The Jungle School of Rock

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

(US, 2017)

Directed by Jake Kasdan

Review by Kate Roberts

I don’t think I’ve ever written a review while watching the movie. It’s not that Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is so predictable that I could fake my way through this; quite the opposite, actually. This is the third time I’ve watched Jumanji in a week. I’m not obsessed. It’s not the best comedy I’ve ever seen, although it is one of the most quotable. There’s just something that works. Dwayne Johnson is in the prime of his jungle-movie stage, Jack Black was born to play a self-absorbed teenage girl, those drums still haunt my dreams, and there are just enough Moana parallels to make my Disney inner child and my Jumanji-raised ’90s inner child shake hands. It pushes the right buttons and has wholeheartedly replaced my go-to, “You go, girl,” with “Yas, Queen!” If you liked the original Jumanji and are terrified that this remake craps all over it, be reassured that it’s more of an homage than a sequel and that nothing could temper the sinister sound of those timpanis.

Teenagers aren’t bonding over board games anymore; video games are the new socially acceptable, pants-optional activity and Jumanji, the soul trap that ate Robin Williams all those years ago, is a game evolving to stay relevant. After shedding its board-game skin and morphing into a multi-player console, Jumanji was tucked away in a school basement among the TVs on rollers and shelves of National Geographics. One fateful Friday, the school tasks a breakfast club of four teenagers to clean out that forgotten basement. Without supervision, they are more than happy to use the super retro, dusty game as a distraction from their work. They each choose a character and suddenly the sound of drums creeps out of the woodwork. Yes, those drums. The game goes haywire and sucks the teenagers into the world of Jumanji where they become the players they selected: Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart), Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) and Prof. Shelly Oberon (Jack Black). The four teenagers, more confused and uncomfortable than usual, can only escape the game after they return a special jewel to the top of a mountain guarded by wild animals and evil henchmen on motorbikes. Having two extra lives is an added perk, but it doesn’t feel like that will be enough.

We’re used to Dwayne Johnson bursting in like the Kool-Aid man and showering his company with kindness, just like we’re used to Jack Black being an uncoordinated, sarcastic man-panda. So, when these type-cast actors step out of their norms to play teenagers trapped in the bodies of their traditionally type-cast characters, things get a little weird. Emotionally and grammatically. I thought the premise would be campy and forced, but the cast play their roles so well it’s almost scary. Jack Black plays that teenage girl everyone hates but openly has to admire in order to be respected by the high school food chain. She misses her phone, Noah just broke up with her, jungle goons are chasing them and she was eaten by a rhino so she’s allowed to be a little upset, okay? Without the right characters, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle would have been a sad, fragmented tribute to the original. It’s a relief and a surprise that everyone pulled this off smoothly with more organic hilarity than a cat in a tiny box. A terrified and anxious Dwayne Johnson, a flirtatious Jack Black, an unconfident Karen Gillan, and…Kevin Hart, are the kind of energetic, skeptical group that make this a perfect team-up.

Which one is my favourite? Well, it’s hard to pi – Jack Black. Bethany/the Map Doctor has arguably the most growth. For a teenager so obsessed with her image, it’s magical to see her get comfortable as an overweight, middle-aged Jack Black. Her new man-parts may be distracting but she’ll always find time to teach the awkward Ruby Roundhouse how to flirt for their lives.

The team is so ridiculous and so green that it’s amazing they survive one hour in Jumanji, a prison we ’90s kids fear more than Azkaban. Dr. Smoulder Bravestone, who spends a few seconds each scene revelling in how awesome it is to be The Rock, has a specific line item in his strength list called “smouldering intensity” that turns on without warning. Meanwhile Moose Finbar’s weakness is cake – and strength. That’s hardly fair. It will take a heavy push of teamwork to make it to the top of Jumanji’s mountain. That includes an out-of-nowhere assist from Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough (Nick Jonas). No mission is complete without a pop-up Jonas Brother. He knows his way around the game and, most importantly, makes a mean margarita between levels. Seaplane is the seasoned expert and the perfect target for Bethany’s untameable flirting.

Jumanji is as much an adventure comedy and summer camp quest as it is a video game movie. There’s a big bad villain with eyeliner and doomsday slogans plus cut scenes, booby traps, market rations, extra lives, rhyming clues and non-player characters. If you’ve ever been in the presence of a running video game, you will find Jumanji a respectful nod to the classics. This comedy is addictively quotable and an easy way to push a crowd into laughing hysterics. Clearly, it’s got something special. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the dorky adoptive child of the original, slightly terrifying Jumanji. For a light, unexpected comedy, it’s easily 9 hypnotized rhinos out of 10.

Running time:2 hours, Rated PG

Available on Crave and other streaming services.

Kate Roberts grew up in the Glebe and is a movie addict who has been writing reviews since 2013. Her reviews can be found at plentyofpopcorn.wordpress.com