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Kevin Phillipson (9931 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Apr 17, 2018
Story (2 more)
The rock
Humor
Totally loved this movie anything that has the rock in it thumbs up from me as ive actually seen the orignal film with robin williams wasnt sure if it was going to be as good i was surprised its just as good jack black karen gillan and even kevin hart were brillant definetly bewatching when it comes out on blu ray
Claire (89 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Aug 14, 2018
This film is HILARIOUS!!
I swear i was so ready to hate this. Im not a fan of jack black or The Rock, but the kids wanted to see it and I’m a huge Dr Who fan so gave it a go in support of Karen Gillan.
I was proved so wrong!! I dont want to give away anything but it is just so funny! A modern take on a classic movie with loads if genuine LOL moments ??
I was proved so wrong!! I dont want to give away anything but it is just so funny! A modern take on a classic movie with loads if genuine LOL moments ??
David McK (3180 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019 (Updated Jan 14, 2020)
A sequl (of sorts) that nobody asked for, I have to say that this was better than expected!
Updating the board game of the original to a video game, this sees four teens on detention sucked into the world of Jumanji, taking on the appearance (or avatars) of Dwayne Johnson (perhaps better known to wrestling fans as The Rock), Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black and having to complete the Jumanji test to return to the 'real' world, bondign along the way (as is customary in these types of films) and learning more about themselves and each other.
Updating the board game of the original to a video game, this sees four teens on detention sucked into the world of Jumanji, taking on the appearance (or avatars) of Dwayne Johnson (perhaps better known to wrestling fans as The Rock), Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Jack Black and having to complete the Jumanji test to return to the 'real' world, bondign along the way (as is customary in these types of films) and learning more about themselves and each other.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Oculus (2014) in Movies
Aug 5, 2019
Mirror of misfortune
Oculus- a underrated horror jem that more people should watch.
It is spooky, thrilling, chilling, horrorfying, terrorfying, twisting, suspenseful, and overall a great horror film.
The plot: Haunted by the violent demise of their parents 10 years earlier, adult siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites) are now struggling to rebuild their relationship. Kaylie suspects that their antique mirror, known as the Lasser Glass, is behind the tragedy. The seemingly harmless reflections contain a malevolent, supernatural force that infects the mind of anyone who gazes into it. As Kaylie gets closer to the truth, the siblings become caught in the mirror's evil spell.
A highly reecordmend horror film.
It is spooky, thrilling, chilling, horrorfying, terrorfying, twisting, suspenseful, and overall a great horror film.
The plot: Haunted by the violent demise of their parents 10 years earlier, adult siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites) are now struggling to rebuild their relationship. Kaylie suspects that their antique mirror, known as the Lasser Glass, is behind the tragedy. The seemingly harmless reflections contain a malevolent, supernatural force that infects the mind of anyone who gazes into it. As Kaylie gets closer to the truth, the siblings become caught in the mirror's evil spell.
A highly reecordmend horror film.
David McK (3180 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Nov 4, 2021
Direct sequel to 2017s 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'; itself a quasi remake of the 1995 original updating it to a more modern audience in which the cursed game is now a video game cartridge rather than a boardgame.
Anyway, this mainly follows the same characters as in the previous entry but also introduces a few new 'real life' characters into the mix (portrayed by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover), with those characters then also getting sucked into the game.
As before, most of the comedy comes from watching the in-game characters (still portrayed by Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) doing imitations of their 'real life' counterparts, with Jack Black again stealing the show with his imitations!
Anyway, this mainly follows the same characters as in the previous entry but also introduces a few new 'real life' characters into the mix (portrayed by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover), with those characters then also getting sucked into the game.
As before, most of the comedy comes from watching the in-game characters (still portrayed by Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) doing imitations of their 'real life' counterparts, with Jack Black again stealing the show with his imitations!
Gareth von Kallenbach (965 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle totally delivers on exactly what the trailers sales it as. The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Kevin Heart, Jack Black and the blue lady from Guardians of the Galaxy (Karen Gillan), thrown into hilarious hijinks and shenanigans.
The film sets up and explains the rules of the world of Jumanji, every step of the way. It does not take itself too serious. It realizes the audience is there to have a laugh and it surprisingly tells a coherent story. As a result, are able to enjoy ourselves through the spectacle, without questions or consequence…because hey, it’s a family fun movie after all and it is not trying to be anything else.
