Jumanji: The Next Level

"I think he went back in.  We gotta go get him."

"Are you out of your mind?"

Three years after being sucked into Jumanji, Spencer (Alex Wolff), Martha (Morgan Turner), Bethany (Madison Iseman), and Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain) have gone there separate ways for college.  They agree to meet over holiday break to catch up.  When Spencer misses the meeting, they go to his house to make sure everything is ok.  They believe Spencer went back to Jumanji, so they enter the game to rescue him.  But the game is glitchy and pulls them in without warning, along with Spencer's grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and Eddie's former friend Milo (Danny Glover).

Everything in Jumanji is different: Spencer is still missing, there is a new quest, and the avatars have new abilities and weaknesses.  Eddie and Milo don't understand what is happening and refuse to listen to the teens.  Grandpa Eddie is recovering from hip surgery, but in Jumanji he is agile Dr. Bravestone (Johnson).  Long-winded Milo is zoology expert Mouse Finbar (Hart).  Athletic Fridge is middle-aged and out of shape Professor Oberon (Black).  Martha is once again Ruby Roundhouse (Gillan): Killer of Men.  As they search for Spencer in the game, Bethany turns to their former ally Alex (Colin Hanks) for help in the real world.  Can they stay alive long enough to stop new villain Jurgen the Brutal (McCann) and win the game?

This is the third Jumanji film, following Jumanji in 1995 and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in 2017.

The Good:

The cast from the original (other than the villain) return for this film.  The teens are all older now and grew from their past experiences.  They start and end the film well.  The avatars are back, but get to do something new.  They each get to be at least 2 characters, as the players change avatars.  Each avatar varies their performance to show the change, and it works.  Awkwafina is a welcome addition to the cast, as the new avatar Ming Fleetfoot.

The Bad:

The new villain is imposing, but doesn't really leave an impact.  Danny DeVito and Danny Glover are always good, but their characters (when they enter Jumanji) are annoying.  They end well, but it takes some time to get there.

Other Comments:

-The film features another tie to the original Jumanji film: Bebe Neuwirth reprises her role as Nora.

-The film has an engaging story, action, humor, and heart.

-There is a mid-credit scene that sets up a potential sequel.  The director announced plans to continue the story in a sequel.

-I enjoyed this film and look forward to seeing what they throw at us in the next film.

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) 123 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for adventure action, suggestive content and some language

Director: Jake Kasdan

Starring: Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone

Jack Black as Professor Sheldon Oberon

Kevin Hart as Franklin "Mouse" Finbar

Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse

Nick Jonas as Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough

Awkwafina as Ming Fleetfoot

Rory McCann as Jurgen the Brutal