Kevin Hart in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Columbia Pictures, 2017)
When first announced, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was a movie nobody wanted. Like the reboot of the all-female Ghostbusters (Paul Feig, 2016), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle garnered equal hatred from both fans and critics alike. Whether it was due to the late Robin Williams passing in 2014 or the robust childhood nostalgia sparked by the original film, Jumanji (Joe Johnston, 1995) was one of those films that was better left untouched and persevered by the fond memories of the past. Releasing on December 20, 2017, twenty-two years after the original film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ranked number one at the box office for three straight weeks. After its second week on the market, the film had overtaken Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Rian Johnson, 2017) and has earned a domestic total of approximately 400 million dollars on a 90-million-dollar budget. The film has also earned favorable reviews from critics and fans, currently holding a 76% critic score and an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is not only a surprising economic success, but it is simply a great, modernized, self-aware, progressive film that surpasses the original in every way.
Directed by Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Bad Teacher (2011)), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle takes place several years after the original 1995 film that was based on the children’s book of the same name written by Chris Van Allsberg. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle features four high school teenagers, Fridge, Spencer, Bethany and Martha, as they are sucked into the video game world of Jumanji. The only way to escape the video game world is by completing the levels of Jumanji and finishing the game by working together. The film stars Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Karen Gillian as the video game avatars of each of the four kids played by Ser’Darius Blain, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner.
The greatest appeal of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is its modernization. The original film revolved around the conflict of a board game come to life. Monsters, creatures, and animals run amok throughout the town of Brantford, New Hampshire, as each of the players of Jumanji complete different challenges to finish the game. In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, this plot is revamped when the original board game turns into a video game console. Instead of the game coming to life in the town we are already familiar with, the characters are sucked into a tropical, nuanced video game world similar to games like Far Cry 3 or Uncharted. This plot and setting change allows Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle to instantly resonate with today’s audiences knowing that popular gaming culture involves video games rather than board games. By updating Jumanji for contemporary audiences, the film not only separates itself from the original, but allows a world of new ideas and originality to come flourishing out of its video game setting.
Karen Gillan in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Columbia Pictures, 2017)
As this modernized plot device could come off as cheap and unoriginal, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle uses this modernization as a tool to provide nuance and well-written humor. Shot on location in Hawaii, the world of Jumanji is absolutely gorgeous, luscious, and fun, while being dark and mysterious. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle mirrors the feeling you get when starting up a brand new video game. You feel overwhelmed, excited, adventurous and you want to explore every inch of the world you have been transported to. Video gamers will feel right at home when watching Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle as most of the film’s humor is based around video games. From non-playable characters (NPCs) saying the same line of scripted dialogue over and over again, to characters dropping out of the sky to start another life (respawn) after dying, there’s a lot here to love and laugh at. These gaming-based jokes are even enjoyable for non-gamers as they are presented in a way that is not exclusive, but situationally and verbally funny. For example, when the NPC Nigel (Rhys Darby) is first introduced, he is asked multiple questions by the main characters. In this scene, instead of saying different lines of dialogue when asked different questions, he repeats the same scripted lines. Rather than this joke being exclusively presented to the gaming audience (a joke that has resonated in gaming culture for years), the joke is presented in a way that is generally ridiculous and situationally funny due to the cluelessness and reactions of the main characters–allowing all audience members to share in the laughs.
The most important part of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’s humor is the way that it empowers the female characters through its self-awareness and desexualization. In video game culture, females are often visually presented in a way that is highly illogically sexualized in comparison to male characters. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle combats this issue when Martha’s video game avatar is depicted in a short skirt and a crop top. Instead of sexualizing Martha for cheap visual thrills, Martha verbally asks why she is wearing a short skirt in the jungle—bringing attention to the absurdity of female depiction in video games. Furthermore, rather than just bringing attention to the sexualization, Martha covers herself up with a jacket—allowing her to take control of her own sexuality. This control by Martha highlights the insecurity and relatability of her character, rather than just using her as a tool for the male gaze. By far one of the best and well-written scenes of the film is when Martha must seduce some guards so the crew can make an escape. In this scene, Bethany (being played by a middle-aged, big-bodied Jack Black) must teach Martha the ways of seduction. Even though this scene is absolutely hilarious, Martha and Bethany’s empowerment does not come from their bodies, but rather their confidence in themselves and their female-to-female bond. This allows the characters to gain incredible depth and agency rather than resort to cliché.
Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (Columbia Pictures, 2017)
One of the biggest critiques of the original Jumanji is that it focused too much on the spectacle rather than the depth of its characters, thus providing an empty and emotionally lacking film. However, unlike the original film, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle focuses solely on its characters and their relationship with each other. In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, each teenage character is deep, relatable and well written–rivaling characters found in films like The Breakfast Club (John Hughes, 1985). Each character is unique and really complements the group by showcasing different insecurities and interpersonal relationships that mesh well with each other. For example, Martha represents the insecure nerdy girl whose agency is shaped by Bethany’s confidence, Spencer’s bravery, and Fridge’s charisma. Like Martha, each character is able to gain awareness and become their true selves through interaction and growth with one other. This growth is truly able to shine because the chemistry of the teen cast is incredibly authentic, unforced, and dynamic. This is also carried over to the video game avatars as each cast member accurately resembles their teenage counterpart rather than being someone else completely. This chemistry allows the characters in Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle to provide extraordinary emotional depth to the film rather than just becoming a clichéd, tiring teen movie.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle not only delivers a unique and original sequel but surpasses the original film in almost every way. Whether it’s through its unique protagonists, luscious world, or well-written humor, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is a shockingly deep and original teenage film that should not be missed.
9/10
Author Biography
Jason Husak is a University of Alberta film studies graduate who currently resides in Edmonton, Canada. He hopes to pursue his passion for film by doing a graduate degree in film studies at the University of Toronto. For more in-depth film reviews, discussion, and analyses, you can follow Jason’s film and entertainment podcast Boring People, Bad Opinions on podcast and social media services.
Film Details
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
USA
Director Jake Kasdan
Runtime 119 minutes
