Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Jumanji: The Next Level earns its title by taking the series’ best trick—turning a big, bright adventure into a character comedy—and cranking the fun dial higher without losing its heart. Jake Kasdan keeps the pace brisk and the vibe gleefully chaotic, staging set pieces that feel like playful escalations rather than noise for noise’s sake. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black lean into the film’s ever-shifting dynamics with performances that are game, sharp, and surprisingly nimble, making even familiar beats feel freshly remixed. If you’re not in the mood for a loud, high-energy crowd-pleaser, it may be too much, but if you want a buoyant escape with real laughs and satisfying spectacle, this is a terrific ticket.

Jumanji: The Next Level is clearly trying to recapture the breezy, video-game-adventure fun of the previous film while upping the scale with new locations and a few cast-switching gimmicks. The problem is it often feels like you’re replaying the same level with slightly different scenery: the plot beats are familiar, the peril rarely feels real, and the story doesn’t dig much deeper than “get back out alive.” That said, the leads are still charming, and there are scattered comedic moments that land if you’re already on board with the franchise’s goofy tone. If you want genuine novelty or a tighter, more surprising adventure, this one may feel like an unnecessary extra life rather than a worthy new quest.