Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

There actually isn’t anything truly bad about the movie. The actors are pretty okay, the locations are also quite solid, here and there the action has nice ideas, which, when it comes to Hollywood, is quite a miracle. I just don’t know if I am getting old and prefer older movies that are more authentic, entertaining and the actors are a few notches better. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart are pulling the comedic aspect of the movie as hard as they can. They also nicely twisted the premise for the new version of Jumanji so you don’t get the same movie in a different shade of blue. I just cannot shake the impression that in the past similar movies were better. And no, I don’t want to complain that the grass was greener then, but I don’t know if I am onto something and if I am not aging together with the movies. (20.09.2018)

I was hoping it would turn out exactly like this. It was already clear from the trailers that the new Jumanji is not a very ambitious project, and that it would be ideal if it turned out to be a good two hours of fun. And that's pretty much what it did. Four classmates are transported into the world of the video game Jumanji, each taking on their own avatar and having to somehow make it to the end and survive. Of course, the whole thing stands and falls on the fact that the nerd looks like Dwayne Johnson and the self-centered beauty finds herself in the body of Jack Black. But it's actually quite enough. The quartet of stars are all tuned into the same wave, Kevin Hart only has his third role so he doesn't get to be overly annoying, and Jack Black is downright hilarious. There's just enough action, just enough humour and just the right amount of adventure to keep the 119 minutes running smoothly and still manage to learn some lessons. I don't expect to remember anything from the film in a few weeks, but I really enjoyed the two hours. Despite the visual effects, which are very sad to look at at times. (27.07.2018)

Quite possibly my last visit to the cinema this year (there have been 37) and definitely a hit. Excellent nostalgic entertainment after 22 years. The concept of the play is slightly off from the original, which is perhaps the biggest criticism, but otherwise the film certainly works in every respect. The humour is once again handled by the excellent Kevin Hart and comes through for Jack Black, The Rock is traditionally entertaining and Karen Gillan's vixen has charm. Humour is plentiful and mostly successful, there's also plenty of animals (hippopotamus, rhinoceros, crocodiles, jaguars, black mamba, elephant) and there are contact fights, making the action a nice all-round treat to keep the whole family entertained. It's a bit far-fetched at times and a few scenes are ridiculous, but as long as you accept that it's actually a video game, there's no reason to get upset about the logic. 80% (21.12.2017)

Okay, I wasn't expecting it, but surprisingly it was quite good. It was brisk, entertaining here and there, and well-paced from start to finish. I didn't even think the acting was bad, on the contrary everyone did a decent job. As a relaxing, no-frills follow-up to the 1995 film, it accomplishes what it's supposed to. A strong 3 stars. (15.12.2019)

An excellent sequel that certainly benefits from the upgrade. Video game props, a huge world to explore and a great cast. I laughed out loud. (06.05.2018)

While the original Jumanji is a classic in the family film genre, the Zathura variation was aimed exclusively at younger children, and then the modern Jumanji is pure entertainment for fans of Jack Black and Dwayne Johnson. If you enjoy those two, you'll be satisfied, if not, you can safely skip it. (22.05.2022)

An understandable generational upgrade of a classic for today's degenerate audience. Noisier, more digital, more spectacular, but also lacking in childlike charm and family values. Definitely cool fun for millennials with likeable jokes and big names in the cast that certainly don't make a disgrace. We older folks would rather watch the original from the 1990s, as this remake evaporates from our minds during the screening. (25.04.2018)

It does not hurt to give it a single watch, but the original film remains and will remain unsurpassed because its adventurous atmosphere has not been invoked or imitated by anyone else. It's also a shame that when it comes to humor, the new Jumanji benefits the entire time from just making the players and characters look completely different, and how they behave. Not that it doesn't lead to good comic situations, but there's too much going on, and it's more or less the same thing over and over, only with little changes. And when even the action scenes don't really dazzle you... It is average, but not terrible. (25.12.2017)

