Review of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) by Asher K — 10 Apr 2018

O What a fun surprise! The trailers for this looked awful, but on peer recommendation and strong critic reaction my family went together to Jumanji and we were laughing aloud through most of the movie.

The spin on the premise as a video game is creative (I love the NPC preprogrammed lines running gag), the action is funny and pulse-pumping, and the cast is hilarious across the board-I mean, Jack Black as a social media obsessed teenaged girl? Come on! The pace is also wisely quick.

There are still weak points, particularly the villain, the personality mismatch between the teen "Fridge" and Kevin Hart's "Fridge" (since Hart can't play the quiet tough guy, why not have the teen actor do a Kevin Hart impression?), and some confusing timeline decisions that make for an uncomfortable ending for a character.

Oh, and a romantic moment in the closing is some seriously awkward PDA blocking foot traffic on a narrow ramp, but that's just a me problem. I just bring these nitpicks up because I like to be a kill-joy; this is silly comedy that is way better than it has any right to be, and I left the theater giddy.

That means job well done, movie!