In true Jumanji style, Harry and I have teamed up for this review. Hope you enjoy reading it.
Jumanji: The Next Level was directed by Jake Kasdan and is the follow up to 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle. This time round we’re reunited with Spencer, Fridge, Bethany and Martha a year later. The quartet have all parted ways and gone off on their own adventures but when Spencer fails to show up for a planned reunion at Christmas, Fridge, Martha and Bethany are shocked to find out that spencer has re-entered the video game Jumanji and they have to go in and rescue him. However, when they find out the game is broken and that Spencer’s grandad Eddie and his friend Milo have ended up in the game and Bethany has been left behind, the rescue mission descends into chaos. Forced to play the game and to find Spencer they reluctantly once again begin to play Jumanji.
Cineworld offered a weekend of advanced screenings for Jumanji, a film that I have been eagerly anticipating. I went in with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed. Jumanji: The Next Level is just as fun and action-packed as the first. The stakes are higher, the levels are harder and there is no chance of getting bored. I loved the first one due to the absolutely brilliant performances, I mean who would have thought that Jack Black would successfully be able to pull of a teenage girl trapped inside the body of a middle-aged man within a videogame. The performances in this are just as good, Karen Gillian and Jack Black are still the clear standouts but everyone does a brilliant job at playing multiple people. This film is elevated by the addition of the incredible Awkwafina (who you may know from Ocean’s 8 and Crazy Rich Asians), she is phenomenal as every character she needs to impersonate and there is a clear division between them all. The comedy in this film is also very good and most of the jokes land. The main gag throughout the film is the idea of two old men being trapped in a video game and the high jinks they cause and I would be surprised if you don’t find this hilarious. For me, the characters did seem a little cheesy, but overall, not only did they have a wide variety of personalities, but they were also really exciting and enjoyable - due to the varying relationships and dialogue that they share with each other - they do feel really unique too which I like. Each character has their specific 'gag' which they are known for, and it works well, especially given that the characters each have a set of abilities, which makes them feel just a little more unique and personal for us. The choice to give the characters new abilities in comparison to the first film also feels good, because it helps to bring a level of consistency to the series, whilst providing something new for both fans and cinemagoers alike. Even though Danny Devito at first doesn't necessarily feel like he belongs here, I like how he slowly yet surely merges into his role, the slapstick comedy at the start is funny, yes, but the combination of this and the emotions at the end helps to round him, and everyone else off as fairly strong and engaging characters.
There are a few jokes however that are very clearly targeted at the children in the audience and I personally didn’t find them as funny but overall the film is hilarious. One of my favourite elements of the film surrounds the challenge aspect of the film, similarly to the game type plot, the characters face a series of 'levels'. Not only do these levels help to provide a fresh and unique spin on the different sections of the film, but it is also key to keeping the film feeling interesting, and helping to contribute to the underlying theme and feeling as the film progresses. The overall plot actually feels really exciting though, like I previously said, the aspect of the level keep the film feeling exciting and fresh, whereas it also gives us a good sense of progression too - this also ensured that the film felt smooth and well transitioned, essentially splitting the film into different parts and this felt really smooth which had a really positive effect of actually making the film really simple to understand in terms of context and story. There are a lot of immersive and exciting locations too, from dangerous rain-forests to mountaintop castles and everything in between - these locations are key to keeping the film feeling engaging, especially since we are taken through a variety of different ones and each one helps to breathe something new into the film. Jumanji has a tricky line to walk. Adventure/Comedy is a tough sell, yet Jumanji manages to craft a rollicking good adventure with action and peril, while never completely abandoning the humour. There are of course a fair amount of cheap shots and pratfalls, the movie does feature Jack Black after all. However there's a lot of smart jokes, and humour that doesn't rely on the lowest common denominator. Throughout the film, there's a lot of heart, exploring interpersonal relationships against the backdrop of the adventure and ends with a genuine punch the air moment. The actual storyline is just fun and engaging to watch too, from seeing the characters escaping from swarms of mandrills in a series of fast and quick cut scenes, to slower and much more immersive scenes such as the quiet and stealthy mission at the first level - this combination just helps to provide a little bit of everything, and this comes together well and really makes the story feel enjoyable.
As I said this film is brilliant but there are a couple of things that if I were being picky I could say weren’t so great. The CGI used in the film is very obvious at times more so than it was in the first film. Now I’m unsure if this was a stylistic choice as the game is supposed to be broken but it was rather distracting in places. My other criticism is that (and this isn’t a spoiler as it is in the trailer) Dwayne Johnson struggles at times to maintain the impersonation of Danny DeVito’s character. The main issue was the accent but as the film goes on it improves and in the end is not so bad. However, it could have been better and is made to sound worse due to Kevin Hart’s brilliant vocal impersonation of Danny Glover who plays Milo. I also personally thought there was far too much focus on Eddie and Milo’s friendship more specifically why they fall out. As characters that were introduced in this film, I struggled to find a connection to them and while somewhere moved by the outcome of their story I was personally unaffected. I personally would have preferred to focus on why Spencer went into the game again. One of the other main problems from my perspective (Harry) is that, since I didn't see the original film(s), I felt fairly confused as to who was who when they changed into the game, and even more so when they changed again - I really don't feel like the film accommodates new viewers very well at all, especially given the vast array of inside jokes (presumably from the other films) which just felt confusing and strange to me.
Overall, I would give Jumanji: The Next Level a 7/10 as it is a fun, action-packed adventure with pure charm and wonderful performances. I would recommend seeing this film if you've seen the first, however, if you haven't then it might be worth checking out the trailers and seeing what you think, especially given the poor level of attention to engaging and involving new fans into the ecosystem of the film, nevertheless it's a fun film with plenty to offer, and its characters feel enjoyable, quirky and exciting too, which makes them fun to watch.
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did watching the film and writing this review, I hope you have a lovely day! If you would like to check out my Official Facebook page where you can see sneak previous and more film insights then please consider checking out the link below!
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