With the notable exception of the hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Last Jedi, my favorite movies from this holiday season have come from unexpected places. I thought I would fall in love with Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok and Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, but instead, I found myself enamored by something like Stephen Chbosky's sweet, moving Wonder. While I wish that I had liked those other films more, I can't deny the pleasure that comes with an unexpectedly great movie. And luckily for all of us, Christmas 2017 has gifted us another cinematic surprise- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. I was born after the original Jumanji became a hit, and as a result, I have no nostalgia or fond memories of that Robin Williams vehicle. The trailers for Welcome to the Jungle seemed to sell another mediocre outing for The Rock, and the fact that Sony was distributing gave me no confidence whatsoever.
But what could have been a tired and cynical cash grab ends up being a genuine blast of fun, a rip-roaring kids movie equipped with an adventurous sensibility and a welcome (though sometimes obvious) focus on character. The basic conceit is a simple and familiar one- nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff), football star Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), self-obsessed Bethany (Madison Iseman), and reserved Martha (Morgan Turner) are four radically different teenagers who all end up in detention one Friday afternoon. While removing staples from old magazines, Spencer digs up Jumanji, which has evolved into a video game (this is depicted in a prologue that eventually loops into the story later). The other three reluctantly agree to play, choosing avatars that they think best match their respective personalities. But they get much more than they bargained for when the game sucks them into its world, transforming them into the avatars they chose.
As a result, Spencer turns into the muscular Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), Fridge becomes weapons valet "Mouse" Finbar (Kevin Hart), Martha changes into the awesome Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), and Bethany swaps genders to become the pudgy Dr. Shelley Oberon (Jack Black). Together, each player will have three lives in their quest to save Jumanji from the nefarious Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale), who has stolen a precious green stone from the Jaguar-shaped mountain that watches over the land.
Welcome to the Jungle is utterly devoid of narrative complexity, and to be honest, that's a rather large part of its charm. The characters have clear and explicit objectives, and the film operates with a kind of video game logic that keeps it from ever feeling convoluted or needlessly intricate. At its worst, director Jake Kasdan and the four screenwriters spoonfeed information and exposition to the audience in a way that feels a little too obvious, creating an unfortunate level of predictability. But those occasions are few and far between, as they quickly settle into a groove that allows for the characters and the humor to shine, giving the film a spirited sense of fun that is as unexpected as it is charming. Despite the PG-13 rating, which comes courtesy of a few bodily jokes that are actually quite amusing, this is a movie clearly made with kids in mind, and it feels delightfully old-fashioned in a way that serves as a welcome change of pace in this cinematic climate.
Aspects of Jumanji can seem like easy targets at times, but the film pulls off a difficult juggling act between its two core casts that ends up being pretty impressive. Since these characters are each played by two actors over the course of one film, the changes that occur in one story have to carry over to the other. Kasdan accomplishes this with ease, and that's mostly due to the fact that he's working with a talented group of individuals. The young cast is terrific, and they have a natural rapport with one another that really works. The actors playing the avatar versions of the teens do most of the heavy lifting, and they're all clearly having a great time. The Rock has made a deliberate attempt to expand his image in comedic films like Central Intelligence and Baywatch over the last few years, but with Jumanji, he finds his best opportunity yet and seizes it without hesitation. Kevin Hart isn't exactly broadening his horizons with his performance here, and yet I found myself entertained by his character at every moment. Jack Black is a glorious scene-stealer as the flirty Bethany, and even though Karen Gillan has appeared in major franchises in the past, this may well be her breakout role.
Jumanji doesn't really have much of a message, nor does it contain a whole lot in terms of compelling themes. Normally this would cause me to be a bit more discerning, but the pure entertainment value of this adventure is just too much to deny. The balance between the splashy, vibrant setpieces and the witty banter is impeccable, and the film moves with a kind of momentum that few filmmakers can create this effortlessly. And even though I was able to instantly predict a key plot point, Kasdan drives the film into some surprisingly emotional and strange territory, leaning into the trippy, surreal nature of Jumanji and producing some clever results.
