I honestly don't understand all the hype and high scores and positive reviews on this movie.

To start off, the 20yo "high school students" are nowhere near believable, but at the same time they're such stereotypes-on-legs that one feels the urge to just punch them in the face. Not only their personalities, but their every single interaction as well is so sterotypical and predictable that they're literally painful to watch.

Once they get into the game, it doesn't get any better. The fact that they're sucked into a game only serves to negate any and all sense of danger they may face during the "adventure": with three lives, you just know that whatever happens to them will have no consequence whatsoever - if anything, they manage to utilise "death" as a game mechanic to help them along the way; heck even their weaknesses become strengths, if not just butts of jokes. Their transformation only goes the most predictable way too: turning into their own "inverse" versions, with one or two character traits preserved to make everything else about them a joke. The world itself is poorly utilised as well: the source of the main dangers isn't nature but bandits on motorcycles, with some bad CGI animals only occasionally getting in their way. Even the story is non-existent, with a huge timeskip after a short intro, because gods forbid they actually continue where it was left off, or just bring it to present days right from the start.

The actors at least try to make an effort to do something with their characters, but quite frankly the ensemble of a muscle-brained G.I. Joe, a middle-aged unkempt Indiana Jones, a black valet, and Lara Croft has too little originality to it (ie. none) for those efforts to make much of a difference. Not to even mention the pilot, who couldn't be more generic if he was actually cut out of cardboard. But hey, at least Jack Black gets to play a teenage girl.

I'm not sure who felt that making this movie was needed. I'm not sure who thinks walking clichés and d××k jokes constitute a "fun family movie". Take away the title, and there is quite literally nothing to see here that stands out from any similar "lower tier" flick - none of which ever gets this ridiculously overrated.

What was really disappointing was that this didn't really follow in the footsteps of the original Jumanji movie. There was no need to title it "Jumanji," they just set me up for disappointment.

The original film had such a great format, they roll the dice and some new danger rolls in, and they have to survive whilst still trying to carry on with the game, adding new dangers every time they roll. It's what made Jumanji, Jumanji. The new film didn't follow that at all.

The characters were all sucked into this Jumanji video game with 3 lives, so there was no real danger. It's their in-game "avatar" that dies and immediately comes back, rather than any consequence, so the exciting danger that the first movie had wasn't there.

To add to that, the effects and scenarios that the characters are put in just aren't as good either. The first Jumanji had monsoons, swarms of dangerous animals, stampedes, all coming out of this board game into the real world. In the new film, the Jungle may as well not be there, the main threat is a gang of people on motor cycles. A few different poorly CGI'd animals make brief appearances.

It wasn't very funny either. The trailer probably shows you the funniest parts, and even that wasn't particularly funny. It wasn't an awful film, it just wasn't good.

Love this movie. Better then the original. Honestly this would be fun to do for real. It would be the ultimate gaming experience. The movie is so hilarious.

**The 90's Game is back and got even more adventurous !!**


When four teenagers in detention discover an old video game console with a game they've never heard of, they are immediately thrust into the game's jungle setting, into the bodies of their avatars, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji -Jumanji plays you. They'll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they'll be stuck in the game forever.



In the age of Hollywood's obsession with franchise-building and reboots, the idea for a sequel to 1995's 'Jumanji' came across as another eye-roll worthy project. However, the combination of charming actors Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillian and Kevin Hart, made it evident that this would wind up either being a complete trainwreck, or total mindless fun. Fortunately, 'Welcome to the Jungle' falls solidly into the latter category. The chemistry between the lead cast is evident and the script makes the most of this by giving each actor moments to shine and showcase their skills while they clearly enjoy playing their characters.

Johnson's younger persona Spencer is a nerdy guy who has lived a sheltered life and is afraid of the world. When he enters the game he takes on the avatar of a hunk with no discernible physical weakness. Johnson has fun with this switch of persona and watching him go back and forth doesn't get old. The same goes for Jack Black who plays a self-absorbed, social media addicted teenage girl Bethany. Her switch into Black's trademark rotund shape is the most extreme and ends up being hilarious. While Black and Johnson are engaging as they are completely cast against their typical selves, Gillian and Hart aren't too far behind playing an awkward, insecure but intelligent girl, and an all-star jock boy trapped in a less-than-stellar body respectively.



This entire body-switch premise works on slapstick humour that's not crass and moves quickly with ample action to ensure that the 2-hour runtime doesn't feel bulky at any point. Granted there's a villain problem with Bobby Cannavale's Van Pelt being as one-dimensional as they come. It's conveniently explained away as this is all a video game, and the same rules apply for its lack of depth.



_Overall_, 'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle' ends up being a fun, holiday film that will keep you entertained enough to make it worth your time and money.

The effects have improved (as you'd hope they would over the course of 22 years), but _Welcome to the Jungle_ didn't really do much for me. It completely lacks the charm of the original movie, but also the worldly scope of the animated series. I sat there patiently as weak joke after weak joke bounced off of me ineffectually, but the person I watched it with seemed to be having a great time, so maybe I'm just dead inside?

_Final rating:★★ - Definitely not for me, but I sort of get the appeal._