“Why am I wearing half a shirt and short shorts in the JUNGLE?”
There’s always that one blockbuster film that comes out during the holidays. Some might think it’s Star Wars, but you’d be wrong. No, this year’s epic movie is none other than… Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Breaking the record for the most money earned in 2017, this film packs a Dwayne Johnson punch in this brand new blockbuster. Jumanji follows a group of young teens, who while forced to clean out the school basement, find a video game called Jumanji. Much like the 1995 Jumanji, this new game transports its players to a mystical place where they must fight to get back home.
The similarities between the original Jumanji and this new installment are few and far between. Personally I was never really a fan of the original one mostly due to the fact that it was just a little too odd for me. And as I watched this reboot of the mystical series, I surprisingly enjoyed the story that unfolded before me. The cast, famously made up of Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan, definitely brings their talents to this movie. It’s always a pleasure to watch both Johnson and Hart 
sarcastically make jabs at one another’s faults. However, it’s Black that really made many of these scenes funny. As the young teens cross the portal into Jumanji, each one of them is turned into a different video game character. Each one of them is matched to their gender, not necessarily their realistic physic, except for Black’s character. Black, who goes throughout this movie as a young teenage girl, adds to the amount of laughter. One part that I can think of where Black’s character offers to teach Gillan’s character how to be flirtatious with guys. The scene ends as expected, but not before adding a few laughs.
The movie, though humorous throughout, is not without faults. The middle of the film, where Johnson and his crew take over, is the meat and potatoes of the story, and rightly so. But it is so much so, the bookends of the story are lackluster and boring. The beginning and the end puts too much stock into a young high school melodrama. Thus overall adding to the major hiccup of the film.
But even with the flaws in the story, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle gives the audience a much deserved comedy with a fun adventure. If you’re looking for a mindless comedy to take you out of 2017, look no further than this movie.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Directed by: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan
Rating:
Little Movie Reviews 