JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (2019) FILM REVIEW

***

12A, 123 Mins

Amiable A-list B-movie fun.

No one was more surprised than me that 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' (2017) actually turned out to be any good. While Joe Johnston's 1995 original represented the most quintessentially 90s guilty pleasure, the trailers preceding the far from anticipated 22 year follow-up reeked of fast food trash in vein of the misfortunate 'Journey to...' films (2008-2012); accentuated by the brawny presence of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

As comes with any sequel to a surprise hit, the novelty of the unexpected has naturally worn off with bigger expectations to fill bigger boots. And yet - despite barely treading on any new territory - 'Jumanji: The Next Level' (2019) still manages to deliver on its predecessor's kitschy blend of A-list B-movie fun and corporate extravaganza.

The plot is very much the same as previous with a group of exciteable teens stepping into the highly alive video game, only this time the game is broken which causes the characters to embody avatars not of their choice. This leads to more than one highly funny scene of the central cast imitating each other's mannerisms.

It's all amiable, colourful stuff buoyed by thrilling encounters with creepy critters, running ostriches and hungry snakes. The CGI looks good and Johnson is, as ever, a tremendously likeable presence.

The ending has everything in place for a big-budget remake of the classic Robin Williams starrer. I fear such a prospect might be pushing it though...
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