Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Directed by Jake Kasdan. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, Morgan Turner, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain, Danny Glover, Rhys Darby, Rory McCann, Nick Jonas, Marin Hinkle. [PG-13]

The kids from the last Jumanji movie have drifted apart in their lives over the last few years and arrange a reunion, but when one of them doesn’t show up, the others suspect that he’s back inside the magical video game and go after him, starting a brand new adventure (or “level”). Despite a change in the in-game scenery (deserts and snowy mountains instead of just sweltering jungles) and the addition of a few new characters in both the “real world” and the “game world,” such as an unfiltered grandpa (DeVito), his old business partner (Glover), and a flavorless new villain (McCann), it’s mostly just more of the same, and pretty stale this time, too. Bloated blockbuster also suffers from repetition—those faintly-senile old people jokes wear out fast, but they just keep comin’—and brief side-episodes that neither advance the plot nor provide laughter or excitement. Little ventured, even less gained. Colin Hanks cameos again, as does Bebe Neuwirth, apparently playing the same role she did in the 1995 film.

40/100