Sitting at the top of the box office for seven weeks, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” has become Sony Entertainment’s second-highest grossing film, but the lackluster plot and mediocre acting raises this question: how? Besides the dynamic duo of Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson and the slapstick humor from Jack Black, the movie lacks depth and quality of plot. The video game aspect of the film is not well executed and lacks originality. Characters face various challenges which they must pass to move onto the next level, etc. Compared to the original “Jumanji” with Robin Williams, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” lacks the creativity and originality that wows audiences. Overall, the film felt repetitive and poorly executed, but as promised, the comedic aspects met expectations.
Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson have demonstrated their comedic chemistry before. In “Central Intelligence” (2016), the duo were cast as the lead characters, and though it was unpopular among critics, the movie was a box-office hit. Here, it seems Sony has used this to their advantage as Hart and Johnson carry the movie with their witty banter and comedic presence. The addition of Nick Jonas was a bit questionable at first but he did his part and also provided good publicity for the film. The comedic parts of the film were immature at times, but ultimately acted as the saving grace for the film.
Jack Black’s on-screen presence added to the comedy and gave audiences much to laugh at. Playing a girl trapped in a video game character’s body, Black gives a unique performance and uses teenage humor to fulfill his role and it helped the comedic elements of the film. Along with Black, Karen Gillan’s character provided the much needed badassery to the film, giving the action scenes more excitement. However, the acting outside of the action and comedic parts was too artificial and very mediocre.
Sony Entertainment has made a lot of money off of this movie and will make more as fans of Hart, Johnson, and Black will flock to the theatres for this comedic adventure. Real movie fans and filmmakers will notice the mediocrity and plainness of the plot. The film deviates from the original, as it should, so it can maintain originality and uniquity. For good laughs and exciting action, this movie does the job.
