The gang is (sort of) back for a whole new crop of adventures in Jumanji: The Next Level, the latest from director Jake Kasdan.
Following where Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle left off, we return to the eclectic group of teens who bonded during their adventure in the all-too-real video game. Spencer secretly kept the game, and when he’s sucked back inside, the rest of the group jump in after him. This time, though, they don’t go alone, unwittingly taking Spencer’s grandfather and his friend along for the ride. That means they’re facing the increasingly difficult game with a pair of newbies, and they still have to find Spencer before they can win the game.
The return of Kasdan and several members of the writing team means Next Level will likely stick to the wacky but intelligent humor that made Welcome to the Jungle such a delight. Expect more retro-gamer jokes (the trailer already gives us a new NPC) and plenty of meta humor to carry the day. The setup does unfortunately leave them wide open to repeating themselves, but is that really so much of an issue when you’ve got such charmers in front of the camera?
With the body switch premise, much of the joy of this rebooted series comes from watching the leads play against type while also leaning into their most famous traits. Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas are all back as game characters, and this time a couple of them get to do their best Danny Glover and Danny DeVito impressions. And that madness shouldn’t be missed.
Jumanji: The Next Level is directed by Jake Kasdan and stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. It will be released in the US and the UK on December 13th, 2019. For international release dates, click here.
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