Jumanji: The Next Level

After the success of the sleeper hit Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, it was only a matter of time before a sequel got made. Jumanji: The Next Level is pretty much Welcome to the Jungle all over again. It's a fun movie, it's cleverly written, and that's about it. It covers many of the same beats, but it's still funny because the premise is something that can be used for a whole new set of different jokes and gags. Spencer goes back to Jumanji, and the others need to get him back. Only this time, Spencer's grandfather (Danny DeVito) and his business partner (Danny Glover) get sucked in too. At the beginning, Danny DeVito is in the Rock's body, Danny Glover in Kevin Hart, Fridge in Jack Black, and Martha returns to Karen Gillan.

The main source of humor is people adjusting to being in different bodies and having different abilities, and it is based on the idea of people ending up in the bodies of people drastically contrast with who they are as people. The reason it works is that the audience is somehow able to see Danny DeVito as the Rock, rather than the just Rock acting like an old guy. It's a difficult thing to pull off, and it does so successfully. While the idea of the old guys adjusting is funny at first, it does get old after a while. It funny enough on its own to make it a good time. Much like the previous movie, it carries a strong sense of adventure. It does end on a sequel hook, so Jumanji 4 is inevitable at this point. Based on this and WTTJ, we can imagine it's going to be a fun, entertaining, and enjoyable.

I am very fond of the first iteration of JUMANJI, with Robin Williams giving a wonderful performance and the latest in CGI, which looks either quaintly charming or charmingly quaint a quarter of a century later. The remake a couple of years ago struck me as foolish before I saw it, but it turned into a highly amusing movie, with some favored performers. It made enough money that now it is a series. If they continue at this level, it will be a pleasant movie for me to see every couple of years.

When we last saw Jumanji, it had been turned into a home video game, and the youngsters were vowing never to return. Well, by and large they do, because the last one turned into a surprise hit. They're a couple of years older, cracks have formed in their relationships, and for various reasons, two of them can't go in, because their avatars are taken by Danny Devito as Alex Wolff's grandfather, and Danny Glover as Devito's former business partner. They've been angry with each other for several years.

It's a different adventure, and it makes as much sense as any video game. The avatars get swapped around, so the acting fun consists of watching the actors playing other actors in a FACE OFF sort of way. Dwayne Johnson does a pretty good Devito imitation, but Awkwafina does a better one.

This is one movie that is not going to win any awards, but if you're not in the mood for deep-dish suffering nor for something biliously Christmas-like, this is a movie with good performers in roles and situations that will amuse you.

I mean this isn't supposed to be the best movie ever. I still enjoyed it and had a good laugh. Jumanji next level is silly, funny and chaotic and even though it may seem confusing at times, each character shined through their avatar.

Even though its central concept seems ever-so-slightly more strained this time, 'Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)' is about as good as its predecessor. In fact, it's sometimes even better. Basically, the flick is just fun. The crowd-pleasing body-swapping is amped up to eleven, shaking things up just enough so that they feel fresh. The main actors continue to properly impress in their chameleon-like roles, joined by a few extra treats that perform far better than you'd perhaps expect. Indeed, these new players are probably its biggest asset; a couple of them thoroughly perforate the entire experience despite only having a rather small amount of screen-time. The picture is often funny - though, never hilarious - and is oddly endearing, to boot. It isn't particularly deep or, even, memorable but it doesn't need to be. It's a good time at the movies; what more do you need? Obviously some better theming and, perhaps, a tad of nuance wouldn't go amiss, but it's just not that kind of film really and that's perfectly fine. Even if it doesn't impact you as much as some of the year's best, it'll certainly make you smile and keep you entertained for a couple of hours. Besides, its inciting incident is driven purely by character and it even manages to squeeze some genuine emotional connection, via a well-drawn dynamic between DeVito and Glover, into its otherwise otherworldly proceedings. Its acting is also deceptively simple but decidedly fantastic, fully immersing you in the idea that these major stars are actually four teenagers and two old men. Basically, it's not as simple as you might think. 7/10

I absolutely loved the first instalment and to a large extent those that enjoyed the first will enjoy this it's still entertaining fast paced and humerous. The only thing I found was rather than laughing out loud and being on the edge of my seat like the first I had the occasional chuckle sat back. Having said that laughing out loud or not I was never bored and still had a smile on my face for the majority of the film. A decent sequel exiting at in interesting point for a potential 3rd movie.