Jumanji: The Next Level

Does the Jumanji video game experience exist yet in IRL? I mean, that’s the whole point here, right? Don’t you want to “be” explorer Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Rock “The Dwayne” Johnson)? Or his wise-cracking equipment caddy Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart)? How about lithe commando Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan)? Or, better yet, whiny cartographer …stop. No, I can’t do this any longer. I’m with the movie on this; why would anyone play a video game in which they “get to be” Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black)? My wife tells me stories about when she was a kid and her sibs played “Bonanza,” she had to be Hoss. No one wants to be Hoss. No one wants to be Prof. Oberon. Do they?

Jumanji: The Next Level had trouble convincing me a next level was logical or necessary. The four high school friends from the original are now in college . Three are lovin’ it, but Spencer (Alex Wolff) is not. What’s a boy to do when he comes home to his alternative crappy life and finds he’s sharing a bed with grampa Danny DeVito? I dunno what the correct answer is, but I can guarantee it’s not “reboot that lethal interactive video game where we almost died.”

Seems Spencer is just dyin’ for some Rock ‘n’ role-playing. :rimshot:

After refurbishing the destroyed game to functional, Spencer discovers two things: 1)  It is no longer at the intro; this is Jumanji: The Next Level and 2) the game ain’t particular about avatars; Spencer ain’t the Rock no more. In fact, the two premiere roles of Dr. Smolder Bravestone and Moose Finbar are now Spencer’s grandfather and Spencer’s grandfather’s long-time frenemy, Milo (Danny Glover).

So lemme describe this in case you’re not following: Jumanji is a video game. In the video game, the avatars have to meet a goal to end the game and escape. The head video game character is Dr. Solder Bravestone, who is played on screen by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but the Bravestone/Rock character is an avatar of the real life human game player -in this case Spencer’s grandfather- except last film, Bravestone was “played” by Spencer. Hence, to act this role properly, Dwayne Johnson should be summoning his best Danny DeVito. Get it? The Rock doesn’t really do a Danny DeVito, so instead we see him make an honest attempt at a working class New Yorker. He flatly drones “jew-MAN-gee” to exaggerate this identification. It kinda works for the sake of humor, yet I was really glad when he gave it up.

This role-playing among roles role players are playing is, of course, the first 60% of the film – it feels less like characters on an adventure as actors in a workshop. “Now, Kevin Hart, let’s see you summon Danny Glover.” There’s a mixed bag of comedy here. I found it mostly flat. The film didn’t Rock for me until a lovely adventure puzzle featuring floating walkways and an army of angry mandrills. Hmmm, sources say “horde” is the correct noun to describe a group on mandrills. Whatever it is, this is the best scene in the film and the one that reminds you the makers actually cared about this project beyond the actor’s workshop aspect.

Jumanji: The Next Level was very hit-and-miss. I liked enough of it to recommend to bored folks who have exhausted other avenues of holiday entertainment. There’s a laugh or two with Rock and Hart playing old guys. There is not, however, an infinite supply of these laughs; nor is there an infinite supply of awe, nor is there the novelty of the original. So, the film is left with a pint of entertainment in a quart-sized jug. Is that enough? If you like Awkwafina, as I do, the answer is yes.

♪Sometimes I be
A human tree
Jacked like a wrestler all in khaki
My joystick moves, his eyebrow grooves
Like Rock
I want to be like Rock♫

Rated PG-13, 123 Minutes
Director: Jake Kasdan
Writer: Jake Kasdan and Jeff Pinkner & Scott Rosenberg
Genre: Can anyone think of a reason why this history would repeat itself? C’mon. There are no bad ideas here.
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People who live for avatars
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: If you didn’t like it the first time around, I can’t believe this will be any different for you

♪ Parody Inspired by “Like Mike”