Each of the high school characters grow as they get an opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone that is the complete opposite of themselves. Whether it’s the “nerd” (Alex Wolff) gaining confidence by becoming the “physical specimen explorer with no weakness” (Dwayne Johnson), the “jock” (Ser’Darius Blain) becoming the “puny zoologist with no strengths” (Kevin Heart) and thus learning what it is like to be weak, the “self-centered popular girl stuck on her phone” (Madison Iseman) learning to judge less and like physical activity by becoming an “overweight middle aged man,” (Jack Black) and the “loner nerd girl” (Morgan Turner) gaining confidence in her womanhood by becoming the “hot girl,” (Karen Gillan). Each of these roles is acted well by both sets of actors, which helps create jokes, humorous experiences and makes them likeable.
Overall, Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle delivers exactly what it is trying to be. Fun!
The film sets up and explains the rules of the world of Jumanji, every step of the way. It does not take itself too serious. It realizes the audience is there to have a laugh and it surprisingly tells a coherent story. As a result, are able to enjoy ourselves through the spectacle, without questions or consequence…because hey, it’s a family fun movie after all and it is not trying to be anything else.
Each of the high school characters grow as they get an opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone that is the complete opposite of themselves. Whether it’s the “nerd” (Alex Wolff) gaining confidence by becoming the “physical specimen explorer with no weakness” (Dwayne Johnson), the “jock” (Ser’Darius Blain) becoming the “puny zoologist with no strengths” (Kevin Heart) and thus learning what it is like to be weak, the “self-centered popular girl stuck on her phone” (Madison Iseman) learning to judge less and like physical activity by becoming an “overweight middle aged man,” (Jack Black) and the “loner nerd girl” (Morgan Turner) gaining confidence in her womanhood by becoming the “hot girl,” (Karen Gillan). Each of these roles is acted well by both sets of actors, which helps create jokes, humorous experiences and makes them likeable.
Overall, Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle delivers exactly what it is trying to be. Fun!
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Jul 5, 2020 (Updated Jul 5, 2020)
If it ain't broke and all that
Reviewed in one sentence -
There's a bit where Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson full on anime punches an ostrich. 6/10
To elaborate slightly - Jumanji: The Next Level isn't quite as fun as it's predecessor, mainly because it's pretty much a strikingly similar re-tread.
It's still a lot of fun with some imaginative set pieces, mostly decent effects, and a strong cast - Karen Gillan once again shows off just how much star quality she has.
It's fairly forgettable, but it's feel good. Kevin Hart spends half the film doing a hauntingly accurate impression of Danny Glover which never stops being amusing, and by the time the films increasingly absurd climax comes around, it's clear that you would have to be a bit of a Grinch to not take something positive away.
There's a bit where Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson full on anime punches an ostrich. 6/10
To elaborate slightly - Jumanji: The Next Level isn't quite as fun as it's predecessor, mainly because it's pretty much a strikingly similar re-tread.
It's still a lot of fun with some imaginative set pieces, mostly decent effects, and a strong cast - Karen Gillan once again shows off just how much star quality she has.
It's fairly forgettable, but it's feel good. Kevin Hart spends half the film doing a hauntingly accurate impression of Danny Glover which never stops being amusing, and by the time the films increasingly absurd climax comes around, it's clear that you would have to be a bit of a Grinch to not take something positive away.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
The most fun you can have with Jack Black’s penis.
In 1995, Joe Johnston (“The Rocketeer”, “Captain America: The First Avenger”) directed “Jumanji” – a quirky, fantastical and dark film starring the late, great Robin Williams that got a rough critical reception at the time of release, but was embraced by the public and has gone on to be a modern classic. So when it was announced that a sequel was in the works 22 years later, my first reaction was “Oh no… is nothing sacred?”. It’s fair to say that I went into this flick with extremely low expectations.
But I have to say that – given this low base – I was pleasantly surprised. It’s actually quite a fun fantasy film that I predict that older kids will adore.
Seriously kick-ass. Karen Gillan – or rather one of her stunt doubles – gets hands… er… feet on with an aggressive level-character.
Initially set (neatly) in 1995, a teen – Alex (Nick Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers) unearths the board game Jumanji where it ended up buried in beach-sand at the end of the last film. “Who plays board games any more?” he scoffs, which the game hears and morphs into a game cartridge. Cheesy? Yes, but no more crazy than the goings on of the first film. Back in 2017, four high-school teens – geeky Spencer (Alex Wolff, “Patriot’s Day“); sports-jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain); self-obsessed beauty Bethany (Madison Iseman); and self-conscious, nerdy and shy Martha (Morgan Turner) – find the game and are sucked into it, having to complete all the game levels before they can escape.
Bethany (Madison Iseman) wishing she had her phone out for a selfie of this.
But they are not themselves in the game; they adopt the Avatars they chose to play: Dr Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson, “San Andreas“); Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart, “Get Hard“); Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan, “Dr Who”, “The Circle“; “Guardians of the Galaxy“); and Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black, “Sex Tape“, “Kong”). Can they combine their respective game talents – and suppress the human mental baggage they brought with them – to escape the game?
