Jumanji: The Next Level (English): Movie Review

Wise Movie Reviews
Dec 14, 2019
2 min read

It is never a bad idea to invest in a franchise that has so much of nostalgia attached to it. The #RobinWilliams starrer #Jumanji (1996) was an absolute teenage fantasy for me that successfully combined thrill and fun. While #Zathura peddled the premise further, it was #DwayneJohnson's Jumanji that made it a compelling upgrade.

#Jumanji: The Next Level kicks off a year after its predecessor and qualifies to be a worthy sequel, promising bigger scale and entertainment that takes the hilarious awkwardness of the leading cast to the next level. Spencer (#AlexWolff), Martha (#MorganTurner), Fridge (#Ser'DariusBlain) and Bethany (#MadisonIceman) have gone separate ways and plan to meet up in Brantford. Spencer's relationship with Martha has turned sour, and he reminisces his old times and the relevance of Jumanji to make his life worthy.

While Spencer sets out to return to Jumanji without informing his friends, they also decide to get him back, and this time they are accompanied by Spencer's grand-dad Eddie (#DannyDeVito) and his frenemy, Milo (#DannyGlover). Unfortunately, they are unaware that the game has malfunctioned and has randomly assigned them different avatars from the predecessor film, gender-agnostic!

Martha is in the avatar of Ruby Groundhouse (#KarenGillan), Fridge is in the avatar of Professor Uberon (#JackBlack), Eddie is in the avatar of Bravestone (#DwayneJohnson) and Milo gets the avatar of Mouse (#KevinHart). Interestingly, there is a new character added in the game, namely, Ming Fleetfoot, the small and crafty avatar of Spencer (played by British rapper #Awkwafina). This time they have to fight their nemesis, a warlord named Jurgen the Brutal (#RoryMcCann of #GameofThrones fame).

Director #JakeKasdan, who has co-written the story with #JeffPinkner and #ScottRosenberg, nurtures the film's characters with a lot of heart and quirky frolic, sufficiently empowering them with clever lines. The conversations and banters between Eddie and Milo are particularly engaging and hilarious.

The film slowly emerges as a visual spectacle. It is larger and kaleidoscopic, spanning not only across the verdant jungles but also the sprawling deserts and snow-capped mountains. Kasdan injects tremendous energy in few sequences, especially the one in which the group is chased relentlessly by an incredible herd of ostriches. This scene, worth relishing, is probably the best in the enterprise. In the second half, the group engages in a frenetic escape from a horde of Mandrills at a series of suspended bridges. It is a compelling visual orgy that is powered by stellar VFX and CGI.

In the performance department, the film relies on #JackBlack's charismatic spontaneity and #DwayneJohnson's 'smouldering' intensity. Johnson also doubles up as one of the producers of this venture. #NickJonas as Jefferson (Alex's avatar) is earnest.

Jumanji: The Next Level promises a lot of thrills and emotions. The climactic fight is passe, routinely playing to the gallery and could have been more inventive. However, the film has its heart in the right place.