Jumanji Is Back For The Next Level
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was one of 2017’s best cinema surprises. Turning the 1990s action-adventure into a comedy farce, setting it IN the jungle instead of outside it, turning the board game into a Genesis cart….none of this should have worked, but the thing was hilarious and made a hefty profit from word of mouth alone. A sequel was immediately greenlit, and though it doesn’t shake things up as drastically as its predecessor, it still sports a couple of interesting twists.
Despite the bondsmanship the four teens developed while trying to survive in Jumanji, they’ve now grown apart again. Spencer seems the most upset, and it drives him to the point where he would actually repair the Jumanji cart and disappear inside it. The others — Fridge, Bethany, and Martha — have no choice but to go in after him.
But Spencer’s grandfather happens to be in the vicinity, and he gets sucked into the game, where he takes Spencer’s place as The Rock — and he is also Danny DeVito, so Dwayne Johnson has to spend much of the film doing a DeVito impression. Grampa’s friend Danny Glover is now the Kevin Hart character. Fridge winds up as Jack Black this time, and he’s NOT happy. Only Martha retains her original avatar.
Supporting roles will be filled by Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Colin Hanks, and Nick Jonas. Also, Awakwafina’s here somewhere, because of course she is, but I couldn’t spot her in the trailer. Jumanji: The Next Level hits theaters December 13.