Jumanji: The Next Level

After the adventures of the first film, the gang is making their way through life in the real world. But while Martha, Bethany and Fridge have found their own identities, Spencer is struggling. Since he now lives in New York City, he’s unable to maintain a long-distance relationship with Martha, and they decide to take a break as a couple. Additionally, Spencer has kept the broken Jumanji game and finds himself drawn to it. When his friends discover he has gone back in, they realise they need to return to that dangerous world to save their friend. Only this time, Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and his friend Milo (Danny Glover) are also pulled in.Lead actors Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan quickly find their groove again within the game world. Their chemistry is off the charts and since there’s a new twist with the body-swapping theme this time around, they get to play different personas. Once again, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart make a great pair, playing off each other’s charisma and wit to humorous effect. The new personalities brought in by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover add a whole subplot, which forms the emotional backbone and adds more depth to the story. The older duo shows off their experience, and DeVito steals every scene. Jack Black displays his range in more ways than one, while Karen Gillan revels in the physicality of her performance.Director Jake Kasdan knows how to elevate the strengths of his cast to great effect, and it shows. But despite the addition of new characters and some new twists in the game, the plot invariably becomes familiar after a while. Additionally, just like the previous instalment, Jumanji suffers from a lacklustre villain. Sure, the focus is predominantly on the group and their hijinks, but the threat of the bad guy never feels real. The plot plays out some similar beats as the previous film, and yet, it manages to get away with it, thanks to the cast. The visual effects are striking, and the set pieces do not disappoint either. While some of the problems of the first film persist, they’ll be hardly noticeable in the end, as the ‘Jumanji’ franchise puts out another entertaining entry with ‘The Next Level’.