JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

When Jumanji was first released in 1995, it received mixed reviews from critics, however, it was a success at the box office as it made over $262 million. While critics failed to be impressed by the film's computer-generated imagery and story, many praised the performance of Robin Williams who portrayed Alan Parrish, who got stuck in the board game, Jumanji, as a teenager and was released as an adult by two younger players, siblings Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce). It's one of the performances that the late actor is best remembered for. While I didn't like Jumanji as a child because I found it too scary, I enjoyed it more as an older viewer. When a sequel was announced to be released in 2017, I was surprised as I thought that Jumanji worked well as a stand-alone film and didn't need a follow-up. However, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle beat my expectations and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The sequel proved to be more successful than its predecessor as it was praised by critics and made almost a billion dollars at the box office. Because of its success, another instalment was released, however, does The Next Level match the quality of its predecessors?

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle ended with the four main characters, Spencer (Alex Wolff), Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), Martha (Morgan Turner) and Bethany (Madison Iseman), destroying Jumanji after completing their adventure in the video game. However, while Fridge, Martha and Bethany have moved on, Spencer returns to the world of Jumanji leading his friends to enter the video game in order to try and find him. Unfortunately, things go wrong and Spencer's grandfather, Eddie (Danny DeVito) and his friend, Milo (Danny Glover), end up in the game too and become stuck in the bodies of the characters of Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) and Mouse Finbar (Kevin Hart), with Martha playing Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillian), however, Fridge is less than impressed when he realises he's Dr. Shelly Oberon (Jack Black). 

The main highlight of Welcome To The Jungle was watching the main actors play against type, with Johnson, known for his heroic roles in action films, taking on the role of a socially awkward teenager. Gillian was impressive as the shy Martha who feels uncomfortable in her new athletic body and Hart was amusing as the popular guy who is annoyed at having lost the top two feet of his body. However, of the four, Black had the most difficult task: convincing viewers he's a teenage girl. When Bethany chooses Dr. Shelly Oberon, she assumes the character is female but is horrified when she realises she's in the body of a overweight, middle-aged man. Black succeeds and provides most of the film's humour with his accurate portrayal of a teenage girl. All four actors return, however, because the characters of Dr. Bravestone and Finbar have been taken over by elderly men, Johnson and Hart have to imitate DeVito and Glover. This is where most of the humour comes from as the pair spend most of the time arguing and forgetting that they're in a video game. Awkwafina, who recently impressed with her Golden Globe nominated performance in The Farewell, is a welcome addition to the cast as Ming, a character in the game, and Nick Jonas returns as Seaplane McDonough. 

Viewers, who spend their spare time playing video games, will, most likely, enjoy what The Next Level has to offer as it feels like an accurate representation of a video game, including non-player characters, such as Nigel Billingsley (Rhys Darby), who provides the players with crucial information, fast-paced action sequences, over-the-top stunts and special effects. Trying to find Spencer in Jumanji proves to be difficult as the challenges are a lot harder, with Martha, Fridge, Eddie and Milo being chased by ostriches in a desert. Despite Milo being trapped in the body of a zoologist, he talks too slowly when he's providing information. Another memorable sequence occurs later in the film when all of the characters are being chased by mandrills.
While The Next Level doesn't offer anything new in terms of narrative and is predictable, most of the entertainment comes from the aforementioned adventure sequences and the humour. One of the weakest aspects of Welcome To The Jungle was the main villain, Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale), who wasn't as menacing as the antagonist in Jumanji, who provided conflict for the players and tried to prevent them from completing the game. Unfortunately, while the main villain, Jurgen the Brutal (Rory McCann), is a small improvement over Van Pelt, I think he would have benefited from more screen time and more interaction with the players in order to make the game more difficult for them.
Like its predecessor, The Next Level accurately represents video games, with the characters having different strengths and weaknesses designed to help or prevent them from completing the game. Anyone who plays video games in their free time will understand each character's frustration with certain weaknesses, including Fridge who isn't impressed when he discovers that Oberon's weaknesses are sun, sand and heat, despite the game being set in the desert. However, some of the strengths prove to be useful, including Finbar's linguistics, which means he can communicate with animals.
At my local cinema, The Next Level was being shown in 3D/4DX. Whilst I didn't think the 3D was necessary as I found the glasses too uncomfortable and the screen being too dark, I enjoyed the 4DX which made me feel like I was part of the action on screen. For those unfamiliar with 4DX, it's a unique viewing experience that features stimulating effects like water, wind, scent and strobe lighting that are timed to enhance what’s happening on screen. While the 4DX is great for action-adventure films, it is expensive and only available at certain cinemas, however, it's well worth the price for those who want to feel part of the action on screen.
Those who liked Welcome To The Jungle will, almost certainly, enjoy what The Next Level has to offer as it provides viewers with much of the same, including amusing performances from its cast and fast-paced adventure sequences.
7/10 

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

It's been over twenty years since Jumanji was released. The film focused on the titular board game that brings chaos to those who dare rolled the dice. In 1969, a young boy was sucked into the game where he had to remain until a player rolled a six or an eight on the dice. Unfortunately, it look twenty six years for that to happen, with the help of the two children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce), who had move into his house. Now an adult, Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) has to complete the game to get rid of all the destruction that the game has caused. Despite being critically panned, it was still a hit at the box office, earning over $260 million. Now, twenty two years later, a sequel has been released with the subtitle Welcome To The Jungle.

