The Jumanji reboot is…good?
After trailers for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle were overwhelmingly panned by fans fearing the reboot would never be able to capture the charm of the original 1995 movie, the flick has managed to earn an 82 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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The movie, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart, received 41/50 “fresh” ratings from critics and an average 6.1/10 score.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle uses a charming cast and a humorous twist to offer an undemanding yet solidly entertaining update on its source material,” the critics’ consensus reads.
Reviewers said that while the movie, which tells the story of teens trapped in a Jumanji video game system, doesn’t capture the magic of the late Robin Williams’ performance, it comes close.
“If you’re going to coast on charm, you could do a lot worse than Dwayne Johnson,” said Katie Rife of the AV Club.
“With its video game upgrade, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle manages to match the silly fun of its predecessor – even without Williams – and that’s no small achievement unlocked,” added Ethan Sacks of the New York Daily News.
“A workmanlike comedy with some fun surprises hidden along the way,” continued Vox‘s Alissa Wilkinson.
The film does connect to its ’90s predecessor, Gillan explained explained to Collider.
“Well I’ve always wondered where Robin Williams’ character went for all of that time in the first one,” the Guardians of the Galaxy actress said. “It was sort of left to the imagination a little. That’s where this film comes in, we get to see exactly where he went and what it feels like and what it looks like I guess that’s the biggest difference.”
The movie, rated PG-13, opens Wednesday in theaters across the U.S.
Photo credit: Sony
