Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle – Will Robin Williams Be Proud or Will He Turn In His Grave? – Review

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle – Will Robin Williams Be Proud or Will He Turn In His Grave? The Answer Is Surprisingly Pleasant

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
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In 1995, Robin Williams gave the world one of the best adventure movies for children with Jumanji, based on the 1981 children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. More than two decades later Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a The Rock, has tried to honour Williams’ legacy with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. This instalment serves as a stand-alone sequel to the original movie, and is also a tribute to its lead actor – the late Robin Williams. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, and Bobby Cannavale.

The story is set twenty-one years after the first film, and the plot follows four teenagers who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji, playing as the characters they chose (avatars), and uniting with another player, must overcome the game’s magical power in order to win and return home.

Now comes the big question:

Does Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle Do Justice to the Franchise and Robin Williams?

Kind of. Of course, it was a cash-grab opportunity for the studio; they love to play on the viewer’s nostalgia of ‘those glory days’. And, judging by the way it’s roaring at the Box Office, the studio will undoubtedly stand to make a generous profit. But, the movie in itself is kind of fun and surprisingly inventive; almost pleasant.

The film has enough twists to keep us guessing and the surprises are kind of enjoyable while they last. Though Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle uses the stock Hollywood tropes that are found in abundance in every movie industry, it also manages to use these tropes in a unexpectedly entertaining way – its’ funny and thrilling at the same time.

The movie uses the same-old high school clichés and turns them into the same-old video game clichés; but, it administers these clichés with competence. The high-school clichés are obvious: the nerd, the jock, the popular girl and the outcast. What the movie does right is mixing the clichés: like transforming the nerd into the masculine hero, the outcast into the scantily clad heroine, the self-centered chick into an obese professor, and the jock into a short-heighted weapons specialist.

Though many viewers complained that Karen Gillan’s outfit was gratuitous and distasteful, I believe it’s important for the viewers to understand that women in video games and comics are always scantily clad, without exception. Be it comic superheroes like Wonder Woman or Powergirl or video games like Prince of Persia, Final Fantasy – the women are always depicted with the least amount of clothing and sexualised to the extreme. At least Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle had a reason to justify the heroine’s minimal attire: it’s a video game, duh!

For a Movie That Had Little Going in Its Favour, Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is Slightly Above Average

Dwayne Johnson works his charm as always, and it has seldom failed him in Hollywood. Seeing him play a nervous teenager was a joy to watch; even Jack Black’s portrayal of the self-obsessed teenager was hilarious, as was Kevin Hart being, well, Kevin Hart.

Also, adding the name of a classic rock song (GnR’s Welcome to the Jungle) ingeniously into its title and playing it during the end credits was positively nostalgic for the teenagers from the 90’s. I felt the metalhead part of me kick in and get into gear.

Good one, guys.

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Verdict of The Idiot

Idiot-o-Meter: Take It Easy, Dude!
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The Idiot’s Rating System:

4.0 – 5.0: The Dude Abides!
3.0 – 4.0: Far Out, Man!
2.0 – 3.0: Take It Easy, Dude!
1.0 – 2.0: You’re Out Of Your Element!
0.0 – 1.0: The Goddamn Plane Has Crashed Into The Mountain!

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Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle

Director – Jake Kasdan
Cast – Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Bobby Cannavale