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

3. Henry Jackman's Excellent Musical Score

Jumanji The Next Level
Sony Pictures Releasing

Composer Henry Jackman returns to provide The Next Level's musical score, and it's actually one of the best things about the movie.

If the score for the previous film was solid but unremarkable, the sequel's musical arrangement is far more playful and memorable.

For starters, Jackman leans into the movie's clear cinematic influences: when the gang is venturing across a desert early on, for example, a wonderful orchestral swell plays out that's clearly homaging Maurice Jarre's Oscar-winning score for Lawrence of Arabia.

Most of the score feels like a tribute to the music of classic 1980s action-adventure movies, honestly, and that's no bad thing. It's lively, it's loud, and later on it even gives the emotional moments a bit of a boost. Speaking of which...

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.