JUMANJI, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE REVIEW: Not a Sequel, Not a Reboot, Just ‘Another Adventure’

I love board games. I really do. Ever since I was a weeeee sprog. I especially loved to catch the mouse-in-a-trap on Sunday afternoons. You know the family game! Right? ‘Mouse Trap’ and I excelled at it.

My town was small. Not too small. Next to the coast. Beaches and waves, no sharks, though. The town had a little cinema called ‘Hollywood’, it also had four picture rooms. When 1995 came along. There was only one movie on everyone’s lips. “Jumanji”

A fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston. It is an adaptation of the 1981 children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film was written by Van Allsburg, Greg Taylor, Jonathan Hensleigh, and Jim Strain and stars Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, a young Kirsten Dunst , and Bradley Pierce.   

When two kids Judy Shepherd (Dunst) and Peter Shepherd (Pierce) find and play a magical board game, they release a man Alan Parrish (the late but great Robin Williams) trapped for decades in it and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.

The premise blew everyone’s mind (well, all my friends!) Especially mine. And when I came out from watching the spectacular film, afterwards I wanted to be a part of that board game. I wanted to live ‘Jumanji!’

Celebrated director Joe Johnston packed heart, excitement, and laughs into the film, which also featured the late Robin Williams in one of his many memorable performances.

Fast forward twenty two years, and Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle is Not a Sequel, Not a Reboot, Just ‘Another Adventure’ in a possible series? Could be!

When the word first broke of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson starring in a brand new movie bearing the “Jumanji” name, many assumed the worst. I cried. )Well, a least shred a tear.) I was petrified that a classic kid’s film from my childhood would be ultimately ruined, forever!

There are sure to be purists who oppose any continuation of the Jumanji story on principle, and there are many who will support their case.

Panic over.

I was wrong.

Two Movies, Two Stories, Same Game!

The arrival of the updated Jumanji: ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ is a great leap in time and technology, and shows just how a great concept can work equally back in “1995′ as it does today.

It’s time for fans of the first movie to know how this new adventure actually connects. The simple answer is to say that since the first movie’s stars got the game though sheer luck, it may be the game itself who’s the real hero. And if that’s the case, then the board game has gotten a serious upgrade to the digital world of video games.

It’s for that reason that ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ has faced an uphill battle from the start, as devoted fans feared the worst. But after watching the new adventure, Culturedemandsgeeks has a much better grasp on what the studio, director Jake Kasdan, and the producers were seeking. Not just a property people love, embrace, and value. It’s a story brimming with, truly heart-warming content for 2018 children.

First and foremost… technology has changed, moved forward. The Director and Writers have adjusted the scripts. The speech and problems of teens today excel through the film. It’s a worthy embrace, and stretched to new limits.

Limits like a new cast, new story, new game, and new rules.

Just to be clear: the rule that says sequels or reboots to films like Jumanji always come up short may still stand. Fortunately for the cast and crew… that may not be what they’ve created here.

Powered by an in-form Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, this reboot would’ve made Robin Williams proud.

A large part of why this movie… succeeds… is the cast. Thanks to Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan, whatever reservations there might have been for a film so questionably conceived, are swatted away and roundhouse kicked into the bramble.

In a flip of the original film’s central conceit, a group of teenagers is sucked into the world of a video game they find while serving detention together. The nerd, the jock, the popular girl and the outcast are transported to the lush jungles of Jumanji — the same jungles in which Robin Williams’ character from the original movie was trapped for decades — where they are transformed into the fantasy versions of themselves. They go from being high school clichés, to being, well, video game clichés.

The nerd inflates into The Rock, the jock shrinks into Kevin Hart, the vapid girl suddenly looks like Jack Black, and the outcast transforms into Karen Gillan (in a shamelessly gratuitous outfit).

But it is with these stock characters and tropes that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle finds its footing, and makes astute observations about gaming culture.

Tasked with returning a magical jewel to the massive stone idol it was stolen from, the teenagers must learn to work together using the strengths and weaknesses inherent to their in-game avatars in order to return to the real world.

Excellent performances aside, there’s still quite a bit that separates the 2017 version of Jumanji from its predecessor, and the success of the film will likely depend on how audiences respond to those key differences (or how prepared they are for those differences).

The camera-friendly actors are more than capable of carrying a film individually, but instead of stepping on each other’s toes in Welcome to the Jungle, they play off one another expertly and make the scenes they share more entertaining together. Johnson and Hart’s chemistry was already a known commodity thanks to last year’s brilliant, Central Intelligence. With the addition of comedy veteran Black, Ex-Doctor Who companion, Gillan — who’s shown a knack for comedic timing in the Guardians films, makes the movie considerably funnier.

Flight of the Conchords actor and Kiwi-funnyman Rhys Darby pops-up. He plays the group’s initial guide to the world of Jumanji. He’s predictably funny, but the supporting cast of Welcome to the Jungle also leaves a bit to be desired. Poor Boardwalk Empire actor Bobby Cannavale is a forgettable villain with ill-defined magical abilities, and musician-turned-actor Nick Jonas doesn’t throw himself into his role as another teenage player stuck in the game with nearly as much gusto as his co-stars.

As far as sequels go, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a fun follow-up to the 1995 film that borrows from its predecessor without going the wholesale remake route. Thrown in are fresh storytelling elements, a talented cast of actors, but lacks the sense of genuine wonder.

It pays homage to Robin Williams, and Fills In The Gap in Alan’s First Jumanji Story.

In interviews, Dwayne Johnson was spot on when he said, “I don’t want to say too much about it, but I also don’t want to mislead you into thinking there’s some massive reveal, you know? I think we’ve laced it in in a way that I hope is clever. I certainly think [Robin Williams’] performance and the character are incredibly resonant, so we were very conscious of acknowledging his place at the top of Jumanji mountain.”

So there you have it: a continuation of the story from the first movie… so not a reboot or remake. But not following the same characters, or even the same form of the game… so not a sequel, either.

Fortunately for those who feared there would be almost no actual mention of Alan Parrish’s time with the game, we know that won’t be the case, either. Even now, Robin Williams stands as a giant in the Jumanji story.

The Jumanji sequel channels one of the most important elements of the original 1995 film that inspired it: It’s a great family film (just a little raunchy in places for youger viewers, that’s all!).

4/5 stars

Watch the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle movie review here