I grew up with the original Jumanji with Robin Williams on VHS, and it has always been one of those films where if it is on, I have to drop everything and watch it. I was excited for this film and expected to be disappointed, but after watching Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, I have to admit that it was very clever and well-written. The humor was hilarious, the action and visual effects were great, and the story was simple but effective. There were many great parts of this film, and I honestly enjoyed it just as much as the original.
The best part of this film were the performances by Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, and surprisingly Jack Black. I only excluded Kevin Hart because his performance was mediocre and I have never been a huge fan of his. But Johnson and Black definitely stole this entire film. Even though they played their characters with the personalities of various high schoolers, they fit well for each individual character of the video game. The best performance, I would have to say, would be from Jack Black, to much surprise. As annoying as it was in the beginning, his embodiment of the stereotypical high school girl was spot-on. Another part of the acting that I really enjoyed was Karen Gillan's portrayal of the shy, yet clever high schooler. While I would typically have a problem with the only female character wearing skimpy clothing and having dance abilities, it actually helped to further her development very well. Putting that personality into that body contradicted each other, same as the others, but Karen Gillan's body was a great choice because it showed how her real personality changed to give her more confidence. Other aspects of this film that were great were the humor and visual effects. Since this blockbuster obviously features four A-list stars, some might think that would lead to a disaster of a film, especially since they spent all their money on casting. That is not the case however for this film, which had a cast that worked so well together in every scene. Because of the chemistry, none of the dialogue seemed forced or unnatural. The humor throughout this film was used very well, and kept the same borderline adult feel of the original film. While this is a film suited for children, it was still rated PG-13, and there was a plethora of adult humor to keep the entire audience entertained. Another great part of this film that was utilized well was the CGI and design of the jungle. The effects of the jungle animals and explosions were not overused or done in a hurry, which gave the film that extra sense of detail that worked exceptionally. While there was nothing special about the cinematography or editing, the effects and look of the jungle were gorgeous and it was obvious that there was an expert design department behind this movie.
The only thing about this film that I would personally change would be a few elements of the writing. Overall, the story was planned very well and nothing was out-of-the-ordinary. However, some aspects like the forced relationships and pacing were a bit strange. The relationship between Dwayne Johnson's character and Karen Gillan's character was odd, to say the least. This film technically passes the Bechdel test, which is a great plus, but Gillan's character's motivations were solely to impress and get her feelings out about Johnson's character. I feel this was unnecessary, but then again, this is a Hollywood blockbuster that followed some typical standards for making a movie. As for the pacing in the film, it simply felt awkward at times, and the writing in certain scenes did not help that. Some scenes were more focused on appealing to children and others to adults, but the transitions between them were not very smooth.
With great performances, beautiful effects and CGI, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a fun addition to this (now) continued franchise. The entire cast was great, including the performance by Nick Jonas as the stranded kid from the '90s. While the writing tended to stray off course and not focus on the main plot from time to time, it still managed to stay held together and provide an entertaining experience for old and new fans alike.
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