‘Jumanji’ sequel delivers stars, goodhearted fun
More than two decades after Robin Williams conquered “Jumanji,” that pesky board game has been resurrected with more and glossier stars ( Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black), a comedy director and a “modern” twist.
The result, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” is a very sweet and generally entertaining body- swap lark with some nice messages about being, and believing in, yourself.
Why it had to be “Jumanji” is the headscratcher. Even speaking as someone who was 12 when the original came out, and genuinely enjoyed the Joe Johnston- directed adventure and the fantasy of being swept up in a board game come-to-life, the idea that a die-hard “Jumanji” fan base exists, or that the “brand” is so solid that it needs a reboot, seems dubious.
The only reason I bring it up here is because Jake Kasdan’s “Welcome to the Jungle” spends a fair amount of unnecessary time justifying how it is connected to “Jumanji,” including how the original book and film had evolved into a video game by 1996.
The film’s conceit is that when you’re transported into the game, you are suddenly a character in it — in body, voice and skill set, but with your earth- bound personality intact. This is how a group of mismatched teens — the nerdy, shy Spencer (Alex Wolff), the football player Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), the superficial popular girl Bethany (Madison Iseman) and the too-smart for gym-class Martha ( Morgan Turner) — transform into avatars played by Dwayne Johnson (Spencer), Kevin Hart (Fridge), Jack Black (Bethany) and Karen Gillan (Martha).
It’s a role reversal for everyone: The nerdy girl is hot now (and scantily clad); the hot girl is a soft, middle-aged man; the skinny guy is The Rock; and the big football player is now tiny and wimpy. They all have to go through the stages of learning to accept their new bodies, talents and shortcomings.
There is, of course, a lot of comedy in these situations — Spencer admiring his new muscles and Bethany getting used to her new anatomy, among them. All the main actors/avatars are great at imitating the facial expressions of their teenage counterparts, especially Johnson and Black. And how can you argue with a bunch of movie stars acting goofy and hawking a “believe in yourself” message?
But there are some odd choices, especially around Gillan’s Martha, who is costumed in nearly nothing (surely as a sendup of what female characters usually wear in video games). There’s also a plotline that hinges on her learning from Bethany how to flirt ( because they all decide that flirting with the badguy security guards is the only way to get past them). Maybe it’s all in good fun, or maybe at least one of the four credited screenwriters should have been a woman.
Still, the surface pleasures of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” are enough for a fun afternoon at the movies during the holidays.