'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle' Review

In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, four high schoolers discover an old video game console while in detention. They plug in the game and select their avatars, only to find themselves teleported into the game as those avatars. It's then up to the studious Spencer, athletic jock Fridge, self-absorbed popular Bethany, and insecure Martha to beat the game by returning the sacred jewel of Jumanji to its rightful place in the forms of the daring explorer Dr. Smolder Bravestone, meek zoologist Moose Finbar, accomplished map-reader Sheldon Oberon, and formidable fighter Ruby Roundhouse.

In all honesty, I have not been looking forward to this film at all. I was first skeptical at the very idea of rebooting the revered 1995 Jumanji, and then the trailers did nothing to ease my concerns due to the seemingly forced humor. It just seemed like a needless reboot produced and distributed for the purposes of making a quick buck.

However, I must report that I was pleasantly surprised by everything director Jake Kasdan had in store for audiences! I'd liken it to my experience watching last year's Ghostbusters, where I went in with enormously low expectations to discover a surprisingly enjoyable film instead of the cringeworthy mess I had imagined. Perhaps, it was because I had low expectations that I wound up enjoying either, but I'd like to think they're both entertaining action-comedies. 

  

This is not to say Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle surpasses the original by any stretch of the imagination (except perhaps in regards to effects), but it puts an interesting spin on the premise of Chris Van Allsburg's classic children's book. One reason I think the original is better, in actuality, is that it feels like a generational family-friendly classic that will be probably passed down for quite some time. I simply can't imagine parents sitting their kids down to introduce them to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle twenty years from now, but who knows, my generation is kinda weird.

Anyways, screenwriters Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinkner make great use of the video game setting and body-switching premise to poke fun at the typical tropes found in most video games and the stereotypes associated with high school students (jock, nerd, popular girl, and the insecure reserved girl). On paper, it would probably seem pretty thin, but it works thanks to the charming cast and efficient execution from Kasdan.

I also distinctly remember an outpouring of internet users making a fuss over Karen Gillan's skimpy outfit in a jungle setting making no sense, because what's the internet without complaining? Well, this is addressed fairly quickly with the rationale female video game characters are typically designed that way. Just look at Laura Croft.

 

Kasdan also handles the action sequences quite well, considering it's his first time to direct an action film. The action's fun and over-the-top, just like it would be in an actual video game. Would any of it be up for contention alongside the best action sequences of the year? No, but they're all entertaining to watch. One weakness would be that some of the CG doesn't quite look authentic (namely the animals), but I suppose one could reason that was purposely done because of budgetary restraints and to match the video game setting. Plus, this is Jumanji... Not War for the Planet of the Apes... I'm not expecting ground-breaking, realistic visual effects from every single frame of this film.

As for the core cast, they're truly the ones who made it all work. It was incredibly entertaining to watch Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black play against their traditional type-casting. Watching "The Rock" and Karen Gillan play awkward, insecure teenagers trapped inside practically perfect adult bodies was amusing to say the least. Though, it's Jack Black who stands out most as a superficial, social media obsessed teenage girl. I'd provide examples of the way his character's written, but I'd rather not giveaway the funniest moment of the movie that hasn't been abused in the trailers already. Kevin Hart, on the other hand, continues to seemingly act like himself and just run around screaming as the stock, slapstick comedian or whatever. That is admittedly one of the more grating elements of the film, but you probably won't have a  problem with it if you like Kevin Hart in other movies.

Alex Wolff, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, and Morgan Turner play the real-life versions of the stereotyped teenagers characters a little on the nose, to the point that the high school bookends feel rather cliché, but they're all serviceable when used. You won't leave saying these four are the breakout stars of the movie because they're not in it all too much, but they're not grating either (which could have easily become a problem).

Nick Jonas is also in the film, and he's... fine, I guess... His character's probably the least interesting of the bunch because audiences are introduced to him quickly, and don't spend nearly as much time with him, but he's not really a hinderance or an asset. It seems like he's there mostly to have teenage girls swoon.

