A year after the previous film, Spencer has started to feel insecure and a bit miserable over his stage in life as a university student and hiatus from his girlfriend, Martha. Deciding that becoming Dr. Bravestone once again could help him, he fixes Jumanji and gets sucked in. His friends go in order to save him, while Spencer's grandfather, Eddie, and his friend, Milo, get involved. Not only are the two elders are clueless about the game, but the game has changed completely as a new adventure awaits them. If you watched "Welcome to the Jungle", you know pretty much the structure of the story. I won't get into spoilers, but I will say that the film is pretty predictable. Being predictable though is not entirely a bad thing if you want the same thing again, but it will not please those that want an evolution or continuation, since many would want to be surprised rather than being one step ahead of the film. Regardless, the writing still manages to contain plenty of good jokes. In terms of which film is funnier, I might slightly lean towards the previous film, since the jokes here feel spaced out more compared to the 2017 film that had a much higher energy on jokes, though both films will guarantee some laughs out of you.
The main cast from "Welcome to the Jungle" return while a few new faces join in. I'm not getting into these characters though, since they barely changed much and the dynamic/chemistry between the four once again works off like magic. Danny DeVito plays Eddie, who is cranky and forgetful, that manages to wind up inside the avatar of Bravestone. Danny Glover plays Milo, a friend of Eddie who talks slowly and a bit much, that finds himself in the avatar of Mouse. These two constantly feud over a broken partnership in the past, though bring some laughs and a bit of heart in the process. Awkwafina plays Ming Fleetfoot, a new avatar with the skills of a thief, who is Spencer's new avatar. Lastly, Rory McCann plays Jurgen the Brutal, the new antagonist of Jumanji. While McCann can be an enjoyable actor, Jurgen is still very generic and equally boring as Van Pelt from the last film. I honestly just think that the franchise always has a villain problem, since the villains don't really need to be in the film. Despite this constant issue, the acting from the rest are great. Not only do Johnson, Black, and Hart are extremely good playing their characters, but Awkwafina is also a really fun addition. Gillan is good once again, but considering that Martha is still in control of Ruby Roundhouse, her acting isn't too experimental or interesting as the others who have to act either old, insecure, etc. If you simply ignore the villain problem, the cast of characters and actors are fantastic as an ensemble.
Jake Kasdan one again returns to direct and the results are mainly the same once more. The passion and use of on-location are once again exposed by the filmmaking. As for the colours and lighting, it feels much more unique compared to the previous installment. "Welcome to the Jungle" was mainly set in the jungle, which had a lot of greens and a touch of browns. "The Next Level" goes through different environments such as the desert and mountains, which bring out more diverse colours such as yellows, greys, and whites. The sequel does try to give viewers a different feel by leaving the jungle, despite the formula still being the same. One thing that I didn't mention in my previous review is the score by Henry Jackman, which I feel is pretty standard adventure tunes. They aren't bad, but they are far from being even remotely memorable. The visual effects didn't really improve though. In fact, I feel that they are slightly worse, since the film uses much more CGI than before due to the multitude of action scenes. Speaking of which, the action scenes are a huge step up from the first. Not only are there more, but they are once again very well-made and entertaining. Highlights include the rope bridge sequence and the moment where Eddie beats up about 50 guys. I would also say that the camerawork improved a bit, as it doesn't feel as flat compared to the previous film. So, Kasdan does a good job returning, though he needs to learn that he can stretch his creative side, much as the film needs to stretch that muscle.
"Jumanji: The Next Level" is a fun movie for sure, as the elements that worked so well in the first carry over. From the excellent cast, good amount of jokes, engaging action set-pieces, and a much diverse visual look of colour and on-location sets, the film almost stands up to the predecessor. However, it does have a few issues. The villain is unmemorable once again, the effects are poor, the score is still generic, and it just doesn't feel really fresh due to the predictability of the story. Does this mean that you should avoid seeing it? Of course not! I personally believe the entertainment factor alone is worth the price of admission. I would just say that if you either wanted a much different sequel, this ain't it whatsoever. Simply put, if you liked the same old trick, you would still be pleased indeed.
Verdict: 7/10. Not as good as the first one, but good is still worth a watch in my opinion! Check it out in theatres this weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment