Just got back from the new **Jumanji** movie, and I had a lot of fun. All of the characters were great and they had fantastic chemistry together. I loved the Rock and Kevin Hart (back from Central Intelligence), but Jack Black really stood out with the funniest and most eccentric performance by far. The setup for the movie was solid (albeit a bit simple), and it served its purpose in giving us funny scenarios for the characters. This is definitely a fun movie to watch and just enjoy for some laughs and action especially if you haven't seen the trailer (the trailer spoils a few of the funny scenes). 7/10.

The draw for me to this show was Dwayne Johnson (son of Nova Scotia born Rocky Johnson from Amherst) and Karen Gillian. I'd alway thought I'd enjoy The Rock but was never drawn to his movie choices, and Karen Gillian has been crushing it ever since her DOCTOR WHO days. This movie was a blast! Situationally funny, challenging social mores, drawing life affirming conclusions, big adventure, great comedic timing and talent. It was a hoot and I'll probably watch it again when it is released to DVD. I give it an 8 (great) out of 10. [Young Adult, Action, Adventure, Comedy].

I honestly don't understand all the hype and high scores and positive reviews on this movie. To start off, the 20yo "high school students" are nowhere near believable, but at the same time they're such stereotypes-on-legs that one feels the urge to just punch them in the face. Not only their personalities, but their every single interaction as well is so sterotypical and predictable that they're literally painful to watch. Once they get into the game, it doesn't get any better. The fact that they're sucked into a game only serves to negate any and all sense of danger they may face during the "adventure": with three lives, you just know that whatever happens to them will have no consequence whatsoever - if anything, they manage to utilise "death" as a game mechanic to help them along the way; heck even their weaknesses become strengths, if not just butts of jokes. Their transformation only goes the most predictable way too: turning into their own "inverse" versions, with one or two character traits preserved to make everything else about them a joke. The world itself is poorly utilised as well: the source of the main dangers isn't nature but bandits on motorcycles, with some bad CGI animals only occasionally getting in their way. Even the story is non-existent, with a huge timeskip after a short intro, because gods forbid they actually continue where it was left off, or just bring it to present days right from the start. The actors at least try to make an effort to do something with their characters, but quite frankly the ensemble of a muscle-brained G.I. Joe, a middle-aged unkempt Indiana Jones, a black valet, and Lara Croft has too little originality to it (ie. none) for those efforts to make much of a difference. Not to even mention the pilot, who couldn't be more generic if he was actually cut out of cardboard. But hey, at least Jack Black gets to play a teenage girl. I'm not sure who felt that making this movie was needed. I'm not sure who thinks walking clichés and d××k jokes constitute a "fun family movie". Take away the title, and there is quite literally nothing to see here that stands out from any similar "lower tier" flick - none of which ever gets this ridiculously overrated.

I was wondering how this movie was going to go since they modernised it the way they did. But it worked so well! I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat because of the excitement, and it was a really beautiful movie to look at. There is a slight chance that I loved this one more than the original. The cast was amazing, and the script was fast paced and well written. With just the right amount of adventure and jokes. I really enjoyed it and I would for sure watch it again! Little shoutout to Jack Black. The whole cast was amazing but that man, he was brilliant!

What was really disappointing was that this didn't really follow in the footsteps of the original Jumanji movie. There was no need to title it "Jumanji," they just set me up for disappointment. The original film had such a great format, they roll the dice and some new danger rolls in, and they have to survive whilst still trying to carry on with the game, adding new dangers every time they roll. It's what made Jumanji, Jumanji. The new film didn't follow that at all. The characters were all sucked into this Jumanji video game with 3 lives, so there was no real danger. It's their in-game "avatar" that dies and immediately comes back, rather than any consequence, so the exciting danger that the first movie had wasn't there. To add to that, the effects and scenarios that the characters are put in just aren't as good either. The first Jumanji had monsoons, swarms of dangerous animals, stampedes, all coming out of this board game into the real world. In the new film, the Jungle may as well not be there, the main threat is a gang of people on motor cycles. A few different poorly CGI'd animals make brief appearances. It wasn't very funny either. The trailer probably shows you the funniest parts, and even that wasn't particularly funny. It wasn't an awful film, it just wasn't good.