Plot:
"The legend of Jumanji continues as the game comes to life once again. In the new adventure, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan are pitted against stampeding rhinos, mambas, saber-toothed tigers, and a jungle full of traps and puzzles, forcing them to play the ultimate game of survival."
Review:
So remember what I just said in my last review about sequels? Well this one is a rare exception. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a SIGNIFICANT improvement over the original movie. I'm actually not sure if this should be called a sequel or a re-make, but I'm going with sequel just because it doesn't take the same form as the original movie. In all fairness, the original did come out way back in 1995 and starred the amazing Robin Williams - so expectations in comparison to this one need to be kept in check. However, I remember seeing the first Jumanji when it came out way back then (I was 11 at the time) - and even back then it was TERRIBLE. I loved Robin Williams but even as a child in the target age group I HATED this movie! I found it sooooo boring! The 2017 version is far from that!
I really loved how this movie tried to update the original and bring it into this century. There is even a nod to the original near the beginning. A man jogging on the beach finds the Jumanji board game in the sand and brings it home to his teenage son, who, as a video game addict, comments "who plays board games anymore?". So, the board game itself creates a video game version to bring more people into the game. And thus, this movie becomes relevant again.
First off let me say this was a PG movie, and there were a ton of kids in the theater when I went to see it. However, it has a lot of humour aimed at the adults in the room that would go right over kids heads. On top of that, there was some wearing throughout, which I heard several kids comment on. So if you are a parent planning on taking your kid to this, just be aware, this is not a G rated movie for a reason.
I think the thing that made this movie as good as it was, was the amazing casting. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) was hilarious in his roll, and no one can play a teenage girl trapped in the body of an old man quite like Jack Black! They kept me laughing throughout the entire movie!! There was plenty of kid humour and slapstick comedy, intermixed with jokes meant to keep the adults entertained.
On the down side, I found this movie to be a little long, especially for a movie aimed at kids. This one almost hit the 2 hour mark, and by 1 1/2 hours I found myself eagerly awaiting the end. Funny or no, it seemed to be unnecessarily long, especially given the simplistic plot. There were a few parts that could have been cut down or just plain cut out. It was also predictable - but I won't hold it against them as this WAS a kids movie.
I'm glad I saw it - it was fun and entertaining - however this isn't one I'll be likely to watch again.
Rating: 7/10 - if I were rating the original, I would have given it a 2, so this one is a huge improvement over that one. It just seemed to go on a little too long. If it had been 45min shorter I probably would have given it an 8.
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