Director: Jake Kasdan
Running time: 119 minutes
Surprisingly funny and witty
The 1995 Jumanji, starring the late Robin Williams, is an odd movie because while it's fondly remembered, its not quite achieved much of a mark on popular culture. Perhaps it was too dark, but the concept of a board game coming to life was and still is unique. The new Jumanji is more of a reboot than a sequel, although it does exist in the same universe as the original, none of the characters return.
But crucially, the board game has gone and this time the world of Jumanji is inside of a video game. An idea that's been done many times before, and this Jumanji movie doesn't really do anything to change the formula much, but its saved by some witty dialogue and character performances.
The story is not much to write about, it begins with four high school students in detention, as part of their punishment they have to clean out an old store room, where they discover a video game console with a Jumanji cartridge inside. After switching it on they are transported into the game, and the only way they can escape is by completing different levels of the map, all with their own dangers and traps.
Once they are inside they appear as the avatars they chose, all of them are the inverse of their real selves. You have Spencer's avatar, Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), an all out action hero archetype. There's the vein, selfie obsessed Bethany, who becomes the middle aged Professor Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black). Martha, the outcast becomes the femme fatale, Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillian), and the sporty member, 'Fridge' who is Franklin Finbar (Kevin Hart), the zoologist and weapon carrier.
The performances and character chemistry are the movies saving grace, each take their teenage personas into the dangerous world of Jumanji and give it a certain levity that carries through from beginning to end. For me the standout was Jack Black, whose turn as a stereotypical, self obsessed teenage girl is genuinely funny. It helps that his character changes the most by the end.
While the world of Jumanji is shot on real sets and locales, it's visually bland when you consider that this is meant to be the inside of a video game. But the movie does use old tropes that are familiar to video gamers, for example each of the characters have three lives to use (which results in some funny moments), and each of them have their own strengths and weakness which is a running gag throughout.
Most of the jokes are innocent in nature, except for an out of place joke involving male genitalia, that was really funny at first but is unnecessary referred to on a few more occasions. Other negatives include the slightly overlong running time, the final third of the movie drags a little bit, and the villain is a complete waste space, and only serves as a plot device, a bit like a bad video game character.
And for an action/adventure blockbuster, the set-pieces are decent but a little flat, this is a bit of a problem towards the end of the movie when it just feels like nothing much is really happening, and the premise kind of runs out of ideas.
Overall, the movie is far better than I expected, and despite some obvious flaws, it's good family fun and I'd recommend it for fans of the original and anyone who has a spare afternoon over a weekend.
Verdict: 3.5/5
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