'Jumanji: The Next Level' Has a Familiar Story, but a Great Cast to Tell It

Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan can not cease to amaze me. While the plot of the film seems recycled, the cast of 'Jumanji: The Next Level' did a great job in continuing the story with nonstop action and humorous chemistry. I think director Jake Kasdan chose wisely in adding Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, and Awkwafina to the ensemble.

The characters of the 'Jumanji' video game are ready to face danger. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures.

'The Next Level' continues the story with the young heroes off to college. But Spencer, played by Alex Wolff, repairs the old Jumanji game in secret and gets sucked back into it, and his girlfriend and friends, played by Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman, along with his grandfather, Eddie, played by Danny DeVito, Eddie's former friend, Milo, played by Danny Glover, and former Jumanji captive Alex Vreeke, played by Colin Hanks have to rescue him. Adding to that mission is saving Jumanji from a drought, while also fending off an evil warlord, Jurgen the Brutal, played by Rory McCann, and raging animal troops.
One of the funniest things about 'The Next Level' is the bitter rivalry between DeVito and Glover when they play Johnson and Hart's characters of Dr. Smolder Bravestone and Franklin 'Mouse' Finbar, respectively. Eddie can't believe the strength his avatar of Bravestone has, along with a powerful smolder, and Milo is slow and steady with Mouse's new ability of talking to animals. The funny part is where they try fighting each other to see who's superior, along with how they try to race away from crazy ostriches in the desert. It's better when they eventually reconcile their differences. It's also funny watching DeVito's cranky grandpa voice mix with Johnson's voice.

Eddie Gilpin as Dr. Smoulder Bravestone and Milo Walker as Franklin 'Mouse' Finbar. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures.

It was good adding Awkwafina as pickpocket Ming Fleetfoot to the mix, as well. It was fun watching her being Spencer's temporary new avatar and try to use her lockpicking skills to get horses to take down the warlord's minions. Being played by Spencer, she came off puzzled being surrounded by all those crooks, but in the end, Ming came through and helped the team save Jumanji. It was also funny with her voice mixing with DeVito's voice.
Aside from the cast, the other great things about 'The Next Level' was the music and exotic locations. Composer Henry Jackman's music highlighted the film's dangerous and exciting moments, from the running from ostriches, mandrills, and evil thugs to overcoming Jurgen's wrath and saving the jungle. Two of the best parts were using 'Welcome to the Jungle' during a second avatar swap, and when Karen Gillan as Ruby Roundhouse did another dance fight to 'Baby, I Love Your Way' by Big Mountain.
The film was shot in places like Calgary, New Mexico, Atlanta, Georgia, and Hawaii. They seemed perfect for scenes featuring the desert chase, jungle bridge attack, or final confrontation against Jurgen in the snowy mountains. The production team did a great job of going around the country to show that there's a different level of adventure around every turn.
The plot seemed a bit recycled with it being about people being accidentally sent into another world (in this case, a video game) and the only way to go home is to save the game zone and not lose all your lives. But, it still proves strong through a whimsical cast to tell that story, along with music to call attention to the action, and impressive filming locations to go with the risky themes. And in a strange way, this video game brought the characters closer as friends and family.
Overall, the cast, music, and locations make 'Jumanji: The Next Level' a very entertaining film to watch. If you want to see a funny way to survive a perilous video game, watch 'Jumanji: The Next Level'.