Jumanji (2017)

⭐⭐

Directed by:  Jake  Kasdan
Written by: Scott Rosenberg , Jeff Pinkner, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers 
Gross Revenue: $168.60 mil

re·boot
restart or revive (a process or sequence, especially a series of films or television programs); give fresh impetus to:

        I understand this is a reboot given what the definition above implies, it was trying to revive Jumanji and bring something new to the table. I'm not going to sit here analyze every piece of this film  and say "well in the original jumanji.."  because that's not what this is.  This is not a verbatim retelling of the original, its a sorta kinda sequel I guess. Although there are a few things that do permit comparison, I'll discuss that in a bit. Everyone seems to get so flustered and paranoid with reboots thinking its just a hard reset to an already good movie or franchise. That's not always the case, and thank goodness that wasn't the case here. The original is good as is and I am happy they kept it that way. 

       Now, what can be said about this kind of sequel? Well, it was fun and entertaining, that's just about the end of it. I always enjoy The Rock, Kevin hart and the always hilarious Jack black in anything they're starring in. So it's no surprise that I'd want to see it based on star power. It goes without saying that I was pretty anxious to see this, as a child I always wanted to know just where Allen Parish went. Sure Jumanji came to him, but I wanted to see the real world, I wanted to see more.  When I heard  another Jumanji was coming and that's  where they were going, I was stoked as hell. You can imagine my disappointment over Christmas weekend, I was sure I was going to just fall head over heels in love with it. Alas, I did not. I like it, do not get me wrong it has total watchability but there are a few errors that set it staggering down to a 2 star review.

   The casting did an amazing job with the leading and supporting roles, I don't have any issues with that but Van Pelt??? Horrible, horrible choice, of all the people to choose from they choose Bobby Cannavale?? Seriously, the original Van Pelt? Johnathan Hyde, yeah he's still alive they could have just called him up. They included Allen Parrish for a sec, eluding to the fact that it is a sequel so, why change Van Pelt?? That wasn't the only element I found to be absent, where was the other worldly feel that the first Jumanji held? I mean this was the world Allen Parish came from, so why didn't it feel like it? Where was the sense of danger? The sense of  "omg what's coming next?" There was really nothing that made it seem even similar to the world Allen claimed it was in the first. There were no man eating flowers, vines that would bury you alive, no dog sized spiders or mischievous monkeys. Honestly, they could have been in any jungle around the world, nothing out of the ordinary and that's what bothered me most.

        As a standalone it's amusing and the cast does a good enough job in the comedic department  so that kept me semi engaged. I enjoy role swapping films and light hearted survivalist flicks so it wasn't a total loss. I say if your okay with a jumanji movie not really being a jumanji movie then by all means give it a go. Especially if you like Jack Black, I found him to be just a tad bit funnier than Kevin Hart who was good, but gave his usual "Kevin" performance. Not quite sure if this will make my worst of 2017 list or the best but I am glad they gave it a shot. In the type or world we live in now, I'm  sure we will see another Jumanji in the near future.