Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) - Review

A reboot of a film based on a fictional board game. Despite how unlikely the premise, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the adventure-comedy none of us knew we wanted.

In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan are avatars for 4 teenagers who are sucked into the now video game, Jumanji. Tasked with returning a gem to the top of a mountain, our heroes set out to free the land of Jumanji and in turn, be freed from the game.

Jumanji was a favourite of mine as a kid, and I am pleased to say that this updated version is just as good. While it lacks Robin Williams heartfelt performance, it takes a different angle, upping the comedy. I chuckled throughout the film, particularly at Kevin Hart and Jack Black. Hart's character Fridge is a star football player turned diminutive sidekick, while Black is a self-obsessed teen girl in the body of a "fat, middle-aged man". The Rock is at his usual action star best, turning another potential flop into gold with his movie star charisma.

Unfortunately, Karen Gillan is the odd-women out, not left with much to do or any big laughs. The villain is very weak, with hardly any time spent with him. He is given an evil enough look, complete with bugs crawling in and out of his orifices, however his screen time is so limited that he never intimidates.

There are a few callback's to the original Jumanji, with the villain being named Van Pelt (echoing the villain of the original), and Alan Parrish's (William's character) hideout serving as a base for the heroes at one point. This is more of a reboot than a flat-out remake, which I appreciated.

The possibilities this film opens are endless. Updating Jumanji from a board game to a video game is a novel idea - perhaps 20 years from now we will get Jumanji VR. A fun adventure, carried by the male leads, with enough chuckles throughout to keep you engaged. See this one in a MATINEE.