Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart reunite in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle for a fun-filled adventure [Review]
Jack Black and Karen Gillan also join the comedic duo for a reboot that stands up to its predecessor
(From left to right) Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black must get used to their new bodies.Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is guaranteed to make you burst into laughter at the actors' performances that bounce so well off of each other and achieve comedy gold.
Four teenagers - gamer nerd Spencer (Alex Wolff), gigantic jock Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), narcissistic pretty girl Bethany (Madison Iseman), and socially awkward prodigy Martha (Morgan Turner) - are cleaning the school basement for detention when they discover an old video game console with the game Jumanji.
As soon as they start it up, they are teleported into the game’s jungle setting and their avatars’ bodies. Lanky Spencer is now played by Dwayne Johnson, the formerly buff Fridge is now played by Kevin Hart, Jack Black plays Bethany, and Karen Gillan plays Martha. To beat the game, they must work together and complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses to make it back to the real world.
The funniest part of the movie is the teenagers being stuck in the game in a physical form the completely contradicts their reality. Their adjustment to their new bodies and to each other is hilarious.
For example, tough guy Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson again shows off his comedic side as the nerd who is amazed ... by his own huge biceps. Kevin Hart's (lack of) height is played up for laughs as the jock who's stuck in his avatar's body mourns the missing two feet of his formerly athletic body.
Karen Gillan (Nebula of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) channels Lara Croft and goes into female superhero mode as she reluctantly kicks butt even though the real her hates gym class. And Jack Black vamps it up for the camera as the social media-obsessed hot girl who's stuck in the body of an overweight middle-aged man, who's definitely not hot.
With action-packed challenges following one after another, there isn’t a single moment of boredom in Jumanji, but, as with most comedies, there’s no avoiding a few clichés or mediocre one-liners.
The story also isn't particularly meaningful or trying to teach any deep lessons, but there are still some takeaways if you look close enough. The most obvious one is, of course, YOLO! Which isn’t a bad thing to remember, especially when wrapped in a fun package.
Also, don’t worry if you can’t get tickets for the 3D show, you won’t be missing much as there weren’t many spectacular visual effects that require the full power of 3D technology. Save the money for some popcorn instead.
Edited by Jamie Lam