Hollywood is well- known for going back in time and remaking movies that don’t always need to be remade for a “new” generation. Well, that is what I thought when I heard that they were going to remake Jumanji with a star studded cast that includes Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan (she is famous amongst the Dr. Who fan set.)
And as we well know, having a bunch of high priced stars is not always a recipe for success. So imagine my surprise when my daughter who has seen the original (who knew) said she wanted to see Jumanji. I went along with absolutely no exceptions other than here we go again.
About Jumanji – In the brand new adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the tables are turned as four teenagers in detention are sucked into the world of Jumanji.
When the four teenagers discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of, they are immediately thrust into the game’s jungle setting. Here is where the fun starts as the teenagers are sucked into the bodies of their avatars, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. Not only are they sucked into their bodies but they are now actually game players in the game, Jumanji. From that point, they figure out that they must play the game and win or they’ll be stuck in the game forever.
The cast is perfectly cast – Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart now that is a cast on paper but they really come through in this movie. Jumanji, the game includes four avatars – the brawny hero (Dwayne Johnson), the faithful and funny sidekick (Kevin Hart), the badass girl (Karen Gillan), and the nerdy professor (Jack Black).
Here is the twist is that each actor is not playing the avatar but is embodied by the teenagers and they all act according to their teenager’s personality – a nerd, a jock, an overachiever, and the popular girl.
Dwayne Johnson acting nerdy does a very good job which surprised me. Kevin Hart is actually funny. My daughter’s comment is he’s a comedian. That may be true but not all comedians are funny on film. He is not the script writer here so he has take what is written and make it funny and he does. Plus remember he is playing funny as the side kick who inner personality is the jock, much harder to do. And then there’s Jack Black who is actually the queen bee high school girl discovering “his body.” All the jokes were pretty funny.
That all said, I did enjoy the plotline of the kids being sucked into the Jumanji game and trying to pass each level so they are not stuck in the game forever.
If you are looking for funny movie during the Holidays, then you will love Jumanji. And yes, the teenager gave it two thumbs up.
