Welcome back to the world of “Jumanji,” but it’s not exactly how you remembered it. New characters and obstacles make the adventure more comical and thrilling than ever before. “Jumanji: The Next Level” is completely hilarious, action-packed and heartfelt.
The gang from the original film, Fridge, Martha and Bethany, return to their hometown from college and realize that their friend, Spencer, has gone back into the game. They quickly decide to jump into Jumanji and save their friend, confident that they already know the ins and outs of the game.
As soon as they get back into Jumanji, Fridge and Martha realize that the jungle they have come to know is nowhere to be found. Fridge says, “Where’s the jungle? This is a whole new thing. Nobody said we had to do a whole new thing!”
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black reprise their roles in the sequel — sort of. Instead of only the old group returning into the game, Spencer’s grandfather (Eddie) and his best friend (Milo) accidently get sucked into Jumanji, too. This creates a world of problems for Fridge and Martha.
Eddie is portrayed by Danny DeVito in the beginning of the film and transforms into Dwayne Johnson’s character, Dr. Smolder Bravestone, when entering the game. Milo (Danny Glover) turns into Kevin Hart’s character, Franklin Finbar, otherwise known as the zoologist. Eddie and Milo’s chemistry of friendship is brilliant and responsible for the majority of laughs throughout the film. Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas come back into the story as their original characters, offering us some stability within all of the chaos.
The writing of“Jumanji: The Next Level” is incredibly witty, creative and never offers a dull moment. It allows you to have a true understanding for each of the characters, making it feel like you know each one of them personally. I don’t think I have ever seen a movie where the audience laughed as much; it never stopped throughout the entire runtime of the film.
Sequels are often disliked because they are so heavily compared to the original film. However, “Jumanji: The Next Level” does an excellent job at creating a new and exciting twist on the story we have already come to love. It stands on its own successfully and may even be considered better than the first.
The film is captivating and constantly leaves you wondering what will possibly happen next. I truly enjoyed watching “Jumanji: The Next Level;” it made me feel like I was in the game with the characters. To quote a young boy walking out of the theatre after my viewing: “That was one of the best movies I have ever seen!”