Four students get sucked inside a simulated jungle world in this sequel of a beloved franchise.
Four troubled teens head down to the principal's office for some disciplinary infractions. As their punishment and detention, Principal Bentley (Marc Evan Jackson) wants them to clean the school's basement. But after a little dusting and cleaning, they found themselves inside a video game.
In the real world, Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff) is a lean and awkward teen. But inside the game, he's the opposite. His avatar is Dr. Xander "Smolder" Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), a very strong archaeologist and explorer.
Anthony "Fridge" Johnson (Ser'Darius Blain) is a football player and Spencer's "former" best friend. Inside the game, he's Franklin "Mouse" Finbar (Kevin Hart). A diminutive zoologist and the backpack guy.
Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman) is a vain high school student who loves her phone so much. She transformed into Professor Sheldon "Shelly" Oberon (Jack Black). In the game, Sheldon is a male cartographer and an expert in many scientific fields.
Lastly, the shy and cynical Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) turns into Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan). The character is a trained commando and an expert martial artist.
Their mission is to return a jewel named the Jaguar's Eye to its proper place. This task will not be easy, as the world of Jumanji homes both dangerous people and animals.
"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is the sequel of the 1995 film starring Robin Williams. This story is set 20 years after the first one, and it features a new twist to the popular board game.
Honestly, it's a welcome change. The way it transformed from a board game to a video game console doesn't completely make sense. But the topic of video game simulation opens many possibilities.
Moreover, this sequel remains honest with the vibe and nature of the first film. It still packs in a lot of craziness. The movie sees the characters face off against rhinos, alligators, snakes, and jaguars. And like in the first film, the main villain is a callous and cruel man.
This sequel is an enjoyable film to watch. It's 119 minutes of pure action and adventure. Plus, the casts are all likable.
However, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" feels like it's suffering from an identity crisis. It's an action-adventure flick that wants to be a coming-of-age film. But with all of its style and gimmick, it's unnecessary to pull that off.
The film concludes in a safe and unsatisfying way, as well. Yes, there's definitely a character development there. Each character learned to use their strengths and weaknesses, albeit inside the video game. But outside the real world, that development remains a question. Did they really change for the better?
Anyway, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" is the perfect movie to watch during a lazy day. It's not a deep film, and it's pretty generic, to say the least. But all in all, it works just fine.
3/5
