The Mosley Review: Jumanji: The Next Level
Honestly, who doesn't love a good and fun adventure story. The last film had a lot to prove being a sequel to the beloved 90's film of the same name and with complete shock, it succeed tremendously. Welcome to the Jungle captured the spirit of adventure and heart the original Jumanji had while delivering a great message. This film continues that tradition with an even more impressive amount of set pieces and heartfelt story. I did have a fear that this film wouldn't carry the same punch as the previous film and it was warranted. I did feel that the film suffered from a bit too much comedy at times and could've slowed down to focus on its character development. Amongst all of those concerns, there is still a lot of great fun to be had.
The real world cast all return and you get see how their lives were made better and somewhat not effected by their past shared adventure. Morgan Turner as Martha was great again and yet you see her character make a full 180 degree turn from her past cynical ways. Madison Iseman was fun as Bethany and I loved seeing her growth from a self absorbed teen to a more worldly person. Ser'Darius Blain stayed consistently as fun and hilarious as Anthony "Fridge" and I liked how he became the voice of reason in some scenes. Alex Wolff was great again as Spencer and I liked that he had not fully found his confidence like we thought he did previously. We get to see how life has brought him down and that added to his development the most. Colin Hanks returns as the forever helpful Alex and was as great as you'd expect. Danny Devito is always great and as Spencer's grandfather Eddie, he fit right into the world in many hilarious ways. Danny Glover was outstanding as Milo Walker and I loved the dynamic between the two of them. It's their strained friendship that serves as the back bone of the film's heartfelt story and it was great.
The game world cast return and they were challenged again with portraying their real world counterparts since this time they're switched. Karen Gillan was even more awesome this time around as Ruby Roundhouse/Martha. Not only did she get more action, but she got to do more comedically. Jack Black almost steals the film as Professor Oberon/Fridge. Instead of a girl he plays a black dude and I appreciated he didn't follow any stereotypes and he was hilarious. Dwayne Johnson had the biggest challenge in becoming Dr. Bravestone/Eddie. I thought his portrayal of Danny Devito's speech pattern was going to be annoying, but it worked for the most part. Kevin Hart was nailed it as Franklin/Milo and I loved how he captured Danny Glover’s essence. Nick Jonas was cool and just as fun as Seaplane/Alex. Awkwafina was awesome and hilarious in many scenes as Ming Fleetfoot/Spencer/Eddie. She had the most to do character wise and she nailed both personalities. Rhys Darby returns as the NPC game guide Nigel Billingsley and he was just as energetic and fun. Rory McCann was intimidating as the game's villain Jurgen the Brutal, but I do wish they gave him a little more to do. He was a cookie cutter villain but then again, most video game villains are.
The score by Henry Jackman was fun, big and bombastic as you'd want an adventure score to be. Like I said before, I wish there were more moments of depth with the characters and I wish the villain was more of a challenge. Overall, this wasn't as great as the previous film, but it still was alot fun and I would definitely recommend it for a family outing or if you loved the last film.
