Movie Series Review - Jumanji

So recently a sequel to one of the late Robin Williams's most well known works was released and having had the chance to watch it, I thought it be time to review that as well as the original film. So what many of you may not know is that all things to do with Jumanji whether it be the films, the sci-fi spin-off (of which I may or may not review on a later date) and the TV series, its all based on a children's picture book of the same name. Sure it may sound like one of those original films, but the truth is that it's in fact another franchise based on something that has already been made. Is that a bad thing? Probably not, but let's see what I think of the Robin Williams film and the new film today:



Jumanji

In the year of 1869 near Bradford, New Hampshire, two brothers bury a chest containing the titular board game in the hopes that no one ever finds it. But 100 years later, a boy called Alan (played by Williams as a grown up and by Adam Hann-Byrd as a child) finds the game in a construction site and brings it home while trying to escape some local bullies. He then meets up with friend Sarah Whittle (played by Bonnie Hunt as a grown up and by Laura Bell Bundy as a child) and they play the game. As the game goes on, Alan gets sucked into the game where its then revealed that he will stay in a jungle until a player rolls a 5 or an 8. Then in 1995, new residents move into what was Alan's home and they begin playing the game where they discover that the only way to restore everything is to continue playing until the game ends. What follows is a number of bizarre events that lead to the board game unleashing a whole host of things. While not one of Williams's best works out there, its a good film that leaves everything to the imagination and despite being based on a book, it does have some originality in there. Everyone acts well and it manages to be a good fantasy adventure film that families will enjoy. 8/10

Welcome to the Jungle

A year after the later events of the first film, a teenager gets the game from his father. One night, it turns into a video game cartridge which attracts the teen's attention and upon playing the game, he gets sucked into it. Twenty years later in 2016, a group of teenagers come across the game while on detention duties and as they set up the game and begin to play it, they too get sucked into the game. The group consisting of Spencer (played by Alex Wolfe who's avatar is Dwayne Johnson), Beth (played by Madison Iseman whose avatar is Jack Black), Fridge (played by Ser'Darius Blain whose avatar is Kevin Hart) and Martha (played by Morgan Turner whose avatar is Karen Gillan) go on a quest to overcome the game's magical power and return home, teaming up with the teenager from 1996 called Alex (played by Mason Guccione as a teen and by Colin Hanks as an adult whose avatar is Nick Jonas) along the way. So I like that the film has the board game transition to a video game to make it more relevant to a world where board games still exist, but are largely digital or video games as opposed to their original concept. I also like that the film spends more time in the world of Jumanji rather than the real world like in the first film which in a way means that its going to right way of being a sequel. Story is fine as well as the acting. But the problems I have are that the film feels like its forcing a number of cliches at you and the main actors (with the exception of Hart and Jonas who are more or less themselves) being something completely different to what we normally see them as such as Johnson being a nerd and Black being a woman and a normally confident Gillan being less so. Still though, its an OK film that does what it said it would and although it was OK in the end, the lesson Sony can learn here is that its never OK to announce a new sequel, prequel, remake or the like too soon after an original cast member passes away. 7/10

So while not perfect, Jumanji is one of those franchises that further makes people realise that a board game and a video game can be more interactive if you put your mind to it. Lots of fun can be had with these films, but you probably won't see a board game or video game in quite the same way after watching it. Then again, what do I know. 8/10