Once Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle was announced I had very mixed feelings about it. While I don't think the original is a classic by any means I do get tired of reboots and remakes that simply rehash the old stories without adding anything fresh or creative. Well, Jumanji is nor a reboot nor a remake. It's actually a sequel that changes up things considerably but does give enough nods to the original to ensure you are watching a rebooted sequel. And believe it or not I was pleasantly surprised.
Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is vastly different from the original. It's no longer about a board game causing havoc. The game understood it needed to adapt to current times and transformed itself into a videogame. To be more specific a role playing game. In short: RPG. The main characters of the film are injected into this videogame and it's where the adventure starts. How, why and what happens I will leave for you to discover since that is very much part of the fun. But I can assure you that it's going to be compelling and funny. Although you have to keep in mind that this film is focused on the adventure and action parts and has very little story.
Dwayne Johnson as always is very dependable and seems to work quite well with others especially Kevin Hart. Even he is funny. Like The Rock has the ability to bring out the best in him and the others. The rest of the main cast do a good job as well. How can they not? They are none other than Jack Black and Karen Gillan. Gillan already had demonstrated with Doctor Who to have comedic delivery. Jack Black is a no brainer of course. The comedy is one of the main reasons why this Jumanji works. BTW Nick Jonas was a revelation to me, I don't think I have seen him in other films and if I did I must have overlooked him. But in here he actually managed to convey sympathy with very little although that could be due to his charm and charisma.
Spectacle wise it's not as grand or over the top as the film promises to be but that is me nitpicking. But it makes sense since this is supposed to be a kid friendly film where one can't go too far violence and action wise. Even though there are some horrific events implied. I do think this is a crowd pleaser but only if you don't have the highest of expectations.
Overall a very pleasant and entertaining viewing experience!
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