Directed by:
Jake KasdanCinematography:
Gyula PadosComposer:
Henry JackmanCast:
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Ser'Darius Blain, Danny DeVito (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game. (Sony Pictures)
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Reviews (10)
Compared to the first film, the sequel is a step backward. Why? It seems to me that after the commercial success of the first installment, the creators didn’t put in as much effort with the sequel. There were a few fresh ideas to be had, no doubt, but it feels like the creators rode the wave of the first film's success, capitalized on everything that was positively received, tried to tweak it a bit (but I saw right through it), and shoved it into Jumanji: The Next Level (like, seriously, another dance scene with Ruby Roundhouse to the same song?). It’s a shame... On the plus side, I must definitely praise the decision to swap characters, with The Rock as DeVito and Kevin Hart as Glover. Many of the jokes landed well, and I enjoyed their mutual teasing; this was not a problem. Overall, the cast remains the biggest draw, and I’m increasingly falling in love with Karen Gillan as an actress. What didn’t please me, though, was the story. It lacked originality, and I expected a more thought-out spectacle. The CGI occasionally descended into a digital mess. The ending, with its post-credit scene, piqued my interest; I wasn’t initially keen on a third installment, but now I see potential in it. So, we’ll see how they handle it. I’m giving it 65%.
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We are on the same track as two years ago with lots of adventure, some humour and overall a relaxing film for the whole family. Unfortunately though, it plays by slightly different rules, with the characters switching avatars, and it turns out that Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart may be likeable, but they don't pull off everything as well as they should. Still, this sequel is fine harmless fun for the whole family that doesn't put the first film to shame.
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The most tiresome and in all aspects most unnecessary sequel to an already mediocre first film in a long time. That the script doesn’t work is perhaps obvious to everyone in this mindless, plastic piece of entertainment. But that even the visuals, the pacing and the directorial ideas don’t work, either, that is unexpected. Major dud. The usually charismatic and muscular The Rock doesn't help either, nor does The Hound, who took on another wild role with gusto after GoT.
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DeVito’s Rock is excellent, better than the last one. Jack Black enjoys his role as a loudmouthed, racist black guy and the rest of them are just OK. The action scenes are inventive, especially the on in the desert and the climax with the airship. The end returns to the original plot from the first film, sowing the seeds for another sequel, but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to convince the main stars to do it.
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Jumanji: The Next Level builds on the elements that worked in the first, adding a duo of sclerotic old men with one foot in the grave and a host of new locations and characters from that world. Even though almost the entire film takes place in a game world where practically anything is possible, I found it all to be pretty predictable. Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart's geriatric allusions and demeanor worked on the whole, and for the most part they managed to faithfully capture their generations-older counterparts. The film has a somewhat slower pace, there is a bit too much talking at times, and it perhaps plays on emotions a bit too blatantly at the end, but I still don't regret going to the cinema, as it is a briskly made sequel with plenty of action and more than one humorous scene.
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