Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a surprise blockbuster in 2017. That was partly because of the nostalgia ‘90s kids had for the original, but it was largely thanks to the inspiration, wit, and charm of the performers and filmmakers. They took an old premise and breathed new life into it while also making a statement about gender identity and including a positive “Be Yourself" message. I don’t think anyone associated with Welcome to the Jungle dreamed it would’ve made over $400 million at the box office. However, when it came time to make Jumanji: The Next Level, it’s apparent the only thing they were dreaming about was the box office.
As a fan of Welcome to the Jungle, I am dismayed to report that Jumanji: The Next Level is a lifeless retread that lacks the heart, spark, and fun of the original. Video games usually get harder once you progress to the next level. I guess that’s true because The Next Level is particularly hard to get through.
The nerdy guy from Welcome to the Jungle goes back into the video game. Why? Because if he didn’t, we wouldn’t have a movie and Sony wouldn’t have another $400 million. His friends try to go back in after him, but problems arise when the kid’s crochety grandfather (Danny DeVito) and his former friend/business partner (Danny Glover) wind up in the game instead.
The movie has essentially one joke: The Rock doing an impression of Danny DeVito. Two, if you count Kevin Hart doing an impression of Danny Glover. It’s not a terrible joke, honestly as it’s somewhat amusing in the early going. However, the joke quickly gets beaten into the ground. It’s especially painful once you realize that’s the only trick the movie has up its sleeve.
Yes, other than that, it’s the same old shit. It’s made even worse by the fact that the adventure this time out is severely underwhelming. The set pieces are weak (stampeding ostriches, moving bridges, baboon attack, etc.) and the villain is a lame Viking/Barbarian guy who has nary a shred of menace. Things proceed to get repetitive about halfway through when everyone switches back into the same bodies they had in the first movie. From there on out, it REALLY feels like a cash-in.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse, the always annoying Awkwafina shows up. Then, once the body-switch thing happens, she becomes the Danny DeVito character, and things go further into the toilet. I mean, when The Rock did it, it was OK, I guess. However, once she cranks her already grating voice to match DeVito’s cadence, The Next Level goes to the next level of irritating.
The biggest bright spot: Karen Gillan is once again having a ball playing her Tomb Raider-style character. If any of the characters in the film deserve their own spin-off, it’s her because she steals many scenes out from under her co-stars.
I guess I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see the next one. The set-up for the sequel at the end certainly holds promise. At least, enough promise that I haven’t entirely written off the franchise… yet. Then again, if the sequel is just as bad (or worse) than this one, it might be Game Over.
Awkwafina is cool and not "annoying" in the least.
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