JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, four kids in present day high school are sent to detention – a brain, an athlete, a princess and a basket case – (the criminal was left out of the equation, replaced with a coward later in the movie). Comparison is instantly made to the movie The Breakfast Club (1985), where that phrase (brain, athlete, princess, basket case and criminal) originated. The Breakfast Club deals with the same high school emotions but presented in a much more intelligent way. In Jumanji, now a video game, not a board game, the brain becomes The Rock (Dwayne Johnson, Skyscraper), the athlete becomes Kevin Hart, the princess is Jack Black, the basket case is Karen Gillan (Avengers: Infinity Wars), and the coward, whose been there 20 years, is Nick Jonas. The bad guy (Bobby Cannavale) is a mean bad guy controlling animals and insects but he is not on screen enough to create any fear or real tension.

© 2017 Radar Pictures − All right reserved.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle The movie resorts to a lot of sophomoric conversations, first kiss, first hug, first comfort break, while they adjusting to their adult bodies and new superpowers. Lots of CGI action, but by 2/3 of the way through (1 hour) you are more interested to see how they will interact back in high school than you are watching them end the video game. Even though the jokes and actions are what you expected the actors stay in character as high school kids in adult bodies and there are constant jokes and mannerisms that make it amusing and enjoyable. A second sequel is scheduled for 2019.

Movie Details

Director

Jake Kasdan

Writer

Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Resenberg & Jeff Pinkner

Actors

Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Bobby Cannavale, Rhys Darby, Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Mason Guccione, Colin Hanks, Marc Evan Jackson, Carlease Burke, Tim Matheson, Sean Buxton, Missi Pyle, Maribeth Monroe, Marin Hinkle, Tracey Bonner, Natasha Charles Parker, Kat Altman, Michael Shacket, William Tokarsky, Rohan Chand, Juan Gaspard, Sylvia Jefferies, Danny Pardo, Natasha Mayet, Ruby Bustamante, Virginia Newcomb, Maiya Boyd, Jonnah-Blaine Bowling, John Archer Lundgren, Ted Williams, Najah Jackson, Maddie Nichols, Jamie Renell, Darian Baker, Sarah Fawaz, Max Ortiz Jr., William Walker, Tahseen Ghauri, Jemarko Jones, Daniel Salyers, Ashley Lonardo, Demetrice Nguyen, Jonathan Louis Ramos, Martin Feigen, Leeza Jones, Tad Sallee, Tyler Stormant, Cory Michael Peeler, Chrysta-Lyn Rodrigues, Ryan Baughman, Kevin Montgomery, Na Bil, Jeffery Clarke, Mario Fernandez, Stanislav Mruz, John Early, Lyric Jefferson, Friday Chamberlain

Runtime

1 h 59 min

Release Date

9 December 2017

Genres

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Overview

The tables are turned as four teenagers are sucked into Jumanji's world - pitted against rhinos, black mambas and an endless variety of jungle traps and puzzles. To survive, they'll play as characters from the game.