If you were born in the 1980s and were an English-film buff, it is highly unlikely that you haven't seen the 1995 action-adventure film Jumanji, based on the eponymous illustrated children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg. Director Joe Johnston’s Jumanji was a dramatic narration of the adventures of Alan Parrish (Williams) who gets trapped in a board game until a young brother-sister duo played by Bradley Pierce and Kirsten Dunst release him, and team up with him and his childhood friend Sarah Whittle (Bonnie Hunt) to end the game and reverse the damage. Though the film was not very well received by the critics, it performed extremely well at the box office.
Twenty-two years later, a sequel Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle revisits the cursed board game, which over time has assumed the form of a remote-controlled video game. And that's where the comparison ends; Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an independent attempt based on the same concept.
In a prologue set in 1996, an abandoned Jumanji game is found on a beach and comes into the hands of a teenager, who, fascinated by the sound of drums coming from the box opens it and rolls the dice only to get sucked into the game. The film cuts to a present day high-school where four teenagers—nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff), football jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), geeky and shy Martha (Morgan Turner) and a self-absorbed social media freak Bethany (Madison Iseman)—land in detention for different reasons. Their task ahead involves cleaning a room together. Among the trash in the room they find Jumanji, the video game. Hoping to kill some time they turn it on and each chooses a avatar from the menu only to get sucked into the game.
Once in the world of Jumanji, the teenagers find they have transformed into the avatars they chose. Spencer becomes Dr Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson), Fridge is Franklin 'Moose' Finbar (Kevin Hart), Martha is Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), and chic and attractive Bethany is an overweight middle-aged paleontologist and cartographer Sheldon 'Shelly' Oberon (Jack Black). They soon find that they each have unique strengths and weaknesses, and three lives to complete the daunting task of returning the mysterious Jaguar's Eye jewel to the statue, the only way to win the game, save their lives and return to the real world. Along the task, they meet the fifth player Jefferson Seaplane McDonough (Nick Jonas), actually another teenager Alex who has been stuck in the game for the past 20 years. Together they must complete the task. Blocking their way is the big-game hunter, Van Pelt, who wants the jewel for himself. And thus begins the fun!
With comedy filmmaker Jake Kasdan helming Jumanji 2, the quasi-sequel is goofy and loaded with genuine moments of laughter spread throughout the film. Kasdan's talent is evident in the way each character comes to life on screen. Though the screenplay does very little to give the teenagers an identity of their own and conveniently follows the stereotypes for their character sketches, their avatars take the cake for bringing out believable humour in their personalities. It is a treat to watch Johnson as a scared, unsure teenager trapped in the body of his avatar who is strong, fast, a good climber, and capable of throwing a boomerang to knock out enemies. To top it all, the avatar has no weaknesses. He plays the part of a dweeby teenager in the beefy body of a jungle adventurer to the perfection. Karen Gillan reminds you of the iconic Lara Croft. While she fails to have a solid grip on her portrayal of Martha, she leaves no stone unturned as the video game avatar who plays her strengths and the weakness to the core.
Since very little is revealed about Fridge in the opening scenes, you are left wondering how much Finbar has managed to imitate the teenage footballer. When he is not pissed with Dr Bravestone, he is whining about his avatar. His expertise as a diminutive zoologist is mostly wasted on explaining and exaggerating dangers of the animals they face through the challenge and leaves very little room for you to register his presence. He is a the real sidekick of the narration. But best of all is Jack Black. He takes forward Madison Iseman's portrayal of Bethany as a vain young girl to her transformation into Dr. Shelly Oberon with an effortless ease. You believe he is Bethany from his first scene. His mannerisms, body language and the way he speaks remains consistent throughout the film. Not once does he let the character slip out of his grasp.
Shot mainly in Hawaii, the excellent cinematography by Gyula Pados gives a realistic feel to the vast expanse of the Jumanji world. The film in 3D is a visual treat that takes you through various levels and stage set ups of the game. The quick cuts may look jarring at times, but isn't that how things change in the virtual world of a game.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is not for a serious, critical audience. There are no surprises in the plot or enthralling action sequences. This film is a heart and soul entertainer meant for a family audience, who wish to take a break from serious drama and are ready to have a little fun and get sucked into the game.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Director: Jake Kasdan
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jake Black, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas
Rating: 3.5 stars
