Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is an action-comedy loosely based on the early Jumanji which came out in 1995 and starred the legendary Robin Williams. (Also the voice of Genie in Aladdin) The movie is about how 4 unlikely friends all get trapped in a jungle-survival video game and must return the gem to the top of the mountain to get back to present day. Along the way, the group must deal with challenges such as killing angry poachers, and trust challenges, like using teamwork to not get killed by a vicious black mamba. Throughout the movie the group of four seem to closer and gain even more trust in each other when their life depends on it. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle hosts an all-star cast of actors including Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Nick Jonas, Karen Gillan, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. One of the many reasons why this movie is so successful is because of all five of the actors perfect chemistry combined with all their different acting styles.

Whether it’s Kevin Hart’s on point comedic timing or Jack Black pretending to be a teenage girl, everything is perfect. Jumanji can also be seen as a great movie by being able to balance the vulgar toilet humor and also great scenes of action, especially seen in the final 30 minutes. The movie is a 2 hour non-stop laugh-fest with somewhat scary jumpscares and thrilling action. The general message of the movie was also very admirable.

Jumanji teaches the audience what trust really means, as the 4 friends in the beginning pretty much hated and annoyed each other, but later on in the movie they find somethings to bond over and the trust between all of them grows rapidly. Although this theme can be hard to see at times, (lots of rather nasty humor baked into the plot and conversation topics) it’s definitely there. The only places where Jumanji had fallen short was the teenage actors in the beginning and in the end. Keeping in mind that the actors are young and new to business (unlike the Stranger Things cast) they did a fine job, but when one compares the performances to ones of the The Rock or Jack Black, they fall short of subpar. Besides minor plot holes,  the movie is pretty solid and can even be set up for a sequel if done right. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is rated PG-13 for action/violence, partial nudity, some frightening and intense scenes, and strong language.