Review of Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) by Thequietgamer — 26 Mar 2020

Much better than I expected such a quickly released sequel to be. Especially one that looked like it wasn't going to be much more than a cash-grabbing retread of the original. While it is certainly familiar, The Next Level is actually a minor improvement on its predecessor with everybody's shtick being a bit funnier this time around. Watching Hart and Johnson play old men never gets old, Jack Black proves once again to be one the best character actors out there right now, and Awkwafina almost gives him a run for his money with her dual performance. Even Karen Gillan who is largely stuck in the same role as last time gets a brief moment to embody a different persona, which she does impressively.

The action set-pieces are also more exciting and memorable. While I'll only ever remember Welcome to the Jungle for its jokes, sequences here like the one where the cast dodge mandrills while jumping across moving rope bridges will stick in my mind just as strongly as any of the laughs. The themes of friendship and self-acceptance play out noticeably sweeter as well.

The flaws are the same as before. Namely, not every gag or one-liner landing and it being kind of hard to pinpoint the target audience as far as age range goes. The comedy still varies wildly in terms of maturity. There are some moments clearly aimed at young children and others where the humor is so raunchy it seems only acceptable for older teenagers and adults. Because of this it kind of falls into a weird area where it's not going to be the most appropriate or comfortable choice for everyone's family movie night.

Yet, I can't deny that it's a lot of fun. It never tries to go bigger than the 2017's Jumanji. Instead it introduces a few amusing new twists and some subtle refinements while saving the big changes for what looks to be a pretty interesting third (technically fourth) chapter. It's a better sequel because of that.

7.