When four high-school kids, nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff), football player Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), popular, self-obsessed Bethany (Madison Iseman) and shy Martha (Morgan Turner), discover an old video game console with a game they've never heard of - Jumanji - they are immediately drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the avatars they chose: Spencer becomes a brawny adventurer, Dr Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson); Fridge loses (in his words) "the top two feet of his body" and becomes zoologist, Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart); Bethany becomes a middle-aged male professor, Professor Sheldon 'Shelly' Oberon (Jack Black); and Martha becomes a badass warrior, Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan). What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji - you must survive it. To beat the game and return to the real world, they'll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives and change the way they think about themselves - or they'll be stuck in the game forever.

Before Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, I did have my doubts. I didn't think there should be a sequel to the original 1995 film as it works well on its own. However, the filmmakers and the actors involved said that it was a 'reimagining' of the first film and a tribute to the late Williams who tragically passed away in 2014. If I'm being honest, I think that this was just an excuse as Williams' character, Alan Parrish, is only briefly mentioned once in the middle of the film. I think that the film would've worked better if it was based on a different video game instead of associating it with Jumanji. 

However, despite this, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is still fairly entertaining and works as a fast-paced adventure with a lot of humour and action. The problem is that it pales in comparison to the original which is one of my favourite films. 

The performances from the four leads are all solid. Johnson is known for his wrestling alter-ego, 'The Rock' and for appearing in action films such as the Fast and Furious franchise. However, recently, he has transitioned to more comedic roles in films such as Central Intelligence. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about his performance but, surprisingly, he gives a convincing performance as a young, nerdy boy trapped in a muscular man's body. His Central Intelligence co-star Kevin Hart also gives a good performance. However, for me, Karen Gillian and Jack Black gave the best performances of the four. Gillian is best known for appearing as Amy Pond in the sci-fi series, Doctor Who from 2010 until 2012 and has recently appeared in both of the Guardians Of The Galaxy films as Nebula. Gillian proves that she's capable of handling comical roles as she embodies that of an awkward teenager stuck in a body she's not familar with. However, no one does comedy better than Black who has the toughest challenge: convincing audiences that he's a teenage girl stuck in the body of an overweight, middle-aged man. Fortunately, he succeeds and gives the most memorable role. He and Gillian have a great scene where he teaches her how to flirt. Nick Jonas seems out of place at first, considering he's a famous pop star, however, he soon settles in naturally to his role as Alex, someone who's been stuck in the board game.

One of the weakest aspects of the original Jumanji was the special effects but, for me, they were easily overlooked as it was the mid 1990s, a time where technology wasn't as advanced as it is now, and the crew were working on a tight budget. This is why I think that the criticism towards the effects in the original is unfair. The computer-generated imagery is obviously an improvement over the original and the set design is impressive. Because Jumanji is now a video game, the players are sucked into the game and end up in the jungle. We finally get to see what the world of Jumanji is like. Visually, the sequel looks a lot better than the original. 

The characters in the game all have different abilities and weaknesses, just like they would in a normal video game. Those who have played games will understand the frustration of completing a level and having characters repeat their dialogue. This is cleverly shown in Welcome To The Jungle. As Spencer, who is an obsessive gamer, explains, the game characters all have lines that they're programmed to repeat until the character says the right thing. Each character also has three lives which makes the task of completing the game even harder. The stunts involved, especially with Ruby's 'dance fighting' are over-the-top but they're supposed to be as it's meant to be a video game. There's also an exhilarating sequence that involves the characters inside a helicopter, piloted by Alex, that is being chased by a stampede. A lot of films inspired by video games have failed, including Assassin's Creed which was released at the beginning of this year, however, despite being based on a fictional game, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle succeeds at being entertaining.

