1995’s “Jumanji” shouldn’t be deemed a classic, but it holds a warm, schlocky sincerity. Carried brightly by the late Robin Williams and his palpable, energetic presence, Joe Johnson‘s rambunctious, schmaltzy, chaos-driven adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg‘s picture book is very much an action-adventure fantasy of its time. There’s a sense of casual anarchy packed inside the very mid-’90s family movie. When it focuses heavily on exposition or character building, it’s clunky and torpid, but when the animals are let loose and the special effects-based madness ensues, it’s exciting, engaging and even suspenseful. It’s littered with flaws, but when it works, it’s a charming, thrilling success.
Dated though it might be, it understandable why Sony decided to blow off the dust and roll the dice on “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” Serving as both a sequel and a reboot, to appeal to both nostalgic millennials and curious younger viewers, ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ picks up one year after the original film. When the board game is found sitting idly on the beach, just as it was at the end of the first movie, it finds a new home with teenager Alex Vreeke, for whom it holds no special interest. Video games divert his attention instead. But during the night, Alex wakes up to discover that Jumanji has transformed itself into an odd, appealing Atari video game. Soon after he plugs it into the machine, however, he’s whisked straight into the game, never seen or heard from again.
20 years later, Alex Vreeke is a legend among local teenagers. Nobody knows what happened. But when germophobic gamer Spencer (Alex Wolff), cold-hearted jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), self-absorbed, cell phone-obsessed flirt Bethany (Madison Iseman) and shy, awkward loner Martha (Morgan Turner) all wind up in detention and get stuck cleaning out the storage room, they discover Alex’s old Atari system (it’s never explicitly clear why Alex’s Atari is left inside the school, but no matter…) and decide to kill some time by playing the retro game. But once they pick their avatars, they’re also instantly sucked into ‘Jumanji.’
Inside the game, Spencer is Dr. Bravestone (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), a muscular, smoldering archaeologist. Fridge is Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart), a zoologist, weapons expert and backpack-welding guide of short stature. Martha is Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), an expert martial arts fighter with an outfit that shows off a lot of bare skin. And Bethany is Dr. Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black), an overweight, middle-aged cartographer. Together, they must work together to defeat John Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale, playing a different version of the character once played by Jonathan Hyde in the original), a comically evil ex-explorer who has stolen the powerful, green Jaguar’s Eye and brought dismay to Jumanji in his quest for power. But there is a constant stream of challenges in our heroes’ wake, and they also are missing the key part of the map that will direct them to their destination. And they only have three lives apiece before they die for good. But with the help of Seaplane McDonough (Nick Jonas), they’ll do whatever it takes to restore order before it’s game over.
As far as reboots go, the concept behind “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is an inspired, clever one. The spirit of the original is felt, even inside the makeover for contemporary audiences. It’s indebted its predecessor, but it doesn’t feel beholden to it. It’s spunkier, goofier, jokier and much looser, finding its own identity without removing the core elements that made the ’95 film so winning and likeable. And much like the first iteration, it’s carried exceptionally by the strength and charisma of its adult leads.
The Rock is his usual adorable, enthusiastic self, always game to do whatever. Much like he did in “Central Intelligence,” last year’s half-good/half-not summer comedy hit, he’s eagerly willing to play both against type and perfectly to type, allowing his sensitive side and sharp comedic chops to work in conjunction with his bulky, hulking appearance. Thankfully, Hart doesn’t balloon himself too much here either. Hart is at his best in small doses, and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is better than most recent comedies at keeping him moderately contained and not overly erratic. He doesn’t overshadow the entire film; it’s an ensemble piece, and he’s merely one component of it. And while Black is playing a pretty one-note comedic character, he sells it with everything in his power. It can get annoying, as some Black roles do, but he’s also responsible for the biggest, heartiest laughs.
At her best, Gillan is the movie’s secret weapon. She is sly in her wit and always quick to surprise, but compared to her fellow leads, she’s usually the one who gets the short stick in this jungle-based comedy. The role isn’t nearly as fleshed out as her male leads — and that’s saying something, considering they’re barely fleshed out themselves. And while the movie is quick to comment on her revealing outfit, there is the nagging sense that the producers are having their cake and eating it too. Yes, the character outright admits it’s a terrible outfit choice for someone walking around the jungle. Yes, it’s meant to parody the ridiculous costumes female characters wear in various video games. But the commentary doesn’t go far beyond that. And by the end, it doesn’t really subvert anything either. She’s still parading around in that skimpy getup.
This is the central problem of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”: it’s meant to be more modernized, but it’s mostly cliched and antiquated. The story beats are familiar to a fault, the characters are shallow, it’s predictable, and there’s little here that actually fresh or impressive. That’s not to suggest that it’s bad, necessarily. The action beats are solid. The jokes can be forced, graceless and occasionally uncomfortable in their delivery, but there are solid chuckles. However, screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (“Spider-Man: Homecoming“) and Scott Rosenberg (“Con Air“) & Jeff Pinker (“The Dark Tower“) never quite find the right balance. Their differing styles results in a mish-mash of comedic sensibilities, thus creating a film that’s all over the map.
The final result is something that’s not as bad as it could’ve been, but never lives up to its full potential. Director Jake Kasdan (“Walk Hard,” “Bad Teacher“) proves himself surprisingly adept at blockbuster filmmaking, while also not letting his raunchy sensibilities overtake this family-intended adventure romp, but the writing isn’t concrete enough to provide a strong backbone, and there’s little he can do to salvage it. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is, at once, invigorated and underdeveloped, both rousing and slightly underwhelming. Just as the first “Jumanji” was uneven and inconsistent in its execution but salvaged by its talented lead actor, this sequel/reboot benefits from the heart and personality of its fine ensemble. However, it’s not enough to make this second round of the game completely satisfying. [C+]