Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Review - 7 Ups & 4 Downs
1. The "Emotional" Subplots Don't Really Work
Though the film does a surprisingly solid job cementing the group dynamic of both the real-world characters and their in-game avatars, it's fair to say that it's less successful when trying to imbue the story with some actual emotion.
There's a vaguely Breakfast Club-esque vibe to the fact that these four kids are paired together during detention, though compared to that film's intriguing ambiguity, here their friendship is a joyous, absolute certainty by the end of the movie, and it's just not particularly interesting or resonant as a payoff.
Also, there's a love story in the mix between Alex Wolff and Morgan Turner's nerdy characters, which is stunningly earnest to the point that it might even elicit a few eye-rolls. Still, this subplot isn't overly laboured, and though it doesn't really work on an emotional level, it also doesn't bog the film down either.
And now, let's dig into why the new Jumanji movie works so surprisingly well...