BUFFALO, N.Y. — Sometimes a film will have some element, some feature that, while putting an actor’s thespian weakness on display, will still be hugely entertaining.
Such is the case with Dwayne Johnson (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Skyscraper) in this fourth film set in the Jumanji universe, Jumanji: The Next Level. See, the game avatar portrayed by Johnson in this film is, for a variety of plot premise reasons, now operated by a cranky retiree name of Eddie (Danny DeVito, Dumbo, Renaissance Man). So, we get to see Johnson attempt to channel DeVito.
While Johnson is a formidable comic actor as well as a formidable professional wrestler, in this particular case, he’s just not quite up to it. The deficiencies are charming but there nonetheless. He comes off as a stereotypical Jewish lady rather than a cranky old guy.
It’s been a year since the events of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. All of our protagonists have gone their separate ways but plan to reunite over Christmas break. Spencer (Alex Wolff, Patriot’s Day, Thoroughbreds) is apprehensive for a number of reasons. When he gets home, he heads to the basement, where he has hidden away the wreckage of the Jumanji game.
Feeling a nostalgia for that adventure, he sets out to repair the game. When Spencer doesn’t show up to their planned reunion, his friends start to look for him and discover the broken, but still operational game awaiting them in Spencer’s basement.
Figuring that Spencer is trapped in the game they enter it, but Spencer’s grandfather, Eddie, and his friend Milo (Danny Glover, The Dead Don’t Die, The Last Black Man in San Francisco) are inadvertently sucked in. Of course, they non-plussed to say the least with their in-game situation. Action and comedy ensue.
Charm is the biggest thing this Jumanji has going for it. Oh, all the elements that made the last film as good as it was are there in this film. It’s got a good story and some nice messages. The strongest performances in the film are those of DeVito and Glover, but that’s to be expected. The character played by Awkafina (Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell), Ming, doesn’t show up until about halfway into the film, but her performance is worth the wait.
Director Jake Kasdan (Bad Teacher) doesn’t miss a bet with the action sequences with the only criticism being that the sequences are a bit, well, video-gamey. This critic guesses that that’s to be expected. He could have done more with the mandrills.
One minor character that deserves a bit of a shout-out is Jurgen the Brutal (Rory McCann, Hot Fuzz, xXx: Return of Xander Cage), if for no other reason than his name. This reviewer wishes he had a name like that (“Larry the Critical” has a nice ring, don’tcha think?)
Wishes aside, Jumanji: The Next Level is a very worthy addition to the Jumanji oeuvre. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it is certainly exciting, funny and entertaining. It’s able to level up to 3 and a half out of 5 boxes of popcorn.
Jumanji: The Next Level is directed by Jake Kasdan and stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman, Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito.
It's Rated PG-13 for adventure action, suggestive content and some language and runs 123 Minutes.
If a fantasy adventure isn’t for you this weekend, well, you can watch director Clint Eastwood try to right some wrongs in Richard Jewell.
So, at the 96 Olympics in Atlanta’s Centennial Park, security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser, Black KKKlansman, Super Troopers 2) finds a suspicious package that turns out to be a bomb and saves countless lives. For his alertness and attention to duty, he becomes the FBI’s number one suspect and has his life turned upside down. He was finally cleared after almost three months. Critics are lauding the film and Eastwood. The film is Rated R for language including some sexual references, and brief bloody images.
Speaking of bloody, it wouldn’t be the Holiday Movie Season without a Christmas Slasher flick. So, they’ve done went and made Black Christmas for a third time.
Hey, Imogen Poots (The Art of Self Defense, Green Room) is in it, so it can’t be all bad. Unsurprisingly, Black Christmas is rated PG-13 for violence, terror, thematic content involving sexual assault, language, sexual material and drinking.
There, now you have something to do if you need a shopping break. I'm Larry Haneberg and I'm taking you 2 the Movies.