That was good. The introduction is very bland and all the characters (except perhaps the sexy Bethany) are rendered unimaginatively and boringly, but the game is a lot of fun and almost constantly entertains by contrasting the newly created avatars with their real-life counterparts. And so it happened that I didn't mind The Rock, who is even more over the top than ever, or Kevin Hart, who was really funny most of the time, and of course not even Jack Black, who has never bothered me and also has perhaps his funniest role ever. The pacing is right on and I loved the overall concept of the narrative, which perfectly evokes the video game world and feels fresh and imaginative; the characters robotically saying their in-game lines, the gradual loss of lives and the system of several levels with new obstacles that didn't feel repetitive at all, which was something I was worried about. Sure, it's ridiculously digital and poorly edited at times, and there could have been even more humour, but I still had a great time, and I have to appreciate that Kasdan keeps an eye on the development of the story and characters and doesn't just relegate it to a mindless adrenaline rush across the digital environment (which is partly what killed Valerian). One of the nicest surprises of this year. (28.12.2017)

I do not like to rate movies on the basis of comparison, but it can not be any other way with such calculated unoriginal remakes. The original Jumanji from the 1990s had, in addition to well-developed characters played by great actors, another great advantage, because the whole magical adventure stemmed from the conflict of these characters with horrific scenes emerging from a board game in the real world. In addition, it worked very well on both comedic and dramatic levels, and even had a naturally evolved villain, created by the tumultuous relationship between father and son. As for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, in short, well it is lacking all these things. The story has been updated and changed to a video game console, thus losing its magic, because in a video game, anything could happen really, and so the shock-value is lost. The plot is completely random, practically only going from point A to point B, and there is no room for a more powerful storyline, and the villain (Cannavale), is only an unnecessary obligatory device that could be completely omitted. The humor only comes from the basic premise of a weak nerd who finds himself inside an avatar of a muscle-man, a bimbo Barbie doll inside the avatar of a fat academic, etc. Actually, this is a terribly lazily designed remake. The only added value of the new Jumanji is that after watching it, perhaps more viewers will appreciate the original version with Robin Williams. (04.12.2019)

The saddest thing about the new Jumanji isn't that it's a poorly made yawn that proves comedy directors simply aren't suitable material for shooting action or otherwise spectacular scenes, and the only thing that saves it is the casting of the central foursome of adults, with Jack Black in particular reigning supreme as a uniquely transgender character smuggled into a family film. Saddest of all is how the game of Jumanji itself has shifted from its promising origins. Whereas twenty years ago that board game gave us a breath of distant adventure in unexplored and dangerous wildernesses by confronting the protagonists with huge herds of game, giant insects, or quicksand, with the realization that some unspecified wilderness was out there close by, the new version brings us back down to earth. The reason is that this makes all too clear the end of unexplored lands, the end of experiences beyond the known, the end to bidding farewell to your doorstep, as the only way to begin a wild adventure is in an imaginary world in the body of an imaginary character, because there is nothing in the world left undiscovered and uncharted. The original Jumanji didn't particularly move me as a child, it didn't feel exhilarating, indeed the danger was tangible, much of the acting took place in a darkened attic full of old artefacts, the whole film was set sometime in a rainy fall, and the character of John Williams was essentially sadly tragic (he lost his entire childhood and adolescence somewhere on a white spot on a map...). This exuberant extravaganza poses no challenge to anyone, and it's tiresome as hell. (21.03.2018)

I liked the film much to my own surprise. I originally didn't even want to see it because I just can’t stand Jack Black. I try to avoid him like the plague, but this time I actually didn't mind him at all. I liked the story as well as the characters, and the plot had the right amount of action and comedy. Anyway, I preferred the jungle storyline to the real-world one. I don't think I will get the romantic Dwayne Johnson out of my head anytime soon. (16.04.2018)

This was simply great. I was a little worried about whether it would be a good follow-up to a film I personally love, but it was excellent. It's more modern, but it's set its own rules that it plays by and that's the reason it's so much fun. And that's exactly how it is. From the beginning to the end. (12.03.2018)