Jumanji: The Next Level

Jumanji: The Next Level packs everything we loved from its predecessor as it flies off into new action and fun. The stakes are higher, each scene is packed with humor, and each character gets just the right amount of screentime.

Talking about the story is difficult because it really is just an extension of the first film. It goes from level to level, which the writing utilizes to have individual action set pieces—all of which are very well done. The scene with the rope bridges over the canyon was fantastic; the giant mandrills and the chaotic mess of the characters failing to work together accumulated to a wave of energy that swept me away. This film mainly grabs what works with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and then puts it into new scenery, and it works great. What this film did better is understand that its villain sucked, so it spent no screen time on him at all. The main antagonist is the game; furthermore, the actual main characters not being able to work together. The camera focuses only on the teenagers we learned to love from the first film, and the film simply lets them carry the narrative forward.

How this film evolves the four high schoolers is very organic. They are now in college, and are trying to meet up for winter break after their first semester. Seeing the changes in Spencer’s room, and the miserey forcing him to look back at “the good ol’ days” was effective in showing his fear of change. Fridge is given a lot more development that is not fully resolved, but the gradual hints add to a more interesting arc than last time. Martha is the least utilized in terms of development even though she is the voice of the film—she mainly just has a relationship divide with Spencer and that’s her only internal struggle. Bethany really stays the same, being the hilarious “Oh my gosh, you guys!” girl in just the right places of the story. All in all, the core team is solid as a team, which works since it is the narrative theme. The best part of these character dynamics is that if one actor falls flat with a character, another actor will take their place and reimagine the arc (i.e. Fridge and Martha). That dynamic is what makes these films really engaging, there is always a new character trait to expand on as the all star cast compete for the spotlight.

Although the main characters of the last film return, the new characters are the real protagonists: the 79-year-olds Milo Walker and Grandpa Eddie. The amount of tenacity this story leans into their old-man humor makes it actually work. The jokes never get old. And to add onto the humor, they then reveal why they hate each other after so many years apart and it begins to be the more interesting subplot. It takes over as the beating heart of the film. The actual reasonings for why characters make certain decisions is not the greatest, but it is how events snowball because of these choices that make it all the more entertaining.

If I were to really critic this film, I would admit that it does nothing special. Sony successfully streamlines the gold mine that it found in 2017. The cash grab of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart butting heads already promised to be entertaining, but then the surprising comedic brilliance of Jack Black made both of this Jumanji series so fun to experience. The villains are trash, but again, this time the writers knew not to focus on them. Sadly, there are less heartfelt, one-on-one scenes in this film, since there are more characters to develop, but the newer additions never weighed down the runtime. So, in comparing this film with its predecessor, I guess it is not as good in terms of high comedic peaks, yet it avoids the lower points with the villain and conflict.

Overall, the new characters fit in very well, offering a new dynamic that never felt forced or cheesy. Danny Devito’s performance was surprisingly strong, and Awkwafina made a fantastic addition to the video game team. Wherever some real world actors would fall short, it was the all star cast that elevated their characters within the game to keep the story engaging. Sure, the characters are over the top and the action is ridiculous, but it all flows and continuously builds. This sequel to a surprisingly fun reboot pleasantly earns its name.

Story Rating: 7/10

Character Rating: 7/10