Directed by Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story; New Girl (TV Series)) and starring Dwayne Johnson (Furious 6; Moana; G.I. Joe: Retaliation; The Scorpion King; Journey 2: The Mysterious Island; San Andreas), Kevin Hart (Central Intelligence; The Secret Life of Pets; Ride Along 2; The Five-Year Engagement), Jack Black (High Fidelity; Kung Fu Panda 2; Goosebumps; King Kong; School of Rock) and Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy; Not Another Happy Ending).
Family adventure, 119 mins, 12+
In a departure from the original 1995 Jumanji starring Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst, here the characters start off as schoolkids in detention who try out a dustz video game only to be sucked into the game as avatars of the game's main characters.
Spencer (Dwayne Johnson), Fridge (Kevin Hart), Bethany (Jack Black) and Martha (Karen Gillan) land in the computer game, set in a jungle. Once their shock has worn off they come to terms with their new bodies and discover their characters' strengths and weaknesses. A "narrator" comes on the scene and explains that, in order to leave / escape the game, they have to replace a stolen gem in a rock formation resembling a cheetah.
To win through each level of the game, and survive the jungle, they must enter a scenario, e.g. a market or a guarded transport facility, and obtain an item. This is invariably more challenging as fist appears, primarily as each character is still learning their strengths and weaknesses.
But is makes for a hugely entertaining and rollercoaster ride of an adventure as the actors play characters who then become avatars of video game characters. Quite confusing, you may think. Not really, but it does make for some genuinely comic moments. And they don't overplay the issue of Jack Black playing a girl's character in a man's avatar.
A great family film, ideal for the festive season.
