Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

The saddest thing about the new Jumanji isn't that it's a poorly made yawn that proves comedy directors simply aren't suitable material for shooting action or otherwise spectacular scenes, and the only thing that saves it is the casting of the central foursome of adults, with Jack Black in particular reigning supreme as a uniquely transgender character smuggled into a family film. Saddest of all is how the game of Jumanji itself has shifted from its promising origins. Whereas twenty years ago that board game gave us a breath of distant adventure in unexplored and dangerous wildernesses by confronting the protagonists with huge herds of game, giant insects, or quicksand, with the realization that some unspecified wilderness was out there close by, the new version brings us back down to earth. The reason is that this makes all too clear the end of unexplored lands, the end of experiences beyond the known, the end to bidding farewell to your doorstep, as the only way to begin a wild adventure is in an imaginary world in the body of an imaginary character, because there is nothing in the world left undiscovered and uncharted. The original Jumanji didn't particularly move me as a child, it didn't feel exhilarating, indeed the danger was tangible, much of the acting took place in a darkened attic full of old artefacts, the whole film was set sometime in a rainy fall, and the character of John Williams was essentially sadly tragic (he lost his entire childhood and adolescence somewhere on a white spot on a map...). This exuberant extravaganza poses no challenge to anyone, and it's tiresome as hell. (2018-03-21)

Okay, I wasn't expecting it, but surprisingly it was quite good. It was brisk, entertaining here and there, and well-paced from start to finish. I didn't even think the acting was bad, on the contrary everyone did a decent job. As a relaxing, no-frills follow-up to the 1995 film, it accomplishes what it's supposed to. A strong 3 stars. (2019-12-15)

I do not like to rate movies on the basis of comparison, but it can not be any other way with such calculated unoriginal remakes. The original Jumanji from the 1990s had, in addition to well-developed characters played by great actors, another great advantage, because the whole magical adventure stemmed from the conflict of these characters with horrific scenes emerging from a board game in the real world. In addition, it worked very well on both comedic and dramatic levels, and even had a naturally evolved villain, created by the tumultuous relationship between father and son. As for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, in short, well it is lacking all these things. The story has been updated and changed to a video game console, thus losing its magic, because in a video game, anything could happen really, and so the shock-value is lost. The plot is completely random, practically only going from point A to point B, and there is no room for a more powerful storyline, and the villain (Cannavale), is only an unnecessary obligatory device that could be completely omitted. The humor only comes from the basic premise of a weak nerd who finds himself inside an avatar of a muscle-man, a bimbo Barbie doll inside the avatar of a fat academic, etc. Actually, this is a terribly lazily designed remake. The only added value of the new Jumanji is that after watching it, perhaps more viewers will appreciate the original version with Robin Williams. (2019-12-04)

I was hoping it would turn out exactly like this. It was already clear from the trailers that the new Jumanji is not a very ambitious project, and that it would be ideal if it turned out to be a good two hours of fun. And that's pretty much what it did. Four classmates are transported into the world of the video game Jumanji, each taking on their own avatar and having to somehow make it to the end and survive. Of course, the whole thing stands and falls on the fact that the nerd looks like Dwayne Johnson and the self-centered beauty finds herself in the body of Jack Black. But it's actually quite enough. The quartet of stars are all tuned into the same wave, Kevin Hart only has his third role so he doesn't get to be overly annoying, and Jack Black is downright hilarious. There's just enough action, just enough humour and just the right amount of adventure to keep the 119 minutes running smoothly and still manage to learn some lessons. I don't expect to remember anything from the film in a few weeks, but I really enjoyed the two hours. Despite the visual effects, which are very sad to look at at times. (2018-07-27)

It does not hurt to give it a single watch, but the original film remains and will remain unsurpassed because its adventurous atmosphere has not been invoked or imitated by anyone else. It's also a shame that when it comes to humor, the new Jumanji benefits the entire time from just making the players and characters look completely different, and how they behave. Not that it doesn't lead to good comic situations, but there's too much going on, and it's more or less the same thing over and over, only with little changes. And when even the action scenes don't really dazzle you... It is average, but not terrible. (2017-12-25)