The one weak link would be Bobby Cannavale as the film's antagonist, Van Pelt (who's realy not at all like the version from the 1995 original). It's largely due to the screenplay, but Cannavale doesn't really do much of anything and his motivations are unclear. He kinda just has a menacing, foreboding presence and creeps you out because bugs are crawling all over him while he remains completely unbothered. He's just another forgettable, two-dimensional villain.

To me, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a fun, disposable action-comedy that will probably be completely forgotten in a matter of months. Is it a fun time at the theater worth a matinee? Yes. For parents, should you bring kids? I'll leave that up to you, because I think that depends on your leniency for language. I'll just inform you that there were some jokes said about the male anatomy I personally wouldn't want my children to hear if I were a parent. Nothing encroaching R-rated vulgarity, but still rather risqué for a PG-13 rated film and not exactly kid-friendly. 

In this crowded week at the box office leading up to the holidays, I've yet to see many of the films opening, but I can at least assure you Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an entertaining use of two hours. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is that surprising sequel that manages to successfully revitalize the original's premise for contemporary crowds.

Film Assessment: B-

'The Secret Life Of Pets' Review

The Secret Life of Pets is the latest animated feature from Illumination Entertainment that promises to show what pets do when their owners are gone ala Toy Story style.

On that note, it's nearly impossible to avoid comparisons between Toy Story and The Secret Life of Pets since they share a similar premise and it's a matter of opinion as to whether The Secret Life of Pets truly is a Toy Story knock-off, but I will say it has some startling similarities to not just Toy Story, but even Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

With that out of the way, The Secret Life of Pets stands on its own as a cute animated film and the premise's assurance of showing what pets get around to once their owners leave is charming. Unfortunately, it's almost entirely pulled straight from the trailers, so if you've seen the trailers you've seen most of the humorous bits poking fun at pets.

The Secret Life of Pets' biggest issue is that it's not as original as it'd like to be and fails to break any new ground in regards to daring to try something never done in animation. The film is directed by Chris Renaud and I think he did a fine job fitting the project together but it just feels substandard compared to the marginally better family friendly animated films out there. The animation looks fine but never really impressed me as opposed to two remarkable animated films released just this year: Zootopia and Finding Dory. 

Another issue with The Secret Life of Pets is the overabundance of characters. Many films easily become tangled up with too many storylines and characters to balance that it's impossible to manage and The Secret Life of Pets' problem derives from the insistence to deliver as many gags as possible by cutting to random animals that have practically no connection to the ongoing narrative for a quick joke. While this doesn't happen abundantly, it did happen a little more often that I would have liked and as an end result I didn't feel like enough time was devoted to the main characters to make me really care about these animals. Sure, the animals are cute and fluffy but does that really matter in the grand scheme of things if I've failed to be engaged with a lovable personality to match the silky coat of fur.

The source of a majority of my complaints lies in the film's screenplay penned by Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul, and Brian Lynch including poor characterization as a result of too many characters and the overly abundant obvious similarities to the Toy Story films, but in-ripping off Pixar didn't capture the depth explored in any of the Toy Story films or anything made by Pixar for that matter. In one portion of the film, there's a clear attempt to pluck the heart strings, but it was extremely predictable and did't have the proper groundwork lain for me to care about this emotional moment.

The voice cast bring some charm to the typical household pets with some recognizable name talent. Leading the pack are Louis C.K. as the civilized terrier Max and Eric Stone Street as the colossus shaggy Duke. Neither lead dog, Max or Duke are quite sympathetic in any regard as they hate each other as result of a territorial issue rather than possessing any inherent problems with one another. I will say that they at least made for a funny pair thanks to their clashing personalities, I really would have liked to get to know the characters a little more though.

Elsewhere, Jenny Slate, Albert Brooks, Bobby Moynihan, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, and Tara Strong all make for engaging supporting animals including the lovesick Pomeranian Gidget, a compulsive hawk Tiberius, a hyperactive pug Mel, a lax cat Chloe, the laid-back dachshund Buddy, and the tiny parakeet Sweet Pea. Each of those respective actors nailed the distinct personalities and brought some charm to the film in various spots.