Avatars all. Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.
There was a really dark time-travelling angle to the storyline of the original film – the traumatic start of Disney’s “Flight of the Navigator” was perhaps also borrowed from the concept in the book by Chris Van Allsburg. An attempt is made to recreate this in the sequel. I felt the first film rather pulled its punches though in favour of a Hollywood happy ending: will this be the case this time?
The film delivers laughs, but in a rather inconsistent fashion – it is mostly smile-worthy rather than laugh-out-loud funny. Much fun is had with the sex change of Bethany’s character, with Jack Black’s member featuring – erm – prominently. The characters all have strengths and weaknesses, like a game of Top Trumps, and this also entertains. But the most humour derives from the “three lives and it’s game over” device giving the opportunity for various grisly ends, often relating to the above referenced weaknesses.
A weakness for cake… something many of us have, but not quite to this extent.
Given the cast that’s been signed up, the acting is not exactly first rate although Karen Gillan shines as the brightest star. But “it’s not bloody Shakespeare” so ham-acting is not that much of a problem and the cast all have fun with their roles. Dwayne Johnson in particular gets to play out of character as the ‘nerd within the hunk’, and his “smouldering look” skill – arched eyebrow and all – is hilarious. Rhys Darby, looking so much like Hugh Jackman that I had to do several double takes, also turns up as an English game-guide in a Land Rover, and Bobby Cannavale (“Ant Man“) is Van Pelt, the villain of the piece.
There has been much controversy over Karen Gillan’s child-sized outfit. But she is clearly a parallel to the well-endowed Lara Croft, and young male teens didn’t play that game for the jungle scenery! She is meant to be a hot and sexy video game character, and man – does she deliver! Gillan is not just hot in the film: she is #lavahot. This makes her comic attempts at flirting lessons (as the internally conflicted Martha) especially funny. Hats off to her stunt doubles as well, for some awe-inspiring martial arts fight scenes.
Seeing treble. Karen Gillan (centre) with her talented stunt doubles Joanna Bennett and Jahnel Curfman.
Fans of “Lost” will delight in the Jumanji scenery, surely one of the most over-used film locations in Hawaii if not the world!
Where the film gets bogged down is in too much cod-faced philosophizing over the teenager’s “journeys”. This is laid on in such a clunky manner in the early (slow!) scenes that the script could have been significantly tightened up. And as I said above the script, written (rather obviously) by a raft of writers, could have been so much funnier. Most of the humour comes from visually seeing what’s happening: not from the dialogue.
Directed by Jake Kasdan (son of director and Star Wars/Raiders screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan) it’s really not half as bad as it could have been and certainly not as bad as I feared: I would gladly watch it again. For it’s target audience, which is probably kids aged 10 to 14, I think they will love it. And, unlike many holiday films, the parents won’t be totally bored either (especially the Dads, for the obvious misogynistic reasons outlined above!).
But I have to say that – given this low base – I was pleasantly surprised. It’s actually quite a fun fantasy film that I predict that older kids will adore.
Seriously kick-ass. Karen Gillan – or rather one of her stunt doubles – gets hands… er… feet on with an aggressive level-character.
Initially set (neatly) in 1995, a teen – Alex (Nick Jonas, of the Jonas Brothers) unearths the board game Jumanji where it ended up buried in beach-sand at the end of the last film. “Who plays board games any more?” he scoffs, which the game hears and morphs into a game cartridge. Cheesy? Yes, but no more crazy than the goings on of the first film. Back in 2017, four high-school teens – geeky Spencer (Alex Wolff, “Patriot’s Day“); sports-jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain); self-obsessed beauty Bethany (Madison Iseman); and self-conscious, nerdy and shy Martha (Morgan Turner) – find the game and are sucked into it, having to complete all the game levels before they can escape.
Bethany (Madison Iseman) wishing she had her phone out for a selfie of this.
But they are not themselves in the game; they adopt the Avatars they chose to play: Dr Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson, “San Andreas“); Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart, “Get Hard“); Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan, “Dr Who”, “The Circle“; “Guardians of the Galaxy“); and Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black, “Sex Tape“, “Kong”). Can they combine their respective game talents – and suppress the human mental baggage they brought with them – to escape the game?
Avatars all. Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.
There was a really dark time-travelling angle to the storyline of the original film – the traumatic start of Disney’s “Flight of the Navigator” was perhaps also borrowed from the concept in the book by Chris Van Allsburg. An attempt is made to recreate this in the sequel. I felt the first film rather pulled its punches though in favour of a Hollywood happy ending: will this be the case this time?
