Movie review: ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’

I really didn’t want to watch “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” because of how special the original and the work in that one by Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst and Bonnie Hunt. However, I’m truly glad a friend talked-up “Jumanji:WttJ,” otherwise I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of seeing an excellent sequel (not some stupid, insipid “reboot”) that is nearly as good as the original. Nearly. But not as good. “Jumanji:WttJ” isn’t just a visual treat: It not only has worthwhile – and not overdone – special effects, it is especially neat by the talent of a wonderful somewhat young director and the work of the cast both individually and together with a creative extension of the original story. All in all, a rare combination from Hollywood over the past decade.

‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’
(2017; 119 minutes; rated PG-13; directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillian and Kevin Hart)

HERE’S THE BEST REVIVAL OF AN OLD MOVIE YOU’LL FIND

(NOTE: I updated this review with my review of the sequel to this sequel on July 19, 2020. I expanded the review with additional opinion and trivia and the updating of links on May 12, 2026.)

I truly hate what’s called a “reboot” in Hollywood today. Although there are OK to decent exceptions (say, “The Dukes of Hazzard” – click here to read my review), a “reboot” almost always means there is a lack of creativity and only the hope that an old name that made money once can rise again to ring the box office cash register. Not so with the simply splendid and creative “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.”

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Although negative at first about watching “Jumanji:WttJ,” the film immediately showed that it was going to be really good. Instead of remaking the original “Jumanji” that starred the late great Robin Williams (click here to read my review), the new film is a sequel that begins 1996, after the end of the original and then fast-forwards to now. Then, in a neat twist, the game, which has evolved into a video representation of the original, casts the kids caught up in it into their own, deadly video game.

Whew! It’s more difficult to write about that than how young(ish) director Jake Kasdan presents it to you on screen. Then, after getting excited about seeing some creativity in the screenplay, I got caught up in some decent acting by the entire cast – and some special acting by none other than Jack Black, who I especially like in “Shallow Hal” (click here to read my review).

Not only does the cast of “Jumanji:WttJ” actually act in what you might believe is essentially an action film, but the acting segues perfectly with the story and works together with – rather than being overwhelmed by – the action and special effects. I especially liked how the video game characters came back to life by falling from the sky (a metaphor, perhaps, of dying, going to heaven and returning …).

As for the plot of “Jumanji:WttJ,” the board game is found again in 1996 and its lone player disappears into it after a conversion to being a video game. Fast forward a generation and the family’s home is menacing in a decrepit way and the father is agonized by the disappearance. Four teens then, through convoluted circumstance that quickly brings them together without being contrived, get sucked into the game and the world of Jumanji. They then have to work together to “win” the game and save the fictional land of Jumanji.

It’s no use spoiling the rest of the very neat plot and all the machinations of discovery and effort that the characters must go through in “Jumanji:WttJ.” However, each teen that you meet initially gets sucked into the game and, instead of looking like themselves, they become the characters in the game. It’s this transformation that allows Black the opportunity to shine most.

So, here I go with some of the principal cast …

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  You know Dwayne Johnson best as “The Rock” and he really does a nice job with his role as “Dr. Smolder Bravestone” (originally Alex Wolff as “Spencer Gilpin”). Johnson’s challenge as an actor is only trying to be aggressive while saddled with the contradiction of really being “Spencer:” A meek coward. He manages to this quite well and he’s a great anchor to the film. I liked him in the “Baywatch” movie reboot of the TV show (click here to read my review) and his profile in film continues to rise. Johnson has 100 acting credits as of the original date of this review and 13 were either in production, just completed or announced. All-in-all, an action star worth watching for the most part. Don’t try him in “Pain & Gain” with Mark Wahlberg – that’s one that stinks from a mile away.

