Movie Review - Jumanji: The Next Level: As humourless as it gets

Johnson Thomas

The first issue had famous comedic and action heroes pretending to be children, who were awed (or disgusted, as the case may be) by their new bodies and abilities. The kids in us might have just about enjoyed that albeit a bit vicariously.

This time around, though, the kids have become teens and their personas within the game, mix-up on occupations, but the change in personalities don’t stand-out as distinctively. There’s not much humour in Dwayne Johnson as Bravestone looking back on his Eddie (Danny De Vito), the grandfather reality. As an actor there’s not much he can do to mirror that existence.

Even Jack Black’s attempts to channel Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain) fall flat. As the group of four teens Spencer (Alex Wolff), Bethany (Madison Iseman), Martha (Morgan Turner) and football star Fridge head to Jumanji viz the old-fashioned tablet video game that transports them, it’s just not fun anymore. And the addition of Danny DeVito and Danny Glover as Milo, into the mash-up isn’t engineered well-enough to generate hysterics either. Their purpose here is merely to allow for an explanation of the game-playing (a pitiful attempt to get a newer audience inveigled) dutifully put forth by the younger team members.

It was fairly bearable when the four nerdy kids got transported to Jumanji and had a task to save that world within the three lives (in the first issue) but to think that teens today (even if they are troubled) don’t have anything better to do other than churn-out a fantasy objective in order to gain self-confidence - doesn’t sit well at all. And the adults in it make that sort of dysfunctional imagination seem weird.

The players brave the jungle, desert, mountains and dangerous animals in their bid to save the fantastical video game world of Jumanji- so in that sense Jumanji offers some new locations and plenty of digital chicanery fashioning its thrills. But it’s really not enough to keep you interested. The best thing that could be said about this film is that it’s harmless and doesn’t use offensive language to mine comedy. It’s another matter that the situations put forth are not comical at all!