Welcome to the Jungle is simple yet satisfying, a joyous and thrilling film that works as both a teen comedy and a classic adventure story. It's the rare movie that benefits from low audience expectations, allowing for Kasdan and his excellent cast to blow our pre-conceived notions out of the water. It's 119 minutes but feels like half that, paced to perfection and told with a straight-forward clarity that stands in sharp contrast to much of Hollywood's blockbuster output. It never reinvents the wheel, but did anyone expect it to do so? It's a wonderful holiday treat, both surprising and engaging at every turn. If you've had your fill of Star Wars, Jumanji is a downright terrific time at the theater.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (7.8/10)
Images courtesy of Sony
But what could have been a tired and cynical cash grab ends up being a genuine blast of fun, a rip-roaring kids movie equipped with an adventurous sensibility and a welcome (though sometimes obvious) focus on character. The basic conceit is a simple and familiar one- nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff), football star Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), self-obsessed Bethany (Madison Iseman), and reserved Martha (Morgan Turner) are four radically different teenagers who all end up in detention one Friday afternoon. While removing staples from old magazines, Spencer digs up Jumanji, which has evolved into a video game (this is depicted in a prologue that eventually loops into the story later). The other three reluctantly agree to play, choosing avatars that they think best match their respective personalities. But they get much more than they bargained for when the game sucks them into its world, transforming them into the avatars they chose.
As a result, Spencer turns into the muscular Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), Fridge becomes weapons valet "Mouse" Finbar (Kevin Hart), Martha changes into the awesome Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), and Bethany swaps genders to become the pudgy Dr. Shelley Oberon (Jack Black). Together, each player will have three lives in their quest to save Jumanji from the nefarious Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale), who has stolen a precious green stone from the Jaguar-shaped mountain that watches over the land.
Welcome to the Jungle is utterly devoid of narrative complexity, and to be honest, that's a rather large part of its charm. The characters have clear and explicit objectives, and the film operates with a kind of video game logic that keeps it from ever feeling convoluted or needlessly intricate. At its worst, director Jake Kasdan and the four screenwriters spoonfeed information and exposition to the audience in a way that feels a little too obvious, creating an unfortunate level of predictability. But those occasions are few and far between, as they quickly settle into a groove that allows for the characters and the humor to shine, giving the film a spirited sense of fun that is as unexpected as it is charming. Despite the PG-13 rating, which comes courtesy of a few bodily jokes that are actually quite amusing, this is a movie clearly made with kids in mind, and it feels delightfully old-fashioned in a way that serves as a welcome change of pace in this cinematic climate.
Aspects of Jumanji can seem like easy targets at times, but the film pulls off a difficult juggling act between its two core casts that ends up being pretty impressive. Since these characters are each played by two actors over the course of one film, the changes that occur in one story have to carry over to the other. Kasdan accomplishes this with ease, and that's mostly due to the fact that he's working with a talented group of individuals. The young cast is terrific, and they have a natural rapport with one another that really works. The actors playing the avatar versions of the teens do most of the heavy lifting, and they're all clearly having a great time. The Rock has made a deliberate attempt to expand his image in comedic films like Central Intelligence and Baywatch over the last few years, but with Jumanji, he finds his best opportunity yet and seizes it without hesitation. Kevin Hart isn't exactly broadening his horizons with his performance here, and yet I found myself entertained by his character at every moment. Jack Black is a glorious scene-stealer as the flirty Bethany, and even though Karen Gillan has appeared in major franchises in the past, this may well be her breakout role.
Jumanji doesn't really have much of a message, nor does it contain a whole lot in terms of compelling themes. Normally this would cause me to be a bit more discerning, but the pure entertainment value of this adventure is just too much to deny. The balance between the splashy, vibrant setpieces and the witty banter is impeccable, and the film moves with a kind of momentum that few filmmakers can create this effortlessly. And even though I was able to instantly predict a key plot point, Kasdan drives the film into some surprisingly emotional and strange territory, leaning into the trippy, surreal nature of Jumanji and producing some clever results.
Welcome to the Jungle is simple yet satisfying, a joyous and thrilling film that works as both a teen comedy and a classic adventure story. It's the rare movie that benefits from low audience expectations, allowing for Kasdan and his excellent cast to blow our pre-conceived notions out of the water. It's 119 minutes but feels like half that, paced to perfection and told with a straight-forward clarity that stands in sharp contrast to much of Hollywood's blockbuster output. It never reinvents the wheel, but did anyone expect it to do so? It's a wonderful holiday treat, both surprising and engaging at every turn. If you've had your fill of Star Wars, Jumanji is a downright terrific time at the theater.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (7.8/10)
Images courtesy of Sony
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