Jumanji: The Next Level 2019
I was surprised by Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, probably helped by low expectations. However, with hopes raised, this movie is a little disappointing. As it started, I wasn’t even sure the real life characters were the same, so advancing their story seems kind of pointless (they are the same characters, now in college). Somewhat reluctantly, they go back to the game, accidentally bringing Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, who at their age bring a different perspective and give the avatars a chance to mimic old men instead of high school archetypes. It probably would have worked better without expanding the cast since it is kind of painful watching Dwayne Johnson mimic an old New Yorker, though kind of fun watching Kevin Hart try out Danny Glover. It feels a little more mechanical this time as characters lose their two lives and must not lose their third or else they will die in real life. Maybe give them a way of earning an extra life? Temporary powers? The video game aspect never made a huge amount of sense and again takes a backseat to just doing an adventure puzzle. The movie is still entertaining, just not particularly imaginative. A couple of the scenes are pretty good, especially one that adds some challenges to the classic crossing of a dilapidated rope bridge setup. Karen Gillian and Dwayne Johnson get some fun fight scenes, but other than that the movie is basically a quest with clues and an evil guy to defeat. The scenes in the end credits hint at another installment, which supposedly is in development. I was hurrying to finish the movie, which I had to return to Redbox, so I didn’t have time for the extras, though I’m not sure I was that interested.
Written: 11 Sep 2020
Owned on: Digital