Jumanji: The Next Level: A Review

Over vacation, my sister and I went to go see Jumanji: The Next Level, and I have to say that this movie was better than the first. Now, I’m not going to spoil any scenes or any big plot, I’m only to say that you should go see it for yourself. 

The first Jumanji introduces the magical board game that unleashes a world of adventure. When four high-school kids discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of—Jumanji—they’re immediately drawn into the game’s jungle setting, literally becoming the avatars they chose; gamer Spencer becomes a brawny adventurer (Dwayne Johnson); football jock Fridge loses (in his words) “the top two feet of his body” and becomes an Einstein (Kevin Hart); popular girl Bethany becomes a middle-aged male professor (Jack Black); and wallflower Martha becomes a badass warrior (Karen Gillan). What they discover is that you don’t just play Jumanji—you must survive it. To beat the game and return to the real world, they’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, discover what Alan Parrish left 20 years ago, and change the way they think about themselves—or they’ll be stuck in the game forever…

The second movie has a twist to it. It’s years later and all the group is in college doing their own thing. All of the characters enter back into the world of their video game. When Spencer goes back into the fantastical world of Jumanji, his pals Martha, Fridge and Bethany re-enter the game to bring him home. But the game is now broken—and fighting back. Everything the friends know about Jumanji is about to change, as they soon discover there’s more obstacles and more danger to overcome. New characters are added into the mix, and help the new characters learn and develop personally. 

After watching the second movie, it’s pretty clear that people need to watch the first to understand some of the things that happen. Both movies are not separate, and the concepts and ideas are similar. The second movie doesn’t forget the first, but it also creates a new meaning for the characters with a fast-moving plot. 

Jumanji: The Next Level has already made $311.9 million in the box office since its release date December 13. In the local area, show dates and times can be found on http://barnzs.com/location/3118/BarnZs-Barrington-Cinema-Showtimes, https://oneilcinemas.com/, https://www.regmovies.com/, and https://www.cinemagicmovies.com/

 

-Lauren Best