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  Seriously, the best work in this film is done by two-time Golden Globe nominee (not for this one) Black, who plays “Professor Sheldon ‘Shelly’ Oberon” (originally Madison Iseman as “Bethany Walker”). Black is just hilarious as she deals with becoming a he – and the discovery of his “he” is really, really funny. Black is given the most opportunity to truly act here and he makes great use of every second he’s on screen. However, if he’s in a second sequel, filmmakers should beware that too much might hurt, not help the new film. Black is a wonderfully talented actor but doesn’t always choose great projects (take “The Jackal” – click here to read my review), but when he does, he’s spot on in films such as “School of Rock” (one of his Globe nominations). His other nomination was for “Bernie.”

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  The up-and-coming Karen Gillan is terrific as “Ruby Roundhouse” (originally Morgan Turner as “Martha Kaply”). Gillan, whose career began mostly with video game credits, is the somewhat reluctant ass-kicking character who’s even tougher than the retiring Johnson. Just as Black is great as a girl, Gillan is great as a tough-as-nails fighter who has to overcome her real shy, scholarly nature. Not only is Gillan excellent in her physical scenes, she does a good job with the emotions of her character – and especially funny is her learning how to flirt and the trying it out on some guards in the game. She was in both “Guardians of the Galaxy” films as “Nebula” and will be in an upcoming “Avengers” flick as the same character.

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  Micro-man Kevin Hart is solid as “Franklin ‘Mouse’ Finbar” (originally Ser’Darius Blain as “Anthony ‘Fridge’ Johnson”). After Black, he has the most difficult character – one who’s supposed to be a sidekick but also coming off as a headliner. Hart does it as well as can be expected, but his is the weakest character both physically in the game as well as effort as an actor and he doesn’t manage to elevate “Mouse.” Still, he’s solid, watchable and funny and I haven’t seen much of his other work. Hart, who stands a near-miniscule 5-foot-4, has been in the “Ride Along” franchise with Ice Cube as well as “Central Intelligence” with Johnson and “Get Hard” with Will Ferrell.

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  Teen singing heartthrob and Golden Globe nominee Nick Jonas plays “Jefferson ‘Seaplane’ McDonough” (originally Mason Guccione as “Alex Vreeke”). Jonas’ character is the first one sucked into the game and the rest arrive 20 years later. Jonas, like Hart, does a good job, but he gets a little better chance to get a hit and does – I’d say a double, but nowhere close to a homerun. Jonas plays “Seaplane” subdued enough because he’s been in the game so long, but it really isn’t memorable work. He was nominated for best song for the film “Ferdinand” and has been in a variety of TV shows as well as a bushel of video shorts. Keep your eye out for Mr. Jonas. I’d say he’s much better than he comes off here – and he’s not that bad in this one.

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  A two-time Primetime Emmy winner, Bobby Cannavale plays “Professor Russell Van Pelt” and he’s the bad guy and the only actor whose character doesn’t have a younger version earlier or later in the film. Cannavale does his best to play the bad guy: He tries to slip the evil eye into most scenes and looks suitably nasty as CGI bugs crawl out his ears and such. However, most of it doesn’t play as well as the “Van Pelt” character in the original and I can’t say for sure if it’s just the lack of character development or Cannavale’s talent (or lack thereof) to blame. In any case, Cannavale is pretty good as he won his Emmys for “Boardwalk Empire” and “Will & Grace” while being nominated twice for “Nurse Jackie.” He’s prolific and stays busy in his career, with nearly 100 credits since 1996 and he was in the film “Ant Man.”

I have to write that it is the lack of development of the “Van Pelt” character (or telling of his backstory) that even approaches being a sin of the filmmakers with “Jumanji:WttJ.” With everything else explained – as well as an homage to the original with a name carved into a tree house – there’s no reason it couldn’t have included “Van Pelt.” The original explained his character perfectly. No so in this one. It’s the biggest criticism I have of “Jumanji:WttJ.”

The actors who play the students who get sucked into and then released from the game do a really good job, but I’m not going to feature any one of them right now (I might if I expand the review in the future). They all do solid, effective work without looking foolish and that’s a passing grade for an actor in any film.