One vocal addition that was a little whacko for my taste was Kevin Hart's Snowball, an insane bunny intent on eliminating humanity. Hart essentially screams his way through his dialogue, and it works for the character, but makes him come off a little too crazy.

For those interested in references to other work, there were plenty of easter eggs and references amassing through various Universal properties and there's even a short film before the film starring the Minions.

When it comes down to it though, The Secret Life of Pets is serviceable family entertainment that kids will love and adults will probably tolerate. The film may not be quite as fresh and engaging as it set out to be, but it's cute and charming enough to engage audiences of all ages.

Film Assessment: C+

'Central Intelligence' Review

I'm inserting this prologue to discuss something regarding the future of my reviews. Fairly recently, I've chosen not to review certain films as I don't feel there's enough content to discuss and at first glance that's how I felt about reviewing Central Intelligence considering it's primarily a comedy. Some of the films I've recently chosen to skip over reviewing but watched include Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Poster: Never Stop Never Stopping, and Me Before You. I've decided that from this point on I will review all new films I watch regardless of how much I have to actually say about them meaning I will have some very brief reviews that are straight to the point and not as in depth as many of my other reviews. I'm including this prologue because I thought I should inform my readers of this change. This will only affect new releases so if I watch an old film for fun and have no reason to actually review it, I likely just will opt not to review it at that time. It's always possible I could wind up reviewing it in a Throwback Thursday Review down the line though.

'Central Intelligence' Review

Central Intelligence is about a duo of pals (I use the term pals loosely) from high school as we find Calvin Joyner, former popular king of high school turned accountant, and Bob Stone, formerly an excessively bullied fat kid who's now a ripped CIA agent. The film picks up twenty years after the pair graduated with Calvin unhappy with his dull life as an accountant. Bob arrives and requires Calvin's accounting skills to help him solve a case.

Sounds like a crazy adventure right? Well it is, and the chemistry between Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson breathes life into the buddy action comedy. I don't really have much to say about the directing, editing, and cinematography, which was all pretty substandard, but I must commend the humorous contemporary screenplay that satirizes some of the most ridiculous things about society in a tasteful way written by Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Rawson Marshall Thurber.

Is the screenplay genius? No, but it me bursting out with laughter, so it succeeded in that endeavor. The team of writers also managed to insert an endearing message about bullying into the mix of things that was a nice touch. Sure the plot's simple and pretty basic, but the incentive to see the film isn't the story.

Rawson Marshall Thurber directs in addition to writing and manages to do a great job focusing first and foremost on keeping the antics funny and not ever being too action heavy. Sure, the spy stuff is a tad ridiculous at times, but this is a comedy after all, so it never bothered me.

Really the film revolves around the pair of Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. As I said earlier, the two carry the film all the way across the finish line and it relies entirely upon the humor interplaying between the twosome. Both actors defy expectations by playing the reverse of their typical roles as Hart is the straight man and Johnson's the fun guy, a refreshing change of pace for both actors, although they do fall into some of their common mannerisms at times. You can certainly tell the two had a blast making the flick as it just feels fun.

I do think this is one of the better performances from Kevin Hart as he tones down his typical raunchiness and gives a genuine effort rather than constantly trying to be the funniest one onscreen.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson makes every moment onscreen enjoyable, as he just sweats charisma,  shows off some serious acting chops with a grounded subplot arc about bullying, and kicks butt in some crazy action sequences. This role is perfectly suited to "The Rock" and feels a lot like his real life persona. There are also many surprising entertaining celebrity cameos that made me chuckle.

In all honesty, this film is just what it's meant to be. Shameless fun. You'll probably have a good time thanks to some witty jokes and the electric chemistry between Hart and Johnson but the film is just a passable buddy action comedy. Don't expect anything groundbreaking or the greatest comedy of all time, just a "good time."

Film Assessment: C