Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Parent Guide

Many people can relate to the feeling of being immersed in an activity, but the movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle depicts the experience literally – not just figuratively.

While doing detention time in a storeroom at their high school, nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff), football star Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), non-conformist Martha (Morgan Turner) and boy-crazy Bethany (Madison Iseman) find an old video game console still loaded with a cassette. None of the four are familiar with the title Jumanji, yet playing it seems more fun than doing their assignment to sort discarded magazines.

Younger viewers may not remember the 1995 film about this game either, or the Chris Van Allsburg book that inspired it. If so, they would know Jumanji used to be a board game with the power to suck players into the action. As a refresher for new audiences, the first few minutes of this sequel portray the transformation of the antique amusement into a video game version, and the unfortunate consequences that befall the teen (Nick Jonas) who loaded the game into the console the four students are presently toying with.

Following its usual format, Jumanji vacuums up the quartet, and places them within its jungle environment. Each of them now find themselves within the body of their game character: Spencer (Dwayne Johnson) is the invincible hero, Fridge (Kevin Hart) is his mousy sidekick, Martha (Karen Gillan) is a sexy, mix-martial-arts fighter, and Bethany (Jack Black) is a pudgy, middle-aged man. After a quick introduction to the rules and objectives of their quest, presented by a tour guide (Rhys Darby) who appears to be part of the game’s program, the group is sent on their way. And whether they want to play or not, the only way back to their real lives is to beat the challenges of the virtual world.

The script has fun with this concept, deriving humor from the juxtaposition of the characters’ personalities with those of their avatars. For instance, Spencer is usually fearful but his character is always brave, Fridge is a big tough guy who is relegated to a small, wimpy body, Martha lacks confidence and is especially self-conscious in her midriff-baring tank top and tiny shorts, and Bethany can’t stop being a flirt even if she looks like a man.

Just like first-person video games, this one pits its adventurers against increasingly dangerous situations. These include threats from animals, weapon-brandishing bad-guys and a nasty villain (Van Pelt played by Bobby Cannavale) who is crawling with large insects (they even slither into his ear and out of his mouth). Van Pelt is perhaps the creepiest part of the production, although the constant peril and life-threatening action sequences will likely be too intense for little ones as well.

Amidst profanity shrapnel, some teen drinking and the glossing over of serious infractions like cheating on homework and lying to parents, this movie tries to teach the importance of team work. The characters also are forced to face their fears, examine some of their hurtful interactions and consider changing their behavior – if and when they get back to their former lives. Thanks to these commendable moral messages, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle isn’t just all fun and games.

About author

Donna Gustafson

Donna Gustafson has been involved with her husband Rod's work since the beginning. Handling many of the behind-the-scenes tasks, she also creates preview pages for up-coming movies, acts as managing editor and occasionally writes reviews.