Jumanji: The Next Level

Among the surprise movie outcomes from 2017, the Sony hit that nobody expected to be as good as it turned out to be was Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The quality allowed it to be a good competitor during the holiday season in December against foes such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Greatest Showman to the point where it almost made a billion dollars. It was one of the few times where Dwayne Johnson would play a role that's different from what he's used to (basically him not being himself for once). The box office success eventually lead to a sequel being made, which brings us to Jumanji: The Next Level. The marketing campaign brought in some anticipation considering how popular the previous one was but sequels tend to be problematic and can end up turning in the quality people thought the other movie was going to have. It's a funny coincidence that this is being released at the time of another Star Wars film but had even more competition during the holiday season. I entered the auditorium ready for some silly fun and left it glad I checked it out but noticed more issues this time.

What's it about? Taking place 3 years after the events of the predecessor, the story follows the group of friends, along with 2 newcomers, trapped in the titular game again with new challenges and foes. It does follow a retread of the plot structure from before but altered enough to be distinct from it. The reuniting of high school friends currently in college is a nice detail to show some kind of grow they've held onto from their past adventure. The action sequences are an improvement in this journey where it feels like expanding on the over-the-top nature of a video game challenge. There's even a nice new addition featured later in the story that was cool to explore a little.

For all of its positives, there are some sequel problems that come to hurt the experience. The squabble between the newcomer characters is contrived and doesn't feel as investing as the other characters. The humor is more hit or miss with the writing and it's more noticeable. The gimmick of the video game avatars loses the luster during third act where it wears out its welcome.

How are the actors? In regards to the main cast, the standout actors to focus on are Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillian. They fair the best in their own comedic performances for the roles that are asked of them in their respective characters. As for the new additional actors, an honorable mention goes to Awkwafina for some of her humorous contributions. A dishonorable mention Dwayne Johnson for struggling as the old man controlling this playable avatar (including an iffy accent).

Overall Consensus: Jumanji: The Next Level maintains the silly fun tone to entertain with some solid action sequences and good performances but struggles due to hit or miss humor and weaknesses in the story. ⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟 Runtime: 2 hours 3 minutes PG-13

Reasons to watch it: You are a fan of the aforementioned actors. You don't mind a silly popcorn action blockbuster. You have seen Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and enjoyed it.

Reasons to avoid it: You aren't a fan of the aforementioned actors. You are bored with silly popcorn action blockbusters. You have seen Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle but didn't enjoy it.