When I heard about the new Jumanji movie, my 10-year-old inner child screamed in horror at the thought of a remake of one of my beloved childhood movies.

How dare “they” try to bring another movie from my early years to the big screen AGAIN. I was a little judgy about it, but my grandma, who has a major crush on Dwayne Johnson, wanted to see it. I sucked it up and took her to the theater.

To my surprise, I actually liked it (I had similar feelings/thoughts about the remake of IT). There are MAJOR differences from the original and I think that is a huge part of why I enjoyed it. (SPOILERS…sort of) The film goes from two kids/two adults to four kids who change to four adults and one Nick Jonas who later is Colin Hanks, from board game to video game, from the game coming out into the real world to the characters going into the game world. Definitely different.

Homage was paid to the original film with a shout out to “Alan Parrish,” which won some points from me. If they would’ve made the movie more like the original, I immediately thought Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler: Stranger Things) should be young Alan. Alas, they didn’t and I’m okay with the casting. Again, surprised like so many others.

Dwayne Johnson, who I still call “The Rock,” is mediocre, but seriously addicting to watch (he’s way better than his first role in The Mummy Returns). He’s also funny in his own way (see Bay Watch as another example – it’s like a car wreck, you can’t help but stare). Sprinkle in Kevin Hart, who has previous film chemistry with Johnson and is hilarious; Jack Black, who is perfect in his role as a teenage girl stuck in “an old white guy’s body;” and the beautiful and talented Karen Gillan, who is a total badass (might be a little biased because Amy Pond is my favorite Doctor Who companion).

I have to give props to the creators. I was either smirking or laughing through most of the movie, as was the rest of the theater (probably more so because I’m a tough audience). My advice is to go into the movie knowing it is an action comedy that isn’t like the 1995 Jumanji with Robin Williams, who can NEVER be replaced. It almost feels like the creators knew that and took the story into a more modern direction that would have the next generation loving it. I also like to think that the tribute to “Alan” was a tribute to Williams (hey I can dream). I find remakes often include a sentimental salute to the originals to help us cope with the changes to the film.

Go see it, and maybe you’ll join me and the many others who are bewildered by the fact that we actually liked this movie.

 

Disclaimer: I am not a film expert or critic. I leave that up to the professionals, but I hope you take my thoughts into consideration when trying to figure out what to see in theaters this weekend. The movie is a fun, light-hearted piece that is definitely more suited for ages 13 or up (there is some adult humor).

 

-AMS