Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a guilty pleasure. It's a shoehorned sequel, riding the original's recognizability. Its plot is shallow and derivative. The characters are cliches with contrived arcs. Its humor is simplistic. Ultimately, there's no substance in this corporate material. Yet, Jumanji survives because it puts popular stars in opportune roles. Every protagonist plays against type. This allows for self-awareness jokes, ham, and physical comedy. Particularly, Johnson and Black relish their parts. Gillan is underwritten and Hart does his familiar schtick, but they're decent support. Therefore, while Jumanji is flat commercialism, its performances provide amusement.
Technically, Jumanji is big and messy. It has an arcing shot, a concise runtime, and layered sound mixing, but no other proactive techniques are present. The soundtrack reinforces the adventure and humor, yet is mostly generic. The effects use adequate stunts, but there's excessive CGI. Conversely, the production design is solid and the locations are picturesque. Lastly, the tone is cohesive, even if it's superficial. Overall, Jumanji is competent enough but uninspired. Beyond its optimized cast, this is clearly just a cash grab. Thus, some viewers might appreciate it as light entertainment, while others will poke it full of holes.
Writing: 4/10
Direction: 5/10
Cinematography: 5/10
Acting: 7/10
Editing: 5/10
Sound: 6/10
Score/Soundtrack: 6/10
Production Design: 7/10
Casting: 9/10
Effects: 6/10
Overall Score: 6.0/10
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