Does new Jumanji reach next level?
Jumanji: The Next Level (PG, 123 mins) Directed by Jake Kasdan Reviewed by James Croot ★★★
‘It doesn’t get any better than this.’’ Grandpa Eddie’s (Danny DeVito) words were the final straw for Spencer (Alex Wolff).
Sifting through Fridge, Bethany and Martha’s social media feeds had left him feeling like they were living much better lives, while he’d struggled to make new friends and ends meet at New York University.
Now, having taken a break from his long-distance relationship with Martha, he wasn’t looking forward to having to see her again while home for the holidays. So, the morning before a planned catch-up at Nora’s Cafe, Spencer decides that, rather than face the real world, he’d prefer to escape back into Jumanji.
But, despite him having rescued the ‘‘magical’’ video console from being destroyed, it isn’t in the best of shape. That’s something the others discover when, concerned about Spencer’s welfare, they find it barely functioning in his basement.
Believing that the only way to rescue their friend is to go after him, they reluctantly re-enter the game. However, to their horror, they’re not only facing a whole new, even more difficult challenge, they also don’t get to pick the avatars and Grandpa Eddie and his old business partner Milo (Danny Glover) have been sucked into proceedings as well.
After the better-than-anyone-could-have-hoped-for Welcome to the Jungle, this third Jumanji feels like a slight step down, rather than The Next Level.
The returning writing trio of director Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg throw in some clever twists, new characters and a fantastic riff on the old passing-the-torch-to-a-new-generation trope.
There’s also some fabulous action set-pieces (this time involving everything from mandrills and rope bridges to a
Mad Max-esque ostrich attack), plenty of humour and a couple of terrific callbacks to the previous two movies. And yet, things just aren’t quite as engaging or entertaining this time around.
Maybe it’s because having Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart channelling grumpy old men begins to wear after a while, perhaps it’s due to the characters not really developing much secondtime around, or it could be a result of the film’s big bad – Jurgen the Brutal (Rory McCann, ‘‘The Hound’’ in Game of Thrones )– feeling rather one-dimensional.
It’s a slight shame because the central quartet of Johnson, Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black really do make for an effective actioncomedy team – former Doctor Who star Gillan is a real standout.
The Next Level apparently had one of the fastest turnarounds from filming to release in blockbuster history. Let’s hope, if there’s a next one, the makers take a little more time and care to ensure a truly memorable follow-up.