The main villain of the original Jumanji was a hunter, Van Pelt, who returns in this sequel, albeit portrayed by a different actor, Bobby Cannavale. Unfortunately, while Van Pelt was a menacing villain in the original, in the sequel, there's not enough scenes to make him conflicting enough. Sure, he looks evil so we know he's the villain and he's given a bit of a backstory, however, he's fairly weak. This is why the ending feels a bit anti-climatic. The task for the four characters is to return a jewel, that Van Pelt had stolen, back to a mountain. There isn't any sense of danger in this final scene and it's all resolved fairly quickly which led to me thinking: oh, is that it? The majority of the film was entertaining so I guess the writers, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner just failed to come up with a satisfying ending.

Although Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle works well as a fast-paced adventure, it suffers in comparison to the original. I think that it would've been better as a stand-alone film that's based on a different game. This is what I liked about Zathura, the 2005 film that's based on a book by Chris Van Allsburg who also wrote Jumanji. It was described as 'Jumanji in space' but wasn't a direct sequel as they're two different films by the same writer. 

Overall, with four strong performances from its leading actors, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a fast-paced adventure film that is a solid follow-up to the 1995 original.

7/10

JUMANJI REVIEW

As a child, one of my favourite actors was Robin Williams. I loved him in films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin, Night At The Museum and many others. When I first watched Jumanji, I didn't enjoy it as I was very young and it proved to be too scary and intense for me. However, now an adult, I enjoy watching it more than I did as a child. 

When young Alan Parrish (Adam Hann-Byrd) discovers a mysterious board game, he doesn't realize its unimaginable powers, until he is magically transported before the startled eyes of his friend, Sarah (Laura Bell Bundy), into the untamed jungles of Jumanji! There he remains for 26 years until he is freed from the game's spell by two unsuspecting children. Now a grown man (Williams), Alan reunites with Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) and together with Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) tries to outwit the game's powerful forces in this imaginative adventure that combines special effects with an enchanting mixture of comedy, magic and thrills.

When this was first released in 1995, it was negatively received by critics, mainly because of the computer-generated imagery and lack of plot. Some critics said that the tone of Jumanji might be too dark and scary for younger viewers. While I did find this scary when I first watched it as a child, it’s now become one of my favourite films. No, the CGI isn’t that great but it was made in the mid-1990s on a tight budget so what do you expect? Because Jumanji is so fun to watch, the CGI is easy to overlook.
Mainly because of Williams' performance as the grown-up Alan Parrish, Jumanji is never dull. He first makes his appearance about 20 minutes into the film and, when we first see him, he’s dressed in banana leaves and has wild, bushy hair. Due to him being trapped in the board game for 26 years, he has been left traumatised and is shocked to discover how much the world has changed since his disappearance. However, he soon learns that he must finish the game along with Judy, Peter and his childhood crush, Sarah Whittle, who, like Alan, was also left traumatised by the game and deemed crazy by others.
Most of the humour does come from Williams' performance, with his one-liners, however, he proves he can handle the most dramatic scenes really well. It doesn’t take us long to forget about his previous performances as the Genie in Aladdin and in Mrs. Doubtfire. This is why he was one of the greatest actors and he will always be remembered.
Strong supporting roles come from Bonnie Hunt, who gives an effective performance as Sarah, and Kirsten Dunst as the mischievous Judy.
Jumanji is filled with a lot of twists and turns and is never far from a thrilling adventure. Throughout the 103 minute runtime, monkeys, a lion, large spiders, man-eating plants, a hunter named Van Pelt (Jonathan Hyde) and a stampede of animals including rhinos, elephants and zebras all emerge from the game causing chaos. This makes the game even harder to complete.
Despite the negative critical reception, Jumanji was successful at the box office, receiving over $262million.
Of course, over 20 years after its release, it may seem a bit dated now, what with the technology we have now and most children playing games on iPads and through other means of technology. However, I do think that Jumanji will appeal more to older viewers who spent their childhood playing board games as it will give them that feeling of nostalgia.
I do have my doubts about the upcoming sequel, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, as, judging from the trailer, it just looks like an average adventure film that is using the 1995 original as a way to get audiences to see it. The filmmakers have described it as a ‘re-imagining’ of the original. The leading actor, Dwayne Johnson, has stated that it’s not a reboot, rather a follow-up. In 2005, Zathura: A Space Adventure was released and had a similar concept to Jumanji, with many describing it as ‘Jumanji in space’. The reason why the two feature films are similar is that they’re both based on books by Chris Van Allsburg. However, Zathura was never described as a sequel to Jumanji, rather, it was described as coming from the same imaginative mind. While the two films were very similar, Zathura worked well as a stand-alone film. This is the problem with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, it won’t be able to work without being associated with the original. It’s already received a negative reception, with some saying that the follow-up is ‘unnecessary and kind of insulting’, because of Williams’ tragic death in 2014.
In my opinion, I do think that Jumanji is underrated and I highly recommend that you watch it if you haven’t already. It’s fun, entertaining, full of adventure and features one of Robin Williams’ many great performances.
7/10