It has been a while since I last saw the first Jumanji. No, not referring to the amazing original first Jumanji, with Robin Williams, but instead the first of the new series: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). My memory is shot so all I can recall from my experience with the new addition was a general enjoying the movie, I didn’t think it to be good, but not bad. It was a fun, lighthearted, and adventurous take on the 1995 original. It was not existential, critical, cinematically breathtaking, it was simple. And to my own surprise, I liked it for all that it was. Yet, despite all the thematic and narrative problems, Jumunji has done it again with its’ sequel. Directed by Jake Kasdan, Jumanji: The Next Level, with it’s all-nonsense attitude, a huge dose of suspension of disbelief, the movie is an enjoyable one at that.
As it goes for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. J:TNL, it is a lighthearted and simple movie. It follows the monomyth structure pretty straightforward. With the main character’s seen in the previous Jumanji, Anthony (Played by Ser'Darius Blain), Martha (played by Madison Iseman), and Bethaney (played by Madison Iseman), all have their lives together and are living the high life. It’s Spencer (played by Alex Wolff), who’s dealing with a tough transferring to college life, and his really awkward romantic relationship with Martha (which is forcefully dealt with and addressed through the story). After moving back home for break, Spencer discovers his grandfather, Eddie (played by the amazing Danny Devito), is living in his household and sharing his room because of a hip problem. Devito’s character acts as a mirror to Spencer, they both are upset with how time has treated them, Devito’s character is often found saying “it’s no fun getting old” a sentamit that Spencer is all to fond of. It’s with all this angst, and a smidge of depression that causes Spencer to ditch his friends and go back into the video game. His friends notice his disappearance and search for him, leading them, and his Grandfather, back into the game.
To avoid spoilers, I will get to the meat of this movie. Firstly, it is always a blast to see Jack Black. His character, professor Shelby, is the butt end of a lot of jokes. His character’s ultimate uselessness, aside from reading the map, and the occasional casual geometry, plays it’s comedic roles in the movie pretty well and surprisingly it’s narrative role as well. Same can be said for every other character, or rather, every other avatar in the game of Jumanji. Every avatar has a strength and a weakness, and each character uses their ability one way shape or form throughout the movie, which is a good thing. For example, Seeing how Danny Davito’s character react to the overwhelming strength and masculine prowess of Dr. Bravestone (Dwayne Rock) and how he implements Bravestones strengths to the story is, again, a good story element. It builds character and reminds the audience what these avatars are capable of. Alas, it’s the situations that the characters are put in that are the biggest problem in the movie. Deus Ex Machinas are found in litters throughout the movie’s story. Or in laymen, cheap story tricks to solve the problem. Think of an adventurer is trying to slay a dragon, and their sword is melted, but then out of nowhere a giant robot stomped the dragon because the adventurer suddenly has telekinetic powers to beckon giant robots. That is a Deus Ex Machina in its rawest form...and this movie is full of them, up to the very end of the movie. Where this would bother me in other films, it’s almost so obvious and adherent, that one can’t help but roll with it. The water that conveniently swaps avatar bodies, or the fact that the villains weakness is an item that the characters have been carrying for the entire trip, or a character's ability to fly are all cheap, convenient story points that cause me to cringe. But like the Fast and the Furious series, one can only expect this type of storytelling, so one can only accept it. I accepted it, and with this movie, I embraced it.
The film brings just the right amount of good characters, jokes, and action sequences to remind the viewer that this is all for fun. It’s that sort of lighthearted approach that makes the new instalments of Jumanji passable movies. Aside from all the shotty writing, really cheap storytelling, and somewhat cringe moments, the movie knows it’s not serious and it’s with this mentality that truly makes the movie an enjoyable and fun viewing.
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