Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Is A Funny and Charming Action Thrill Ride

For a while, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was unstoppable at the domestic box office. It was the number one movie in the U.S. for four weekends in a row. And all together, it grossed almost one billion worldwide.

Not only did a ton of people go out to see this movie. But a ton of people enjoyed it.

Admittedly, I put off seeing Jumanji for a long time because I thought it was going to be another generic cash-grab action movie that we’ve seen a dozen times before. But when it released on digital, my curiosity got the better of me. I had to see for myself once and for all why it was so popular with audiences. So, I finally sat down to watch it. And I have to say, I’m among one of the many people who thoroughly enjoyed it. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an extremely funny and charming action-adventure thrill ride.

The movie is about four very different teenagers who all wind up in high school detention together for different reasons. They’re tasked with removing paperclips from stacks upon stacks of documents as a form of punishment. But instead, they resort to playing an old video game they discover called Jumanji. Luckily, there’s a television nearby for them to plug it into. After choosing their own avatars to play as, they’re suddenly sucked into the video game console and find themselves stranded in a dense rainforest teeming with dangerous wildlife and mercenaries around every corner.

After one of them is eaten alive by a carnivorous hippo and comes back to life—hilariously falling from the sky—they realize that they are somehow in the video game world of Jumanji, each with three lives. To beat the game, and return to the real world, they have to lift a dark curse plaguing the island and survive without losing all three lives.

The movie really picks up once the characters are in the world of Jumanji. Starring big names like Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan, they sell the entire adventure from beginning to end. They’re one of the biggest reasons this movie works so well. The four of them have such amazing, charming, and hilarious chemistry with each other and it’s a blast to watch them together as they fight their way through onslaughts of dangerous mercenaries and jungle creatures.

Since they’re supposed to be teenagers inhabiting adult heroes, they should still feel like teenagers even though we’re watching Dwayne Johnson and everyone else for most of the movie. And they do. Each of the actors plays into their teenage characters so well and it makes for some incredibly funny and even heartwarming moments.

In particular, Jack Black gives a memorable and just downright hilarious performance as the snotty teenage girl, Bethany.

On top of the fun performances, theres also a ton of amazing, over-the-top action and grandiose set pieces. One of them involves mercenaries with rocket launchers on motorcycles chasing the characters through the forest. Another one involves Dwayne Johnson flying a helicopter through a stampede of angry rhinos. Director, Jake Kasdan shot and directed all the action very well. And it was incredibly fun and satisfying to see Dwayne Johnson send nameless mercenaries flying through the air with his fists. And I’m talking flying through the air at mock speed. Everything was way over-the-top and exaggerated. But it was so much fun. And it made sense in this video game universe. Of course, all the hyper-stylized action is also interspersed with hilarious dialogue from the characters, making it all the more exciting and entertaining.

Another thing that really surprised me about Jumanji was the screenplay. It contained so many elements of good storytelling. All of the characters have an emotional arc, and change in someway throughout the movie. And at the core of the movie is a relatable and charming message about making the most out of your life because in the real world, you only get one life. It’s important to take a step back, think about yourself and your future, and make the best decisions. The decisions you make will decide what kind of person you’ll become. The school principal mentions this message to the kids before he sends them to detention. And it serves as an important and effective theme throughout the movie.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a blast from start to finish with some of the most charismatic and fun actors working today all on-screen together. You’ll be grinning from ear-to-ear and rooting for them the whole way just like I was. With how much of a hit it was, it’s no surprise Sony’s already announced plans to move ahead with a sequel. And I couldn’t be happier. I can’t wait to see everyone return to the world of Jumanji.

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