Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Is Fun, Entertaining, & Filled With A Charming Cast

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is entertaining and fun from start to finish. Directed by Jake Kasdan, this follow-up to the 1995 hit launches four detention serving teenagers from the same high school into the classic, cursed board game, now a video game.

Nerdy Spencer(Alex Wolff in the real world and Dwayne Johnson in the game), popular Football star Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain in the real World, Kevin Hart in the game), overachiever Martha (Morgan Turner in the real world and Karen Gillan in the game), and social media obsessed Bethany (Madison Iseman in the real world, Jack Black in the game) must work together to return the stolen gem and remove the curse from the world of Jumanji. The increasingly difficult levels of the game are not the only trials they face as they grapple with their real world labels while trapped in the game bodies, their own self-set limitations, and the reality they could be trapped in the game forever if they do not succeed.

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are, once again, comedy gold as ex-friends, Spencer and Fridge, now in opposite social positions in the game world. Johnson as the game’s lead, Dr. Bravestone has endless charm and Hart definitely had fun as Moose Finbar, Bravestone’s sidekick. Karen Gillan does well as the unsure Martha who is now the kick ass Ruby Roundhouse. Johnson, Hart, and Gillan bring to life the avatars while staying true to the teenager stuck inside the game.

Jack Black’s portrayal of Bethany turned into Professor Shelly Oberon is the standout. Black’s affectation and physical movements made the pretty teenage girl trapped in a middle-aged, overweight man’s body exceptionally enjoyable. Black is all in and it pays off. Nick Jonas is a fun, yet late, addition to the team as Seaplane McDonough, whose real life counterpart is a teenager who has been trapped in the game for 20 years.

Easter eggs from the 1995 classic are scattered throughout the film, which will please fans, both old and new. However, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle stands on its own. It’s ridiculously fun and filled with a lot of laughs that will leave viewers with a smile on their face this holiday season. One thing to note, the film is rated PG-13 for a reason, this is not a film for small children.

Source: B+