9 out of 10
A fully enjoyable film, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” showcases an extraordinary cast of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black that keeps the audience fascinated with each scene.
The story starts when four high school students, from various intellectual backgrounds, meet at detention. While they are assigned a cleaning and organizing task in one of the school’s old closets, they are drawn into the settings of an old video game console and forced to participate in the game as the character they chose.
Shocked and confused, the students soon discover that they must pass every level of the game in order to survive and return back to their homeland. And in order to do so, they must put the strengths and weaknesses of each character to practical use.
Initially, the students don’t seem to understand one another due to large gaps in educational and life pursuits. But, each task forces them to work, trust and understand each other in order to surpass the challenges brought upon during each level of the video game.
Ultimately, the film is action-filled but brings together many comedic moments that keep the thrill and suspense bearable and silly.
Though each moment appears to be the end for the participants, the students are able to learn and understand each other, giving them a new meaning of life – much like their school principal tried to have them understand during lecture at detention.