So, there you have it. “Jumanji:WttJ” is a film that extends a great original; it is clever; it is well-acted; and you couldn’t ask for a better adventure (although we’re not talking “Indiana Jones” here … because the first and third films in that franchise are simply in a action-adventure league of their own).

I can’t finish this review without some great words for director Jake Kasdan.

A Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and Grammy nominee (not for this one), Kasdan is a gifted young(ish) director with excellent genetics in Hollywood. At the date of the premiere of “Jumanji:WttJ,” Kasdan was 43 – not especially young, but his talent reflects a director with much more experience (he was directing his seventh film with “Jumanji:WttJ”). He received his Emmy nomination for direction of the tee-vee show “New Girl” and his Globe and Grammy nominations were for songwriting for his film “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” (which he also directed and co-wrote with comedy superstar Judd Apatow).

Kasdan’s father is four-time Oscar nominee Lawrence Kasdan, who directed great films such as “The Big Chill” and the outstanding western “Silverado” (click here for my review). More impressive is that Lawrence co-wrote the two of the first three “Star Wars” screenplays as well as the iconic and classic “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and co-wrote the recent “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as well as the upcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” His mom is Meg Kasdan, who shared a writing Oscar nomination with Lawrence for “Grand Canyon” (he directed). Damn, Jake has good bloodlines!

Now, I actually will see the next “Jumanji” sequel in the theater (it has been announced as “Jumanji 2”) whenever it comes out. That’s high praise from this amateur critic, who rarely ventures out to a theater. UPDATE: The sequel-to-a-sequel appeared as “Jumanji: The Next Level” and it is a solid film (click here to read my review). FURTHER UPDATE: Another sequel, “Jumanji: Open World” is scheduled for release in December 2026.

“Jumanji:Welcome to the Jungle” was the No. 4 film at U.S. theaters in 2017 with $401.6 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. Of course, the No. 1 film was “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” with $619.9 million, followed by Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” with $504 million and “Wonder Woman” with $412.5 million. Ironically, all three other films from 2017 that I’ve reviewed are “reboots” from original material and one stars Johnson. “Baywatch” is OK and Johnson is good in that one, too, while “Going in Style” is watchable, but sacrificed the intelligence of the original just to showcase the director’s incompetence. The third is “CHIPS” and it is simply a perfect example of the unwatchable crap Hollywood shuffles out under the “reboot” label. Here are the links:

• “Baywatch” (not good, but watchable”) – click here for my review

• “CHIPS” (horrible crap) – click here for my review
• “Going in Style” (disappointing reboot) – click here for my review

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

• Hart’s middle name is Darnell; Black’s middle name is Jacob; and Wolff’s middle name is Draper.
• The film’s “African” jungle was shot in Hawaii.
• “Ruby Roundhouse’s” outfit was reportedly inspired by the “Lara Croft” character.
• Gillan is from Scotland and so had to use an American accent for her work in this one.
• Johnson reportedly pitched the name “Smolder” to Kasdan via text. Obviously, if true, the text worked.
• Kasdan previously directed Black and Colin Hanks (who plays the grown up “Alex”) in “Orange County.”
• Directly from IMDb.com: “If Dwayne Johnson could play any other role in the film he’d play Bethany. ‘I know how much fun (Jack) had every day playing a 16 year old self obsessed girl.’”
• Tim Matheson had come a long, long way in his career from the early peak as “Eric ‘Otter’ Stratton” in “Animal House” to being the old, haggard father at “Fear House” early in the film. He’s called “Old Man Vreeke,” but isn’t credited in the film. Well, that’s a far cry from ruling the roost with “Animal House” (although he did a real stinker in a rip-off of that comedy classic: “Up the Creek” – click here for my review).
• Kasdan has been quoted as saying each actor playing the main characters is the only one he wanted.
• Suburban scenes in the film were shot in the Atlanta area. The state of Georgia has actively pursued getting film production for quite some time now.
• Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “Ser’Darius Blain (Fridge) is actually 30 years old and Nick Jonas (Alex) is 25 years old, while Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner and Madison Iseman (Spencer, Martha and Bethany) range from 18-20 years old.”

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