Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

This warm-hearted, adventurous and downright funny reboot is far, far better than it has any right to be.  Leave your cynicism at the door, and enjoy one of the best comedies of recent years.

Premise:  Twenty years after Alan Parrish attempted to destroy the magical Jumanji board game, four high school students discover that it has transformed into a retro console game.  But when they decide to play the game, they find themselves transported into the world of Jumanji, where they inhabit the bodies of the game’s heroic avatars.

Review:

Let’s be honest here – no one was crying out for a belated sequel to the fondly remembered 1995 Robin Williams film, Jumanji.  Most younger audience members today probably haven’t even seen the original film, and those that enjoyed it when they were growing up were probably worried that a reboot would trample over their childhood memories like a herd of stampeding rhinos.

The good news is, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is one of the best examples of a reboot/relaunch that I’ve seen in recent years.  It captures the spirit of innocent adventure that the first film had, then adds a whole additional level of humour to the mix, but without it ever descending into spoof or parody.  It’s also not really a “reboot” at all – there are several nods to the continuity from the first film that confirm this is a direct sequel to the Robin Williams film (in fact, the opening shot of the sequel picks up immediately from the closing shot of the original).

“…the casting in this film is utterly inspired…”

I think a lot of the credit for the success of the film should probably go to the screenwriters, because as great as the cast is (and they are great), they have a fantastic script to work from.  Weaving together the mythology from the first film, with pop culture and gaming references to reflect the game’s evolution from board game to console game, while also coming up with a genuinely entertaining family-friendly adventure, is no easy task.  Add to that the script’s ability to flesh out three-dimensional and engaging characters from what could have so easily been a bunch of walking clichés, and its razor sharp comedy dialogue, and you can see why the film was such a surprising success.

Of course, many a good script have been let down by poor performances, but the casting in this film is utterly inspired.  Dwayne Johnson plays the avatar “Smolder Bravestone”, which is inhabited by nervous teenage hypochondriac Spencer Gilpin (played in the real world by Alex Wolff).  Playing Spencer in the body of “Smolder Bravestone” allows Dwayne Johnson to play against type to great comedy effect, as the anxious Spencer is as far removed from Dwayne Johnson’s usual film persona as you can get.  Kevin Hart plays the avatar “Franklin Finbar”, which is inhabited by high school football jock "Fridge" Johnson (played in the real world by Ser'Darius Blain), and again, the role reversal when the football star is relegated to sidekick is mined for full comedic effect.

“…has a lot of heart, with some genuinely emotional & heart-warming scenes…”

Jack Black then plays the avatar “Sheldon Oberon”, which is inhabited by the popular but self-centered Bethany Walker (played in the real world by Madison Iseman).  Seeing Jack Black play a teenage girl could so easily have come across as crass (as anyone who remembers Rob Schneider in The Hot Chick will confirm), but Jack Black’s performance is actually both humorous and strangely sweet.  Rounding out the main cast is Karen Gillan playing the avatar “Ruby Roundhouse”, a kick-ass action heroine who is worlds removed from the shy intellectual Martha Kaply (played by Morgan Turner in real life) who inhabits her.  The scene where Bethany, in the body of “Sheldon Oberon”, is trying to teach Martha, in the body of “Ruby Roundhouse”, how to flirt to distract some guards is one of the comedy highlights of the year.

All of the cast not only have fantastic comedy moments in their own right, but they also have great comedic chemistry together.  But this isn’t all about the comedy (although it is really funny), as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle also has a lot of heart, and there were some genuinely emotional and heart-warming scenes.  The film is rated 12A, and does contain some (mild) bad language and some action scenes that may be too intense for younger viewers, but for the most part, this is a very family-friendly adventure comedy, that should appeal to (slightly older) children and adults alike.

Proving that a fondly remembered, but arguably dated, film can be successfully relaunched and updated for modern audiences, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a hugely pleasant surprise.  Whilst I had no interest in seeing a Jumanji sequel when it was first announced, having thoroughly enjoyed Welcome to the Jungle so much, I already can’t wait for the just-announced third instalment.