The film delivers laughs, but in a rather inconsistent fashion – it is mostly smile-worthy rather than laugh-out-loud funny. Much fun is had with the sex change of Bethany’s character, with Jack Black’s member featuring – erm – prominently. The characters all have strengths and weaknesses, like a game of Top Trumps, and this also entertains. But the most humour derives from the “three lives and it’s game over” device giving the opportunity for various grisly ends, often relating to the above referenced weaknesses.
A weakness for cake… something many of us have, but not quite to this extent.
Given the cast that’s been signed up, the acting is not exactly first rate although Karen Gillan shines as the brightest star. But “it’s not bloody Shakespeare” so ham-acting is not that much of a problem and the cast all have fun with their roles. Dwayne Johnson in particular gets to play out of character as the ‘nerd within the hunk’, and his “smouldering look” skill – arched eyebrow and all – is hilarious. Rhys Darby, looking so much like Hugh Jackman that I had to do several double takes, also turns up as an English game-guide in a Land Rover, and Bobby Cannavale (“Ant Man“) is Van Pelt, the villain of the piece.
There has been much controversy over Karen Gillan’s child-sized outfit. But she is clearly a parallel to the well-endowed Lara Croft, and young male teens didn’t play that game for the jungle scenery! She is meant to be a hot and sexy video game character, and man – does she deliver! Gillan is not just hot in the film: she is #lavahot. This makes her comic attempts at flirting lessons (as the internally conflicted Martha) especially funny. Hats off to her stunt doubles as well, for some awe-inspiring martial arts fight scenes.
Seeing treble. Karen Gillan (centre) with her talented stunt doubles Joanna Bennett and Jahnel Curfman.
Fans of “Lost” will delight in the Jumanji scenery, surely one of the most over-used film locations in Hawaii if not the world!
Where the film gets bogged down is in too much cod-faced philosophizing over the teenager’s “journeys”. This is laid on in such a clunky manner in the early (slow!) scenes that the script could have been significantly tightened up. And as I said above the script, written (rather obviously) by a raft of writers, could have been so much funnier. Most of the humour comes from visually seeing what’s happening: not from the dialogue.
Directed by Jake Kasdan (son of director and Star Wars/Raiders screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan) it’s really not half as bad as it could have been and certainly not as bad as I feared: I would gladly watch it again. For it’s target audience, which is probably kids aged 10 to 14, I think they will love it. And, unlike many holiday films, the parents won’t be totally bored either (especially the Dads, for the obvious misogynistic reasons outlined above!).
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) in Movies
Dec 10, 2019
The rock, yes he is pretty badass in this, but he captured the person playing him (no idea how to explain that part lol) well. (1 more)
It was actually quite funny.
Exceeding expectations
All the 4 avatar characters are awesome and well played. You get the sense of the person behind the avatar. I loved Jack Black, whom I usually cannot stand. Kevin Hart was his usual brilliantly funny self, the rock i mentioned in my good bits and Karen Gillan was fabulous!!!
I was sceptical, being a HUGE fan of Jumanji. After they get to the tree house with a little shout out to Alan Parish (which i absolutely loved, melted my heart, felt like something so natural, to give a nod to the comedy legend Robin Williams.) It definitely didn't feel like an insult to the orginal, more like a tribute in a way. I glimspe into where Alan spent all those years.
I was sceptical, being a HUGE fan of Jumanji. After they get to the tree house with a little shout out to Alan Parish (which i absolutely loved, melted my heart, felt like something so natural, to give a nod to the comedy legend Robin Williams.) It definitely didn't feel like an insult to the orginal, more like a tribute in a way. I glimspe into where Alan spent all those years.
AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) in Movies
Dec 13, 2019 (Updated Dec 13, 2019)
I had hoped for so much more, and yet there I was in the cinema believing I had gone back in time and was watching the very first, and by first I mean The Rock Remake all over again.
Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough, and i definitely did not hate it. But i found myself rolling my eyes as the same jokes and gags were repeated and rehashed.
With a great cast, you couldn’t help but wish for something more. As before Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart work well together and bring the characters to light. It didn’t hurt that Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Rory McCann make appearances and bring their own elements of performance to add to the mix.
It was light and funny, my 10 year old most certainly enjoyed the humorous elements, but it was a sequel that could have been a remake of a remake.
Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough, and i definitely did not hate it. But i found myself rolling my eyes as the same jokes and gags were repeated and rehashed.
With a great cast, you couldn’t help but wish for something more. As before Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart work well together and bring the characters to light. It didn’t hurt that Danny DeVito, Danny Glover and Rory McCann make appearances and bring their own elements of performance to add to the mix.
It was light and funny, my 10 year old most certainly enjoyed the humorous elements, but it was a sequel that could have been a remake of a remake.
