Skip to main content

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Review







Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was directed by Jake Kasdan and stars Dwane "The Rock" Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. Welcome to the Jungle follows four teenagers who discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game's jungle setting, becoming the adult avatars they choose. I was a pretty big fan of the first Jumanji, having not seen it until I was an adult. I really thought the first Jumanji was creative and a fun role for Robin Williams. The first Jumanji had a lot of intense moment and a very unique story. So going into this reboot/sequel I was a little hesitant as I thought the Jumanji-verse had been explored to it's fullest. Leaving Welcome to the Jungle I feel like they delivered a fairly solid and entertaining installment to this now franchise. I was quickly surprised with the entertainment value that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle provided. Obviously Jumanji was a flawed movie, but it was flawed in a way that I really didn't mind. Jumanji is one of those movies that if you never see it, you won't really mind. If you do see it though, you'll have a good time. 

 Let's take a look at some of the best parts:




1. Jack Black and The Rock- I decided to put these two actors together, mainly because I am praising them for the same thing. These were the standouts outs of the movie, having to play these teenagers in someone else's body was very entertaining. Jack Black plays a selfish teenage girl who's obsessed with social media and The Rock plays a small and nerdy teenage boy. They had to play against their normal roles and it really pushed them as actors. Jack Black was easily my favorite part of this ensemble. He was the standout in a lot of different ways. I felt like he had the biggest character arch and was the character that grew the most. It was surprising to see Jack Black out do The Rock.

 2. Comedy- I really thought this movie was quite funny. The on screen chemistry with everyone was very fun. The Rock and Kevin Hart once again had a very fun back and forth and with Jack Black tossed in the mix it made for a completely different and funny dynamic. The physical comedy of Jumanji was also something I enjoyed. Namely some of the sequences with Jack Black and Karen Gillian. I was surprised by how funny this movie turned out to be.


This movie had some flaws:





1. Cliche- At times I felt Jumanji leaned a little too hard into cliches. At the beginning of the movie I could tell you exactly what was going to happen and even called a few sequences before they happened.  The first Jumanji was very creative and pushed a lot of boundaries. It had a unique and untold story. So when Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was an almost disposable story it was disappointing. I feel like if more time would've been spent on the script and developing a story more a long the lines of the first - this movie would've been a lot better.

2. Underused ideas- So the entire premise of this movie is they are sucked into a video game world and while the movie focused on some aspects of being in a video game, they missed a lot of things that would've really sold the video game feel. I was very appreciative they did the lives count, non-player characters and skill tree. That being said this was a video game from the 90's and it felt too advanced for what many people would be playing. I would've like to see the characters battle against things like bugs in the game or boundaries in the play area. I would've like to see the world be like actual video games, where they exist only around the world of the characters. I really would've like to see them dive deep and utilize the video game feel to it's fullest potential.

Overall, I had a pretty good time with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. While it wasn't as creative as the first and I felt it could've dove deeper into some concepts and ideas, it was entertaining. I was really entertained by both Jack Black and The Rock. Watching them really play against type was exciting and felt like a breath of fresh air. Some of the CGI in the movie was extremely noticeable and distracting. I will recommend Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as it is a very funny and easy film to watch. I had a fairly enjoyable time with it. I am going to give Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle a B.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It Comes At Night Review

It Comes At Night is the story of  six different people and their story of survival after a tragic event begins to diminish the worlds population. It Comes At Night was written and directed by Trey Edward Shults and stars Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Riley Keough, Griffin Faulkner and Kelvin Harrison Jr.  I was very excited for this movie after seeing all of the trailers and marketing for this film. I was expecting and exciting and gripping thriller. One that would keep me on my toes and one have a strong sense of excitement. It's safe to say.. I was wrong, but in the best possible way. It Comes At Night was absolutely nothing like I thought it was going to be and that was honestly the best part about it. It was an unconventional and a gigantic risk, and that is what I think we need more of. This movie was genuinely creepy and had a lot of scenes that caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. I was enthralled in every scene of this movi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spider-Man:Homecoming Review *SPOILER FREE*

Spider-Man: Homecoming was directed by Jon Watts and stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr, Jacob Batalon and Civil War and is the story of Peter Parker learning to become Spider-Man. I am a huge Spider-Man fan, I loved the first two Sam Raimi films. Spider-Man 2 being one of the most important films I have seen. It was after Spider-Man 2 I wanted to start watching movies and learning as much as I could. So this was a movie that I was really excited to see but it had a lot of expectations to meet in my eyes. After seeing this movie, most of my expectations were met but a few were not. This was a really fun movie and one that I enjoyed a lot. I just found this movie to be a little underwhelming. Zendaya. It is the newest marvel film, and their first chance to make a Spider-Man movie. It takes place a few months after the events off But first let's take a look at the positives: 1. Tone - This was a true Spider-Man movie ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dunkirk Review

Dunkirk was directed by Christopher Nolan and was the dramatic depiction of the Battle of Dunkirk. It stars a wide variety of actors like Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles and Cillian Murphy. I was really excited to see Dunkirk , I am a fan of war movies and I think Nolan is a terrific director. After walking out of Dunkirk , I was really impressed. The whole premise of this movie is not what I thought it would be. I am used to getting the stereotypical war movie, Dunkirk was anything but that. It was innovative and gripping and chose to tell a really compelling story in the most creative way. This was a visual masterpiece. Let's look at the best parts: 1. The Production - This movie was unbelievably real in it's production. Nolan used as many practical effects as he could. It was constructed with real planes, real boats and real locations. Nolan didn't cut any corners in his portrayal of this battle. I was just...
1 comment
Read more