Writer: Florey DM

Writer Ratings:
Overall: 4.0 Out of 5
Cast: 4.0 Out of 5
Plot: 4.0 Out of 5
Effects: 4.0 Out of 5
Cinematography: 4.0 Out of 5

Watch this if you liked: “Jumanji” (1995), “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017)

The Good, the Bad and the Levelled-up sequel :

• The return of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black, as well as Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Ser'Darius Blain, Morgan Turner and Nick Jonas, gives the movie a familiar feel and strong connection to the first movie. While the addition of Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Awkwafina gives it more spark comedy-wise.

• Each of the cast member, especially the ones playing the avatars, portrayed their characters perfectly. The jumbled up avatars let the cast really show off their acting range.

• The Rock's portrayal of avatar Dr. Smolder Bravestone is not-so-smouldery here and takes some getting used to, but considering who the avatar's "player" is in the game, he does a very good job of portraying the player's traits.

• Being a comedy, the movie has plenty of funny moments, but it also comes with heart-warming touches that will make audiences value their lives and friendship more.


Trivia:

• "Jumanji: The Next Level" set the record as the biggest opening weekend of all time for Sony releases when it collected RM19 million in just four days since its release on 5 December 2019 in Malaysia.

Cinema Online, 16 December 2019