Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Review, Trailer, Plot Synopsis And More
Four high school kids discover an old video game console and are drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the adult avatars they chose. 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, discover what Alan Parrish left 20 years ago, and change the way they think about themselves - or they'll be stuck in the game forever.
|
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle - Official Trailer
|
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle - Official Trailer 2
|
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Posters And Photos
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Review
The teenaged protagonists in Welcome to the Jungle are very much archetypes (the geek, the jock, the outsider, and the hot girl) and are presented as two-dimensional stereotypes for much of the film. What makes the characters fun are the performances by the older actors as their in-game avatars, which make up the vast majority of the movie anyway. Black gets to have a real blast playing an attractive teenaged girl trapped in the body of a middle-aged man, but Johnson and Gillan also fully commit to pretending that they are an ungainly nerd and awkward introvert trapped in the body of The Rock and an obvious riff on ’90s era Lara Croft, respectively. Hart is admittedly the weak link of the group, in the sense that he goes with his usual comedy shtick and only partly manages to channel the mannerisms of his inner-teenaged self. However, as was also the case with the duo in Central Intelligence, Johnson and Hart have good comedic chemistry during their scenes together in Welcome to the Jungle.
Neither the mythology nor the supporting characters in the world of Jumanji are developed beyond what one would expected from an actual 1990s video game in Welcome to the Jungle. Fortunately, that’s (mostly) by design and allows Cannavale to chew the scenery during his scenes as the movie’s own version of the Van Pelt character – which is another element carried over from the 1995 Jumanji. The one individual within the Jumanji game that’s afforded any real development is Nick Jonas as Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough, a key player who joins the main heroes partway through their quest. McDonough’s storyline represents Welcome to the Jungle‘s only real attempt to create pathos on the level with the original Jumanji. Ultimately, though, the film takes the easy way out when it comes to paying off that plot thread and keeps things emotionally simple, for better or worse. Given Kasdan’s background in directing comedy, Welcome to the Jungle is unsurprisingly better at handling comedic moments rather than action sequences. The film gets a fair amount of mileage out of its video game concept, serving up some clever visual gags and punchlines based around the mechanics of the Jumanji game (including, how players die/regenerate and move based on their physical abilities). All four of the movie’s leads are skilled in the art of physical comedy too, which allows for lots of jokes based around both their strengths and weaknesses, as well as the idea that they are being “played” by inexperienced teenagers. Welcome to the Jungle was shot largely on location in Hawaii and Kasdan, working in collaboration with cinematographer Gyula Pados (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials), does a nice job of using that gorgeous backdrop to make the wild world of Jumanji feel big and expansive. Unfortunately, Kasdan and his crew only do a serviceable job of photographing the movie’s fight scenes and set pieces – relying too much on shaky closeups, quick cuts, and rubbery CGI to bring the film’s (otherwise impressive) stunts to life. At the end of the day, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the sort of fluffy, but engaging romp that families should be comfortable taking their young ones to see. (Even the off-color jokes that help Welcome to the Jungle earn its PG-13 Rating are pretty sophomoric, all things considered.) The Jumanji sequel may end up being more of a forgettable moviegoing experience for the current generation of kids than the 1995 film was for children of the ’90s, but it’s an otherwise innocent, silly, and ultimately harmless piece of December moviegoing fun. Those who are looking for something at the theater that people of all ages can enjoy this winter holiday season – or seek to find a way to leave their world behind once more – may want to try playing this game again. 7.7/10 |
|
Comments