It’s hard to get the next level – review of the movie “Jumanji: The Next Level”

The next level

The next level? But how? Nobody had informed us before that such mechanics in Jumanji… exist! The game is over, players have logged out, space-time has been bent, and they have all returned to their lives when the game was suspended by participating in the game. The cassette was destroyed, eventually sanctioning the film’s closed ending. And then suddenly … another part of the production is created – well, part. Such Jumanji 2 (although technically speaking, even 3, but I prefer to clearly separate new movies from the world of Jumanjifrom the first in 1995). Only that there is no new version of the title game in the plot – it turns out, however, that after previous (inaccurate) destruction, it magically evolved and created a new narrative with tasks to be performed. It is a bit of a stretch, mainly because it is poorly explained. However, it is acceptable, when certain expectations are suspended and just like the heroes, you will not spend a second reflecting on the game, which not only survived (and with it the entire universe), but has also changed significantly. This lack of reflection on the ontological status of the world and the situation of the characters is a great unused gate, thanks to which the creators could avoid duplicating the pattern from the previous part in the plot. They missed an opportunity to reformulate it a little and deepen the story. However, I decided

I forgive you

Of course, it would be nicer if the plot turned out to be more complicated – and less imitative compared to the previous part. For example, there are conflicts again between the same characters specific to the game world (although they are played by other people from the world outside the game than in the previous film) – even their course is the same. Introducing the horse as an option for the player or changing the strengths and weaknesses of the characters do not help much and turn out to be poor attempts to diversify the plot. The creators took the easy way, so there may be a feeling of déjà vu from time to time . There are a lot of simplifications here, which is a pity – because if they bit deeper into some threads, the whole thing would be a film story and jump to … a higher level. However, it is also worth bearing in mind that none of the Jumanjithat arose in this millennium did not have such an aspiration – and it did not signal it. Nonetheless, it is the gags that make Jumanji: The Next Level , not a multi-threaded, in-depth story. And this should be remembered.

So big, so small, it can be in Jumanji

The theme of body swapping remains – and rightly so! – the main driving force of the film. The game, on the other hand, turned out to have the ability to make its own decisions about who it draws into the world of Jumanji. She broke down so much that she not only chose characters for players, but also decided who to suck into the game herself – regardless of who was holding the pad. Thus, not only teenagers who made conscious decisions, but also unaware old men, faced the competition. Therefore, a resolute grandfather after hip surgery could have landed in the myoma skin. Just imagine the possibilities! It is the acting and comedian skills that remain the strongest points of this production. Because if this sphere also failed, the main pillar of the entertainment-oriented film would collapse. More specifically, alongside visual fireworks and animations, it is the actors’ creations that contribute to having a good time during the screening. In addition, all self-deprecating jokes meant that a lot can be forgiven for this production.

Toss a coin to your Dr Bravestone

During the screening, I happened to whisper a few comments to my friends. One of them concerned the way of running the camera – if the cinematographers of The Witcher focused on such shots, the whole thing would be much better to watch. It would also not hurt the creators to follow the example of a montage well combined with music that pleases the eye and ear in Jumanji: The Next Level. They would then learn how to achieve a certain naturalness in storytelling with sound and image. Of course, there are no big hits here that we will hum until the fall (no “Toss a coin to your Dr. Bravestone”), but the two layers simply work together and do not scratch. In addition, the animation does not catch the eye – even better! – it is very fluid, polished, thanks to which the game world lives on both the foreground, background and third plan.

Although in Jumanji: The Next Level there are new heroes and with great amusement you can watch how the elders in the body of young men reach both the youth and each other, the creators do not serve us anything new at the plot level. They dress the scheme known from the first part in new clothes, add a few additional characters and delicately expose reflection on the passing. If they had more boldly picked up on topics that they merely signaled or treated superficially, this part of Jumanji would indeed jump to the next level. However, despite this, the fun was great during the screening. And that’s the main thing I expect from an adventure entertainment cinema.