Jumanji: The Next Level

If I’m judging the film strictly on how entertained I was, it would get a 4th star like its predecessor. Everybody in the cast gives 100% (even if Rock’s New York accent is pretty awful) and there plenty of laughs to be had along the adventure. As a stand-alone movie, I don’t have complaints. But this isn’t standalone. It’s a sequel. And it fails to excuse its existence in that regard due to one flaw: at no point is there any significant character arcs like the last one. In the original, the four kids were put in avatars opposite to themselves and, because of it, learned lessons about themselves. But those lessons don’t need to be learned ... except for Spencer, who gets his character arc reset so the plot can happen. It’s redundant and lazily handled, and it robs the movie of any forward propulsion from the characters themselves. The two new characters, two elderly men played by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, are there to provide bickering and character growth, but the way they’re handled is so ham-fisted, and their avatars in the game don’t reflect their inner problems at all. It’s all so very unsatisfying and makes this strictly an adventure propelled by itself. It makes for fine viewing, but it’s no match for the last one.