kids) with detention uncover it and get sucked in after selecting their avatars. Only by working together and winning the game will they be able to escape it.

The Rock is the defacto lead as nerd Spencer's avatar Dr. Bravestone, playing against type as a meek over thinking dork, is excellent but the four really anchor the film and make it feel like a true ensemble. Jack Black is hilarious with some surprising dimension as social media obsessed Bethany's avatar Prof. Osbourne. Kevin Hart is servicable as jock footballer Fridge's avatar Mouse Finbar but plays more in support of the other three. Karen Gillian is bookish Martha's avatar and is also able to mine laughs as well as a surprising amount of pathos given the relatively light and fast-paced story. The supporting cast are all good but none are given that much to do save the core four and that's fine, the four leads seem to relish and excel with the psuedo dual roles and action-comedy tone.

In a year of sequels and franchise installments and reboots Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle rises above not only because of its unabashed sense of play even exuberance but also because it gives only the slightest tip of the hat to the original. In the first 30 seconds of the film due diligence is done and context is provided, after that there are only a few pleasing but absolutely non-crucial references. This allows the story to live on its own and it is liberating, over the past year, hell recent years, nostalgia has been milked so frequently it is almost dry. The film realizes that and creates something incredibly refreshing if not exactly new.

Chock full of humor and adventure. A great balm to franchise fatigue. Hollywood take note.

See It.