'Jumanji: The Next Level' review: A fun ride that offers nothing new

The movie feels more like a rehash

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The plot of the original Jumanji (1995) revolved around a board game, which in the end gets thrown into a river by its central characters, vowing never to go near it again. Its 2017 version Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle—a sequel in spirit—shows the board game in its new avatar as a video game. Just like the first film, the central characters, after having reached the end of their adventure, swear never to go near the game again and destroy it. This movie with its memorable characters was a surprise hit.

The new sequel—Jumanji: The Next Level—opens with our favourite gang consisting of Spencer (Alex Wolff), Martha (Morgan Turner), Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) and Bethany (Madison Iseman) planning a Christmas reunion. They all have moved on into college during the time after the last film. Spencer, having not taken his college life well and his relationship with Martha being on a break, starts craving for ‘Jumanji high’. So after coming back home, instead of going to the reunion, Spencer reassembles the broken video game (which he must have gone back and retrieved). And he goes into the game alone. Having realised this, the others also go into the game to save Spencer. Surprisingly Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) who was living with his daughter (Spencer’s mum) while recovering from a hip surgery, and his old friend Milo Walker (Danny Glover) also get sucked into the game.

But due to the half-broken nature of the game, they do not get to choose the characters. Thus Grandpa Eddie ends up being Dr Smolder Bravestone—the strong, well-built archaeologist (Dwayne Johnson), Milo is now the zoologist ‘Mouse’ Finbar (Kevin Hart) and Fridge turns into the over-weight map expert (cartographer) Professor Shelly (Jack Black). Only Martha retains her avatar as the killer of men Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan). Gillan almost steals the limelight with her charming portrayal of the anxious and social clueless character. Awkwafina joins them as a new avatar. She is a breath of fresh air.

Jumanji: The Next Level also shows a growing bond between Bethany and Alex Wreak (Colin Hanks) who plays the avatar Seaplane (Nick Jonas) in the game. The role of the villain, though nothing new and interesting, is played perfectly by Rory McCann (remember Sandor 'The Hound’ Clegane).

The script, written by Jeff Pinker, Scott Rosenberg and Kasdan, fails to offer anything new. The movie feels more like a rehash—a mixture of Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones and several other video games like Mad Max. But the unexpected switch between the characters even inside the games gives room for more jokes.

A special mention should be given to Danny DeVito for his effortless portrayal of Spencer’s adorable Grandpa. He did much more than any of the other cast within his limited screen time. The movie, though not quite up to its 2017 prequel, is still a laugh-out-loud-worth watch.

Movie: Jumanji: The Next Level

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Heart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Jack Black, Awkwafina, Rory McCann, Danny DeVito, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman and Colin Hanks.

Director: Jake Kasdan

Rating: 3/5