When a beloved and cult classic gets a reboot, there are understandable doubts whether it would meet the original's high standards rather than spoil its legacy. In the rare case of Jumanji, its new chapters, Welcome to the Jungle and The Next Level, deliver an excellent, fun, and fast-paced adventure on par with the first installment — to much surprise of the fans.
Few modern sequels manage to recapture the magic of the old classics, especially when there's a significant time gap since the original release — Tron: Legacy and Blade Runner 2049 serve as unfortunate proof. However, every once in a while, there's a reboot like Mad Max: Fury Road or Ghostbusters: Afterlife that exceeds all expectations. Just like Jumanji's sequels.
The original Jumanji, loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg's eponymous children's book, was released in 1995 under the direction of Captain America: The First Avenger's Joe Johnston and became an instant box office success. The story follows young Alan Parrish and Sarah Whittle, who discover a Jumanji board game capable of unleashing jungle threats upon its players. Alan gets sucked into the game and is only released 26 years later when another couple of children, Judy and Peter Shepherd, start playing the game. Together, they must finish Jumanji to reverse its consequences in real life.
The movie ticks many boxes. It's entertaining, endearing, has relatable characters, an original premise, and an exciting, fast-paced story. Surprisingly, the visual effects stand the test of time, and Peter's monkey make-up, which took over three and a half hours to apply every day, is impressive even by modern standards.
The stellar cast that included Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, Bradley Pierce, and Kirsten Dunst masterfully brought the characters to life, but the film wouldn't have been the same without the heartfelt, genuine, and comical performance of Robin Williams. It's not surprising that when the film's reboot was announced in August 2015, just a year after Williams' death, it was considered inconsiderate and disrespectful by many. The choice to make it a sequel rather than a remake proved to be a wise one.
When Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle got released in 2017, it did something no one expected — it succeeded and made more than $962 million in the box office worldwide, becoming Sony's highest-grossing film domestically until Spider-Man: No Way Home came along. Here's what the sequel and its following chapter, The Next Level, did right.
A Sequel with a Subtle Homage Rather Than A Remake
Welcome to the Jungle's director Jake Kasdan didn't try to replace the beloved classic, avoiding the sad fates of the new Total Recall, Point Break, or the so-bad-it's-good The Wicker Man. Instead, he created an independent, modern sequel story linked to the original only in its title game. Jumanji changed its form from a board to a video game, the setting shifted to 2017, and the protagonists became relatable high-school archetypes.
The story follows a group of teens who start playing and get sucked into Jumanji, transforming into their selected avatars. They realize that Jumanji follows the typical video game rules — each character gets three lives and a set of strengths/weaknesses, and the only way they can escape is by finishing a quest through completing several dangerous and increasingly hard levels. The Next Level sees the group returning to the world of Jumanji to save their friend only to find that the quest and the associated dangers have changed and that two elderly gents took the place of their teammates.
Jumanji sequels feature several references that echo the original film, like the sound of tribal drums that announce the impending dangers, a horde of monkeys (albeit substituted for Mandrills in The Next Level) attacking the protagonists or a stampede of rhinos. But arguably, the best nod is a sweet homage to William's character, Alan. When the group finds Alex, another player who was unknowingly stuck in the game for over 20 years, he lives in a treehouse that has a note scratched onto a wooden post, "Alan Parrish was here." Simple and touching.
Characters With Clear Emotional Journeys
When it comes to main characters, the films shamelessly play on the stereotypes and tropes — Spencer is a geeky guy secretly harboring a crush; Bethany is a self-absorbed teen queen; Fridge is a jock who became 'too cool' to retain his childhood friendship; and Martha is an Ivy-league-aspiring girl, who is smart but self-conscious. In the second chapter, they are joined by Spencer's grumpy grandfather Eddie and his estranged, kind-hearted best friend and former business partner, Milo.
The characters embrace their new personalities and show significant growth throughout the movies. Spencer turns into a brave leader and finds the courage to ask Martha out; Madison learns to care more about other people than her reputation and looks; Fridge reconnects with his friend; Martha finds confidence and stops hiding behind her sarcasm. Their gradual transformation is emotional and satisfying, but Eddie and Milo's heartfelt reconciliation takes the cake when it comes to tear-jerking moments.
The Cast Perfectly Embodies The Roles
While the teenage cast members did an excellent job, it is their in-game versions that truly carry the movies. Jack Black is hilarious at portraying a vain Gen Z girl stuck in the middle-aged male body. Everything from his eye rolls to from-the-hip walks to situational reactions is priceless. When he temporarily switches to playing Fridge instead of Bethany in The Next Level, he is just as entertaining. Dwayne Johnson delivers much better performance than his most recent adventure endeavor, Jungle Cruise. His portrayal of Eddie in the second movie might be less convincing, but then again, trying to mimic Danny DeVito's distinctive NYC flair and accent is a challenge in itself. Kevin Hart is absolutely fantastic as Fridge, delivering just the right combo of attitude, situational comedy, and toughness, but he truly shines in The Next Level as Milo. Rather than doubling down on over-the-top comedy, he adds a layer of depth to the wisened and reflective man, perfectly mirroring his cadence of speech, mannerisms, and endearing confusion with technology.
Jumanji sequels deliver an ideal adventure experience, assembling all the right components. They are action-packed, fast-paced, and make the protagonists overcome one deadly challenge after another. But most importantly, they are pure and unapologetic fun. The films don't claim to be deep or prompt self-reflection, and they don't have to. Welcome to the Jungle and The Next Level are incredibly entertaining, uncomplicated, and enjoyable. Despite many fans of the original Jumanji doubting their success or even necessity, the reboots managed to put their own stamp on the story and create something well-worthy of a franchise.