Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle Review - 7 Ups & 4 Downs

6. Jack Black Steals The Show

Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle Jack Black
Sony

Jack Black gives easily his best performance in a mainstream Hollywood movie in many years as the avatar character Professor Shelly Oberon, who is of course the avatar assumed by the gorgeous, popular Bethany.

This inherently creates a bunch of easy laughs, as the vapid Bethany loathes residing in the body of a fat middle-aged man, but Black's performance, which impressively replicates the tics and quips of an actual soulless teenager, is really quite fascinating to observe.

Black could easily have phoned it in and gone too over-the-top, but he manages to make his performance as Bethany both believable and hilarious. While Dwayne Johnson's claims that Black deserves an Oscar for his work are totally absurd, he's clearly having a ton of fun here while also turning in genuinely great work.

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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.