"You get in there!"
Trailer Review 050
Jumanji
Welcome to the Jungle
above 70% for setting up the premise nicely although nothing at all like the original
Chance of Success =
hm ... below 70% because of blatant departure for action-heavy approach instead of more 'grounded' original and unclear connection with its predecessor
hm ... below 70% because of blatant departure for action-heavy approach instead of more 'grounded' original and unclear connection with its predecessor
a case for the endearing original:
+ Highlights +
Using the convention of a tabletop board game to the fullest and best of their abilities by applying fantastical elements to the real world and even affecting the players in real life, highlighting the effect the game has on them and each other ... most importantly the most memorable aspect of the movie is the late Robin Williams' endearing family man performance who's trapped between being a child and a man out of time.
The movie ended with the board game washed ashore if I'm not mistaken on the beach of Japan and it would be interesting to see how the game would affect the Land of the Rising Sun although it would be just a retread of the first.
- Lowlights -
Viewed retrospectively, it doesn't age as gracefully as one hope although the family values as well as the great special effects certainly hold up in certain regards.
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a case for the trailer:
+ Highlights +
Well ... it is certainly a departure of the well-known premise with a change of format to a classic video game while the focus would be on building up friendship between four random delinquents ... there are a lot of action that would be contained in the jungle that's video game-inspired ala Contra.
As intriguing of a concept as it is, having the kids playing in different avatars of different builds and sexes could only go so far before being a tired trope in the movie ... each of them having different in-game abilities certainly would add to adding diversity in storytelling and help pushing the storyline further until they somehow learned to cooperate and work together to possibly defeat the end boss to finally finished the game.
Would the real life counterparts be on the screen at the start and end of the movie while the spotlight be solely on the superstars while shone away from the young newcomers?
- Lowlights -
It's justified as a satirical commentary on the character designs of games in general but specifically the avatars played by Dwayne Johnson and Karen Gillan played to that convention to the fullest for better or for worse ... let's hope they're not objectified too much in the finished product.
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- Synopsis -
In a brand new Jumanji adventure, four high school kids discover an old video game console and are drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the adult avatars they chose. What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji - you must survive it. To beat the game and return to the real world, they'll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, discover what Alan Parrish left 20 years ago, and change the way they think about themselves - or they'll be stuck in the game forever, to be played by others without break.
Cast
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, ...
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