“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” had the honor of being the last movie I saw in theaters in 2017 and I’m glad to say it was a really enjoyable experience. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from “Jumanji” considering I never watched the original with Robin Williams.
It always seemed to miss my radar but with Hollywood’s recent trends of reboots I didn’t think it would be too necessary to watch the original and it seems like I was right. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” ended up being one of the best video game movies I’ve seen in a long time despite not being based on an actual video game. The movie handled video game mechanics and tropes so well, from cutscenes to special attacks and character stats.
The main “gimmick” of the movie is the fact that big-name actors like The Rock, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan have to essentially play high school students. “Jumanji” centers around four high schoolers stuck in detention who later find themselves trapped inside the video game world of Jumanji and they take the form of the avatars they chose beforehand. The best joke of the trailers and easily the best running joke of the actual movie is that the popular, blonde teenage girl gets transported into Jack Black’s body.
The two standouts in the cast are Karen Gillan and the man, the myth, the legend Jack Black. Karen Gillan, who looks like a kickass action heroine has to play the shy, timid and awkward girl.
It’s this contrast between looks and personality that works so great in this movie, it’s easy for an action star to just go through the ropes and play the action hero role but it’s another thing to challenge yourself and convey that you’re a scared high school student with your voice and mannerisms.
I think Kevin Hart got the easiest job here, he essentially just plays himself. The Rock does a great job at playing a dorky “nerd”-type character while also poking fun at the fact that he looks like the most muscular and confident man in all of the video game world.
Jack Black, though. Jack Black kills it in this movie, I’ve seen people unironically say that they hope he gets an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens. He captures the mannerisms of a cell phone-obsessed, self-absorbed teenage girl.
From his first line “Where’s my phooonnnneee?!?!?” to his more dramatic moments near the end of the film, Jack Black brings everything he has to this role. The trailers are a great introduction to what his performance has in store but there are so many more great moments with him throughout the movie.
The story isn’t anything remarkable but it was simple and easy to follow which is all you could really ask for. The villain is completely forgettable and boring but a compelling villain wasn’t exactly what I was looking forward to when buying a ticket. The main attraction is the body-swap scenario the four main characters find themselves in and it works so strongly that it excuses any faults in plot or in the depth of secondary characters.
Nick Jonas is also in this movie and he’s one of the aspects I thought didn’t work too well. His character is introduced way too late and the movie seemed like it was struggling to catch you up on his backstory once it’s established that he’s sticking around as a main character.
All things considered, I was pleasantly surprised with how “Jumanji” turned out. It wasn’t at all in my “most anticipated movies of 2017” list but it’s interesting to see how well it’s performing at the box office, even beating out “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” on New Years weekend!
Never underestimate the power of The Rock, I only see this movie earning more and more box office dollars once word of mouth about Jack Black playing a teenage girl spreads. That performance alone is a good enough reason to head to theaters and watch “Jumanji” while it’s still out.
