“Jumanji: The Next Level” Movie Review

    Every December, especially around Christmas, the multiplex tends to be fairly crowded with a slew of new releases.  One could say it’s a bit of a jungle out there in the theaters, so another Jumanji movie seems like a no brainer.  I finally got a chance to catch “Jumanji: The Next Level” and I can finally give you my take on the film.

    The film takes place a few years after the events of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”.  Spencer, Martha, Fridge, and Bethany are now separated from each other and going to different colleges.  The group decide to get together but Spencer is reluctant to meet back up with them because he feels insecure and inadequate now.  Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Spencer patches the Jumanji video game together and returns to the game in an effort to regain his confidence.  Unfortunately, Spencer becomes trapped in the game again and it’s up to his friends to rescue him by returning to Jumanji.

    Let me start off by saying that I enjoyed this film quite a bit.  The film has it’s flaws, but it is hilarious at times and makes for some great escapism.  The main flaw of the film isn’t with it’s humor, it’s in the movie’s lack of an original story.  Despite a great deal of terrific new gags, the film is essentially more of the same plot overall with little new to offer aside from it’s humor.  Thankfully, it very much delivers in that department.

    “Jumanji: The Next Level” is the fourth overall film in the franchise following “Jumanji”, “Zathura: A Space Adventure” (which was the official book sequel but more of a spin-off in regards to the adaptation) and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”.  I sort of hope the inevitable next film in the franchise takes the story in a different direction with more ties to the first film (and possibly Zathura).

    The core cast of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” all return including Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillian, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, and Colin Hanks.  They are joined by new cast members Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito who all add a lot of humor and heart to this film.

    One of the funnier gimmicks of the film is that the youngsters of the film end up in different avatars this time around except for Martha (Morgan Turner) who once again becomes Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillian).  Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) is now in the avatar of Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black) and Bethany initially gets left out of the game completely.  Spencer’s grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) isn’t so lucky and gets sucked into the game and becomes Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) while his friend Milo (Danny Glover) is now in the avatar of Frank Finbar (Kevin Hart).

    Dwayne Johnson does a great job channeling Danny DeVito and is given more to work with in this sequel.  Kevin Hart also sounded and acted identical to Danny Glover which was often hilarious.  I really enjoyed Awkwafina in this film as well.  The only actor to get the raw end of the deal was Jack Black because the gifted comedian isn’t given as many funny lines due to his character now being Fridge’s avatar.

    This installment of the popular franchise doesn’t take us to new places or advance the story much but it is still very fun.  When it comes to monkey business, no franchise excels at it quite like “Jumanji”.

Grade: B

"Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" Movie Review

    Last week my girlfriend and I were set on watching the film “Yesterday” before it was pulled from theaters.  When we got to the theater however, the theater was full so we were forced to pick another movie or go home.  Having seen almost every other movie screening, we settled on “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”.  The trailer didn’t wow either of us but I like some of the films in the franchise and we both enjoy Dwayne Johnson’s movies typically.

    The film is a spin-off from the main “Fast and Furious” films and focuses on the characters of Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw as they are both sent on a mission to recover a deadly virus carried by a woman who turns out to be Deckard’s sister.  They aren’t the only ones trying to get ahold of her however as a cyber enhanced superhuman and terrorist is also hunting her for the virus she has inside of her.

    As far as popcorn munching crowd pleasers go, this movie was fairly enjoyable if you turn your brain off and just enjoy the visuals.  The biggest problem with the film is that it is just kind of dumb (which is not a new problem for the “Fast & Furious” franchise).  The movie ignores anything remotely realistic in favor of explosions and fist fights.

    The cast was probably the best part of the film as Dwayne Johnson once again proves how charming he is as a leading man even in something so over the top.  Jason Statham isn’t one of my favorite actors but he has a good back and forth chemistry with Johnson that plays like a classic buddy cop pairing from 80s movies.  Idris Elba does the most with the throwaway villain role he was given.  Vanessa Kirby is good but doesn’t exactly steal any scenes.  On the other hand, Helen Mirren lights up the screen during the few scenes she has in the movie.

    ::Spoiler Alert::  One of the highlights of the film were the many cameo appearances featured throughout.  In addition to WWE superstar Roman Reigns in a non speaking role, we also get Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart in humorous roles.  I just wish the cameo appearance planned for Keanu Reeves would have worked out.

    Now, the film is roughly thirty minutes too long and lacks direction but this isn’t helped by the fact that the movie suffers from franchise fatigue so you notice the flaws more.  I felt the same way about “The Fate of the Furious” and I think this is a franchise that could use a breather.  All the in fighting among the cast (most notably Tyrese Gibson) isn’t helping the franchise as a whole either.  For a franchise that stresses the importance of family, the cast certainly isn’t acting like family (although this film didn’t focus on family much anyway).

    The movie is a big dumb enjoyable car wreck of a film anchored by The enjoyable charm of Dwayne Johnson.  This film won’t be considered a masterpiece to most, but it is still a fun ride.

Grade: B-

"Night School" Movie Review

    My girlfriend recently rented the film “Night School” from Family Video for us to watch.  Neither of us are the biggest Kevin Hart fans in the world but the film looked entertaining so we figured what the heck.  After finishing the film, I knew this was a film I just had to review, but perhaps not for clear cut reasons.

    The film follows Teddy Walker and we learn from the first scene (and as the title suggests) that Teddy doesn’t end up finishing High School and ends up without a diploma.  This doesn’t seem to be a huge problem for him as we flash forward to him ten years plus later and he is a successful salesman.  All things look good for his future as he is set to inherit the business he works for but an unfortunate accident leaves him in desperate need for a new job.  Unfortunately for Teddy, to get a decent job, he is going to have to get his High School diploma.

    Let me start off by saying this wasn’t a terrible film but it also wasn’t a great movie.  The film received mixed reviews and it is easy to see why.  The film is a comedy but it didn’t leave me in stitches.  Most of the funniest moments of the film are derived from gross out moments.  I don’t mind comedies like that but it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

    The premise of “Night School” isn’t terrible and allows for some funny moments but it also isn’t entirely original either.  Several earlier movies already told similar stories and were funnier.  Take a film like “Back to School”, it came out decades ago and still stands the test of time and is funnier as a whole than “Night School”.

    The biggest problem with the film is Kevin Hart.  I have learned a little Kevin Hart goes a long way.  Every movie I have seen him in that I have enjoyed, he has a supporting role.  His humor seems to be best paired with a straight man like Dwayne Johnson.  He is gifted at playing annoying characters which can be funny but not as a lead.  In this respect, I feel Hart overvalues his comedic ability at times.  Of course, films like this feel like he accepted the role for the paycheck over it being a passion project.

    One saving grace for this film could have been it’s supporting cast and while the film is filled with gifted comedians, they aren’t given much time to shine.  Another missed opportunity with this film is having a clear message or moral but even in this area, the film is messy and lacks direction.

    “Night School” isn’t the worst film you could watch and provides some laughs, but there are also plenty of older films which pack more bang for your dollar.

Grade: C+