Jumanji The Next Level is proof that lightning can strike in the same place twice. The sequel to the unlikely hit of 2017 is just as much fun as its predecessor and it’s due to the fact that this film knows exactly what it is at all times. Welcome to the Jungle made $962 million dollars for Sony in 2017. With that kind of success, it would have been real easy for Sony and director Jake Kasdan to just go back to the same well and “do it all over again” in a cheap attempt at a money grab. Instead, Kasdan leaned into the ridiculousness of Jumanji, gave the actors new dynamics to play with and in the end made a film that’s just as much (if not more) fun than the original.
Just like the 2017 film, what works for the Jumanji The Next Level are the actors who play the “Avatars”:
Dwayne Johnson as Dr. Smolder Bravestone Kevin Hart as Franklin “Mouse” Finbar Jack Black as Professoor Sheldon Oberon Karen Gillain as Ruby Roundhouse
The wrinkle in the film this time is that the avatars
