Jumanji: The Next Level Review - 6 Ups & 4 Downs

1. It Doesn't Really Feel Like A Video Game

Welcome to the Jungle was a surprisingly smart movie when it came to engaging with video games as a medium: pretty much nobody expected the script to boast as much reverence for games as it did, and it was clearly written by people who played and understood them.

Sadly the jokes about video game logic are massively scaled-back for the sequel, with a few recycled gags about cutscenes and the limited interactivity of the game's NPC guide (Rhys Darby), but there's virtually nothing new in this regard.

There are also countless missed opportunities. For example, there's a scene mid-way through the movie where all of the heroes are killed by the villains, and we see only the briefest glimpse of the antagonists celebrating their victory.

This could've been an amusing extended gag about what villainous NPCs get up to when players suffer a Game Over, but instead the scene quickly moves on.

It's worth mentioning that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who helped co-write the first film and have written the likes of The Lego Batman Movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, didn't return to collaborate on this sequel, which might explain why some of the "special sauce" seems to be lacking.

But if you can forgive these gripes - namely the film's patent lack of originality - there's just enough here for a worthwhile sit...