Jumanji: The Next Level

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bookworm
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Jumanji: The Next Level

Post by bookworm »

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Post by Catspaw »

Haha, this movie might not be good, but it could be funny. ;)
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Post by bookworm »

I have really mixed feelings on this.

As a continuation of what they set up in the last one it looks fun, and I could see them cranking out a whole series of these which is obviously what they want to do.

But it's not what Jumanji is at all. If they had just made their own thing for this I would be open to every new installment, let's see what they're doing with it this time, it could be a silly adventure series that's pretty fun with endless possibilities as the game evolved and how they changed up the players. But having it be Jumanji, when the first sequel was already so different than the original and not really in a good way, I feel like every additional movie that just follows that mold lessens the franchise.
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Post by Catspaw »

I haven't seen this movie yet because I am sure that it won't be good enough to pay to see, so I'm waiting for it to hit Netflix or something else I already have.
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Post by bookworm »

I thought it was pretty good.

There was some unnecessary crudeness again like in the first sequel. It's not terrible, but it's not needed so it's disappointing they keep insisting on putting it in. It just further separates these new movies from the wholesome original.

I had doubts about how justified having another movie would be with minimal difference from the premise of the last one, expecting mostly a rehash, but they actually introduced some fun new game tropes and mechanics here. They do a good job making the video game aspect actually a thing in how the story unfolds.

In the end I wasnt mad this was made, I felt it was warranted enough, but I was ready for it to be the end of the series.
Until the credits scene.
Ok, they got me. I'm on board.

When it started setting up that there was going to be at least one more movie I was super cynical, I was saying just take the nice run you've had here and stop while you're ahead. Another movie will really be forcing it. But then no, we're not going back into the game yet again, we're going back to origins of the franchise - the game coming to this world.

I'm up for it. That should then really be the end though. At least of this iteration. Let them have their trilogy then say that's enough for now. Give it a break and if and when you pick it up again move to a different setting. This is becoming about these particular characters, not about the game, which I don't like. I would be all in on an anthology series showing how different groups of people have been affected by various appearances of the game in different time periods, but what we're getting is this same group combating the game again and again and that's not what Jumanji is about.
One thing from the end of the movie threw me.
Milo's choosing to stay in the game. I assume his wife had died at some point then? Because if not that was way out of character and out of nowhere after he talked about his happy marriage earlier. So she must have; but it would have been nice to have that stated somewhere along the way so that decision didn't come completely out of left field like that.
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Post by Kaida »

Ooooh I want to see this one. I liked watching the first one. It was really funny. That's all I'm really there for hehe

It's kinda funny, but before the whole social distancing and self isolation thing happened, we had borrowed the first movie from our library and have not been able to return it yet because they closed our library before we could =p
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Post by bookworm »

I'm assuming by "first one" you mean the previous movie, not the actual first movie?
That's my hesitance in liking these new ones too much; the more successful they are and they keep running with this new style they make it more probable that people who don't realize there was an original Jumanji would be put off if they ever go check it out because it's so drastically different in tone and narrative from the sequels. It's sad because it's really worth watching, but if you're conditioned on what to expect from the new movies first I don't know how it would be received by a new viewer.


But yeah if someone liked Welcome to the Jungle they will also like this, it's right in the same vein. Enough tweaks to avoid being a complete rehash, but definitely more of the same.
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Post by Kaida »

bookworm wrote:I'm assuming by "first one" you mean the previous movie, not the actual first movie?
That's my hesitance in liking these new ones too much; the more successful they are and they keep running with this new style they make it more probable that people who don't realize there was an original Jumanji would be put off if they ever go check it out because it's so drastically different in tone and narrative from the sequels. It's sad because it's really worth watching, but if you're conditioned on what to expect from the new movies first I don't know how it would be received by a new viewer.


But yeah if someone liked Welcome to the Jungle they will also like this, it's right in the same vein. Enough tweaks to avoid being a complete rehash, but definitely more of the same.

Yeah I meant the previous one. I've seen the original or most of it. I don't remember why I didn't finish it. Maybe because I was watching it by myself. I probably would like it the same but really I'm just watching to laugh. And the new style made me laugh. Also I was watched Welcome to the Jungle with a friend and my brother and that's probably what helped me enjoy it more. And I'm a fan of Karen Gillan. I enjoyed the whole cast in that movie though. Oooh now I feel like watching it again.
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