The shy geek is now Dwayne Johnson! The shy lady geek is now Karen Gillan! The big football star is the diminutive Kevin Hart! The airhead queen bee is Jack Black! “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” took all the tropes and tricks of both reboots and video game movie culture and ran with them, gifting Sony with a massive hit in the waning days of its fiscal year. The result was a winner - a foursome of unlikely high schoolers (shades of “Breakfast Club” built right in) get pulled inside the game (now an old-school Nintendo-esque creation) and are forced to fight for their lives in the guise of some wacky avatars. (If you’re keeping score, yes, DeVito and Glover and their old-age ennui are now also for the teens.) Kasdan’s first film didn’t try to fully ape Johnston’s creation, instead building off a thrilling idea at its core: What if a magical game appeared in your life, and literally sucked you inside of it? (Yes, “Tron” got there first, but not in such crowdpleasing terms.) While Johnston’s film pondered the more melancholy aspects of that idea (Williams’ character is stuck inside the immersive jungle game for entire decades, and goes nutty in the process), Kasdan and coterie of screenwriters mined the “Jumanji” mythos for something more fun, contemporary, and teen-friendly. Still, it’s a fitting followup, and while not as original as its predecessors, makes a strong claim for the series to keep earning extra lives. While Kasdan’s newest entry into the burgeoning franchise (again joined by returning writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg) toys with some compelling ideas early on - it sucks to grow old, and here’s what happens after all the exciting moments in life pass you by - “The Next Level” eventually gives itself over to bigger, sillier gags. ‘Achilles’ Review: Iran’s Authoritarian Crackdown on Filmmakers Underscores a Melancholy Road Trip Drama
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