Leveling Up

Way back when, in the far away year of 2003, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” was released upon unsuspecting audiences. No one knew what to expect, considering it was based on an amusement park ride that was without a story or characters, and its lead actor was Johnny Depp, who was merely an artsy-fartsy character actor at the time, and not a proven box office draw. Needless to say, the movie blew away all expectations, turning out to be a legitimately well written, well acted, and well made movie. So naturally, Disney had to ruin it by making four sequels, each of lesser quality than the last, to the point the series is now in talks to be rebooted altogether. Fast forward to 2017, Sony decided to release “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”, and while it isn’t as iconic as “PotC: TCotBP”, it was another movie that people had very little expectations for, and yet became a huge hit. So naturally, a sequel was made. Did it fall into the same trap as “Pirates”? Let’s find out together.

Co-written and directed by Jake Kasdan, “Jumanji: The Next Level” takes place a few years after the events of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”. The then high school students, now college students Spencer, Fridge, Bethany, and Martha (Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner, respectfully) seem to be adjusting well to their lives after escaping from the board game turned video game version of Jumanji. However, Spencer still yearns to be like Bravestone, the heroic character whose body he controlled when trapped inside of the game. After a series of unfortunate events, the four friends, as well as Spencer’s grandfather, Eddie (Danny DeVito), and his former business partner, Milo (Danny Glover), are sucked into the video game. With the game now altered and glitching, they must find their way out once again.

I don’t usually start with what’s negative, but I think I have to here because of how dominant of a problem that it was, the biggest flaw with this movie is its long running joke about Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) and “Mouse” Finbar (Kevin Hart) having to act like they are possessed by old men. Yes, it’s funny at first, as they speak in old man voices, but as the movie progresses, it becomes tiresome and annoying very quickly, because they constantly have to be told what is happening and what the rules of the game are. In terms of storytelling, there is a point and life lessons to be learned from the Eddie and Milo characters and their story arcs, however, in terms of comedy, it falls flat after five minutes. While it was nice to see DeVito and Glover in a mainstream, studio produced movie for the first time in what feels like decades, they just weren’t properly used here, and as entertaining as Johnson and Hart can be, they just couldn’t carry this running joke for as long as they were made to.

On the flip side, Jack Black and Karen Gillan steal the movie once again as Professor Shelly Oberon and Ruby Roundhouse. With the video game glitching, the players switch avatar bodies from time to time, which allows Black to be even more hilarious than he was in “Welcome to the Jungle”. There are rumors that Black might be retiring from acting to focus on his music career, and this would be as fine a comedic performance to go out on than any other that he’s played. As for Gillan, she once again showcases the range that she has as an actress, coming across as a better Lara Croft as a parody of Tomb Raider than the actual Tomb Raider movie from a few years back.

Joining the cast are Nora Lum (I refuse to call her “Awkwafina”, because it’s stupid) as Ming Fleetfoot, an avatar of a master thief, and Rory McCann as the game’s new villain, Jurgen the Brutal. Nora Lum, while a welcome addition to the movie, doesn’t really have any standout comedic scenes. She does have a good joke every now and then, but they will only cause you to chuckle at best, where as Black and Gillan make you laugh out loud. Likewise, Jurgen the Brutal is just as bland of a villain as Van Pelt was in “Welcome to the Jungle”. Yes, he does have one scene where he gets to showcase how evil he can be, but he’s otherwise unimpressive. In all honesty, this movie could have benefitted from using less characters, not more.

The rest of the movie is perfectly serviceable. Most of the jokes land, outside of Johnson and Hart speaking in old man voices for longer than they needed to. The visual effects and set design are on par with what we saw in “Welcome to the Jungle”. We get new locations such as a desert, a forest, and snow covered mountain (does the game secretly take place on Tatooine, Endor, and Hoth?). The action is pretty good, and the best set piece involves a series of floating bridges for the avatars to get across. There’s some fun callbacks to “WttJ” sprinkled throughout as well. However, the character development falls flat, mostly because the four main characters already learned their life lessons in “WttJ”. You can tell this sequel was rushed into production and the writers didn’t think things through. Whereas with “WttJ”, we had a “Breakfast Club” style angle with four strangers learning about themselves and making new friends, this movie is just them going through the motions. The excuse for them to go back into the game is flimsy, and while the story arc between Eddie and Milo has a satisfying ending, it feels tacked onto a movie where it doesn’t really belong. On a minor note, some of the obstacles within the game are too conveniently solved compared to the previous movie. Oh, and because it’s a Sony movie, every electronic device shown is a Sony branded product. Lastly, there’s a cliffhanger ending that hints to another sequel, which will make you roll eyes.

Overall, “Jumanji: The Next Level” is a decent, entertaining movie that falls short of improving the formula from the previous film. I give this flick a solid three stars out of five. I wouldn’t recommend seeing it in theaters at full price, so use gift cards or theater memberships to get discounted tickets. If you want to wait to rent or own it on physical disc, by all means, do that, too. That concludes this fanpicked reviews. And remember, when it comes to the media that you consume, be like Indiana Jones, and choose wisely.

Short Version

Pros:

Great performances by Jack Black and Karen Gillan.

Fun action set pieces.

Cons:

New characters add little or nothing to the movie, and often drag it down.

Isn’t superior to the previous movie.

Verdict: *** (three out of five stars).