Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

This is the 2017 movie that is mostly a reboot and quasi-sequel to the 1995 movie, Jumanji, which starred Robin Williams. This version starts out with four high school students named Spencer (played by Alex Wolff) who is a gaming and science nerd, Fridge (played by Ser'Darius Blain) who is a football star, Bethany (played by Madison Iseman), a self-absorbed hot chick, and Martha (played by Morgan Turner), an introverted loner, are assigned detention and forced to clean the school basement. They find an old video game that sucks them into the game when it boots up, with the twist being that they inhabit the bodies of the game characters, and find out they each have three lives with which to finish the game. Spencer becomes the leader Smolder Bravestone, (played by The Rock), Fridge becomes Smolder's sidekick, Mouse (played by Kevin Hart), Martha becomes Ruby Roundhouse (played by Karen Gillian), and Bethany becomes the cartographer played by Jack Black. The movie is about the video game characters playing people who are totally opposite themselves, so the Rock is a sickly nerd who suddenly becomes a 6'5" musclebound tank, Karen Gillian plays an introvert who basically becomes Laura Croft (inappropriate jungle attire included), Kevin Hart plays a football player turned into a 5'3" loudmouth, and Jack Black has to play a hot high school girl turned overweight middle-aged man. The movie is a good blend of action and comedy, and the cast all play off each other very well. There are some very funny moments, including Karen Gillian commenting on the short shorts she is wearing and Kevin Hart's character's inability to eat cake. There are some tie-ins with the original movie, including paying homage to Robin William's character from the original movie. The movie has to walk a fine line between honoring the original with doing its own thing, which it does well. For those who get the 4k set, the UHD disc just has the movie and then all of the extras are included on the regular blu-ray disc. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is very good, but it is not what I would call far beyond the a/v quality of the regular blu-ray disc. Both are pretty comparable. The extras include a gag reel, a music video by Nick Jonas (who has a role in the movie), and a handful of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that vary in length from about four minutes to just under fifteen minutes. All totaled there are about 40 minutes, give or take, worth of extras if you like going through them. Overall, the movie is very good. As I said above, it has a good blend of action and comedy, and all of the actors fit their roles very well. The Rock, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillian, and Jack Black all play their parts perfectly, and each of their characters get their moments to shine during the movie. It is definitely a more "adult" movie than the 1995 movie was and does include swearing and sex jokes. So, be aware that it is not as family-friendly as the original movie. That said, it is definitely worth watching.

Loved the movie....lots of laughs.

My family and I really enjoyed this movie. It was funny, had quite a bit of action, and it kept everyone locked in. We had a great family movie night watching this movie.

Jumanji is a genuinely entertaining movie with strong acting and great comedic timing. Dwayne Johnson is hilarious as Spencer, the timid kid suddenly trapped in the body of a muscle-bound hero. Jack Black is even better as Bethany, the self-absorbed teenage girl who finds herself in the body of a middle-aged male professor and discovers the strange wonder of “guy things.” Karen Gillan is believable as a nerd turned vamp, and this is one of the only movies where I can stand Kevin Hart. The ending, however, does not make much sense. Alex, played by Nick Jonas, somehow remembers the other kids even though he never actually saw what they look like. He recognizes them instantly from a distance, as if four random teens walking together could only be them, and he even knows their names after twenty years and major physical changes (including gender). His reaction is also surprisingly calm for someone whose entire life was rewritten. Despite that weak finish, the movie is still funny and worth watching. It just leaves a few head-scratching questions when the credits roll.

Funny family movie with a wonderful cast

Good

Fun for the whole family

My family loves this film; the storyline, the cast, the laughs, and suspense.

Acheté pour les enfants super bon film drôle

This is such an awesome fantasy movie about confidence and collaboration with great humour! Fun fun fun

It was a gift

Molto divertente

enjoyed the movie