‘JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE’ adds meta comedy to the epic action

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

It worked for 21 JUMP STREET so why shouldn’t it work for the JUMANJI reboot? Mixing meta, self-awareness in with comedic tomfoolery and big action set pieces seems like it will be the winning formula for director Jake Kasdan’s JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. Take a looksie:

Guns n’ Roses is a popular choice these days. “Welcome to the Jungle” is also featured in LEGO: NINJAGO. Earlier this year, Sony used “Paradise City” to help sell the badass trailer for RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER. It’s a no-brainer they would think to use it here, let alone subtitle the movie as such.

The cast – comprised of Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas – looks unbeatable and, judging solely on the trailer, pretty spectacular at nailing the comedy.

Here’s the official synopsis:

In the brand new adventure Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the tables are turned as four teenagers in detention are sucked into the world of Jumanji.  When they discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of, they are immediately thrust into the game’s jungle setting, into the bodies of their avatars, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan.  What they discover is that you don’t just play Jumanji – Jumanji plays you.  They’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they’ll be stuck in the game forever…

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE opens on December 20.