So I just watched Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I’ve made worse choices.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the latest attempt by Sony to reboot a beloved property and turn their film division into a financially viable entity. Jumanji WttJ fits squarely in the category of soft reboots that takes place in the same world as the original movie, but has nothing really to do with it outside of a few casual references.
The basic plot of this new film follows four high school kids who stumble on Jumanji while in detention. All the stereotypes are there. The jock, the nerd, the ditz, and the rebel (this time in the female Juno variety.) Through plot magic Jumanji is a video game this time and despite looking like a Famicom cartridge the main characters have to make their way through a crazy Uncharted-esque adventure.
The most notable thing about this movie is its dramatic departure in tone from the original film. While the first film was an action/adventure with some horror elements, this new film is first and foremost a comedy with action/adventure elements.
Honestly the comedy was kind of hit or miss for me. I liked the characters. The cast worked well and the interactions between them were the funniest parts. Jack Black in particular was a highlight because he could have easily been the most annoying, but I think he kept on the right side of that line. The humor that really fell flat for me was the video game stuff. They kept pointing out various video game tropes, but they didn’t seem to actually be saying anything. They just seemed content to throw out terms like “levels” and “cutscenes” and hoping that will be enough to get a laugh. Giving the characters extra “lives” did allow for some fun over the top deaths though which was fun.
I do wish there were some memorable monsters or dangers though. The villain was one note and forgettable. Also hippos and rhinos are not quite as interesting or scary as giant mosquitos or the giant man-eating plant.
Overall Jumanji:Welcome to the Jungle is a fun yet totally forgettable popcorn flick. I give Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 39 out of 65 cakes.
Stray Thoughts:
- No one does product placement quite like Sony. Sony phones all around. And I don’t care how nerdy someone is nobody has 2 fucking Last Guardian posters.
- Also fuck any movie where someone playing video games is saying all the moves they’re doing out loud. No one does that. It’s weird. Stop it.
- I agree. Having a penis is great