Jungle japes missing previous animal magic
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was far more entertaining than it had any right to be.
A hit with audiences and critics, the 22-years-in-the-making sequel took home staggering global box office takings of $962 million – despite being up against Star Wars: The Last Jedi in the festive market.
Two years on, The Next Level is once again competing with the latest entry in the galaxy far far away’s saga.
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black return with cast newbies including veterans Danny DeVito and Danny Glover.
As well as the overarching sense of adventure, the highlight of its predecessor was the playingagainst-type leads as the quartet’s characters found themselves trapped in polar opposite avatars within the titular game.
While it’s fun to see Johnson and Hart embody DeVito and Glover respectively, the gimmick doesn’t work quite as well second time around.
That’s true for much of the sequel itself as returning writerdirector Jake Kasdan struggles to fill out the full two hours.
We spend less time in the gaming world than in Welcome to the Jungle and as nice as it is to see DeVito and Glover back in the big screen limelight, their characters are gifted too much screen time.
I can’t say I remember balking at the previous film’s CGI but there are a few dodgy special effects here that take you out of the moment.
But throughout any flaws the cast pull you back in and once again prove to be one of the best blockbuster ensembles put together in recent years.
Special mention also has to go to Crazy Rich Asians’ star Awkwafina (Ming) who very nearly steals the show.
The Next Level doesn’t live up to its name but if you’re looking for harmless family fun ahead of Santa’s arrival, swing on by to this sequel.
Gerard Butler continues to deliver a fully committed turn as Secret Service agent Mike Banning.
But this is a series that really didn’t need to go as far as a third entry, with its lazy on-therun plot.