Jumanji 3D: Welcome to the Jungle
(2017)The game has evolved.
Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan star in this continuation of the classic 1995 adventure fantasy film starring Robin Williams.... More
Four teenagers are sucked into Jumanji's world - pitted against rhinos, black mambas and an endless variety of jungle traps and puzzles. To survive, they'll play as characters from the game: meek Spencer becomes a brave explorer (Dwayne Johnson); hulky jock Fridge becomes a tiny genius (Kevin Hart); It-girl Bethany becomes a bookworm professor (Jack Black); and unathletic Martha becomes an amazonian warrior (Karen Gillan). To beat the game and return to the real world with their lives, they'll have to start seeing things in an entirely different way. Hide
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Directed by Jake Kasdan
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Rhys Darby, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman
Written by Chris McKenna, Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg, Erik Sommers
Out Now (On-Demand,
DVD or Blu-Ray)
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 1 providers
Flicks Review
BY Tony Stamp Flicks Writer
A reboot of a 1996 movie that was based on a book, with a plot that updates ‘boardgame’ to ‘video game’, then adds the title of a Guns n’ Roses song for good measure, Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle feels more like an exercise in cross-promotion that a reason to go to the cinema. Surprisingly then, it’s a fairly pleasant little excursion, albeit as inconsequential as a puff of (campfire) smoke.... More
This version hinges on teen protagonists being sucked into the game and taking on the form of their heroic avatars, and it’s this aspect that’s wisely leaned on. Making an out-and-out comedy is the movie’s saving grace, as all the jungle adventure stuff is pretty forgettable.
There are plenty of think-pieces to be written about Jack Black playing a young woman trapped in a middle-aged man’s body, sexual appetite very much intact, and the biggest surprise is how non-judgmentally it’s handled. There are dick jokes, sure, but they manage to be inoffensive, and even kind of sweet.
The Rock, reliable charm-purveyor that he is, is great as a Jewish teen, projecting gawkiness and vulnerability (and throwing out the odd ‘oy vey’), in between the game’s operating system forcing him to ‘smoulder’ (ie be The Rock).
The film sadly blows some of its goodwill when it comes to Karen Gillan’s character. There’s something icky about having a shy teenage girl learn to be confident in a woman’s body when the camera keeps inviting us to leer at her toned midsection.
Kevin Hart is funny but gets sidelined, and an actor of Bobby Canavale’s stature deserves better than his barely-there villain.
Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is a fun lark, but despite its humour and occasional sweetness it still feels disposable. There are plenty of actual video games that are much more rewarding.Hide
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Jumanji 3D: Welcome to the Jungle
The Press Reviews
The film's main appeal is in watching familiar actors pretend to be ordinary kids grappling with their new selves. Full Review
It’s a likeable film which borrows liberally from everything and everyone, and if it’s put together by numbers, well, then it is done capably enough. Full Review
The action’s passable and Gillan makes a decent fist of an underwritten character. Otherwise, this Jumanji makeover’s a losing game. Full Review
It’s like watching the lamest Indiana Jones sequel ever imagined, minus Indiana Jones. Full Review
Insane amounts of fun and yet never feels like you need to switch off to enjoy it… Full Review
A rare, long-gestating follow-up that actually improves on the original. Full Review
Mostly great fun, with Jack Black outrageously entertaining as a teenage girl. But we need to talk about Karen. As Ruby Roundhouse, Gillan is stuck in less clothes than one of Rihanna's backing dancers. Full Review
The movie has amusingly broad performances; good, bloodless scares ... and self-empowering life lessons too bland to be specious. You could do far worse. Full Review
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