Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) Review

"Did I die and turn into some kind of small, muscular boy scout?"
-Milo Walker


Three years after the events of the previous film, Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff) disappears into the world of Jumanji.  His friends, Martha (Morgan Turner), Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), and Bethany (Madison Iseman), enter the game to try and find him, but accidentally drag in Spencer's grandfather, Eddie (Danny DeVito), and his friend, Milo (Danny Glover), as well.  As they help their elderly allies adjust to the game, the gang learns that Jumanji has changed and it's a whole new game.


What Works:

By far the best part of the movie is Kevin Hart acting like Danny Glover.  This time around, Milo gets the Kevin Hart avatar and it's nothing short of hilarious.  Hart's impression is spot on and watching him react to the insane world of Jumanji is priceless.

A new element introduced in this movie is the ability to change characters.  This body switching is really funny and leads to some variety in the performances and some great moments.

Danny DeVito himself doesn't get a ton of screen-time, but makes the most of what he gets.  DeVito is always great, no matter what the role is, and to see him commit to such a silly premise is a lot of fun.

Jack Black acting like a teenage girl was probably my favorite part of Welcome to the Jungle and while for most of The Next Level, he is controlled by Fridge, eventually Bethany regains control and the results are fantastic as always.

Finally, I was surprised at how Eddie and Milo's storyline wrapped up.  It was unexpectedly emotional.  It made me realize that Eddie is the real protagonist of the movie and I liked his character arc quite a bit.  


What Sucks:

The story of The Next Level isn't as good.  The character arcs for Fridge, and Bethany are already complete.  They don't change at all.  They didn't really feel necessary for the story.  I think the movie would have been stronger with Spencer, Eddie, Milo, and Martha being the only characters to go into the game.  We really didn't need the others.

This movie isn't as funny either.  Not all of the jokes land with the biggest offender coming from Dwayne Johnson's impression of Danny DeVito.  He doesn't quite pull it off and the jokes about him not understanding it's a video game get pretty old.

Finally, the Hound from Game of Thrones (Rory McCann) plays the villain this time around and he is woefully underused.  He only has a few scenes and doesn't do anything of note.  It's a real waste for what could have been a great villain.


Verdict:

Jumanji: The Next Level is the worst film in the series, but it's still pretty fun.  Danny DeVito, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black are all great, the body switching is a lot of fun, and there was a surprisingly emotional wrap-up.  The story and comedy aren't as good and the villain is wasted, but this movie has still got it going on.

 7/10: Good 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Argylle (2024) Review

Image
 "The human skull is shockingly brittle." -Aidan Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a very successful spy novelist.  She draws attention from the espionage community when plot points in her books come true.  When Elly is attacked on a train by a group of spies, she is rescued by another spy, Aidan (Sam Rockwell), who needs her help with his mission and to do that, she needs to write another chapter of her latest book. Spoilers Below.  Go ahead and read on because I don't recommend this movie, but either way, you've been warned. What Works: Argylle has a really fun premise that really works in the first half of the movie.  It's a fish-out-of-water, buddy-cop, spy movie, and it's a blast.  Watching Ellie predict where to go based on what the characters in her books would do is a lot of fun.  It's what the whole movie should have been. The opening sequence follows Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) on another dangerous mission as he pursues the villainous LaGrang
Read more

Top 10 Movies of 2023

Image
2023 is finally over and it's time for me to put my Top 10 list together.  2023 was definitely a weaker year for movies.  There were definitely some great movies, but there were also plenty of disappointing and bad movies as well.  I still managed to put together a great Top 10 with a couple of worthy contenders that just missed the cut.  Let's take a look! #10. They Cloned Tyrone They Cloned Tyrone is a wild and fun sci-fi tale that takes place in the hood.  A drug dealer, a pimp, and a prostitute discover a cloning conspiracy and the results are intelligent and hilarious.  This is a really smart and funny movie with some amazing performances across the board.  This was a movie that kept me guessing the whole way through.  What an absolute blast. #9. Renfield I'm guessing Renfield will be the most controversial entry on my list as I feel like I'm the only person who liked this movie.  I love the old Universal monster movies and the fact that we get a direct sequel, whi
Read more

Madame Web (2024) Review

Image
 "When you take on the responsibility, great power will come." -Santiago Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a New York paramedic, hits her head in an accident, which unlocks the ability to see glimpses of the future.  When she sees Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) attempting to murder three teenage girls, Cassie intervenes to save them.  As Cassie learns to understand her power, she also discovers the connection between her, the girls, and Ezekiel. What Works: I think the core idea at the center of this movie is a good one and has the potential to be interesting.  Cassie's superpowers are kinda lame.  It's not like they're going to help in a combat situation.  Ezekiel is basically evil Spider-Man.  He has legitimate powers and is a massive threat.  That's an interesting conflict.  How does someone with lackluster superpowers take on a supervillain.  It's a fun idea that I would like to see tried again with greater success.  What Sucks: This movie was embarrassing to
Read more