4) Jumanji
The original Jumanji was criticized by some for alienating all of its potential audiences. “Too intense for children and too dumb for adults,” many cried. With director Jake Kasdan (Sex Tape, Bad Teacher), and writer Scott Rosenberg (Pain & Gain, Kangaroo Jack) on board for the sort-of sequel, it appears that the 2017 reincarnation of Jumanji may indeed prove subject to a very similar critique as the original.
The Robin Williams vehicle was at best patchy, and at worst forgettable. It was merely a special effects extravaganza powered by a murky plot about a bewitched board game, and whilst Kasdan and Rosenberg don’t have track records to suggest they’re capable of making the reboot any more rewarding, it’s true that stranger things have happened. Again, we’ll see characters sucked inside the game and forced to play as pawns whilst bad-tempered wildlife threatens them at every turn.
A curious cast list featuring Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Alex Wolff and, er, Nick Jonas, also raises questions. Johnson and Hart in particular have shown supreme acting chops in the past, and if they’re on form in the new Jumanji, then it has every chance of success. The only issue is these two always seem to be far funnier doing off-the-cuff social media shtick than when they’re kept in check by a movie script.
As for the rest of the cast, Black can either be excellent or irritating depending on the circumstances, and we’re yet to see whether Jonas can stand tall in a blockbuster. With so much uncertainty surrounding Jumanji’s cast and crew, approaching with trepidation is a natural response.
Perhaps we’re wrong, though. Jumanji could be a magnificent, funny, warm-hearted surprise full of thrills and spills – and that’d be great. But it’s tricky to feel 100% confident about a jungle-based action-adventure flick with an unpredictable and erratic team behind it.
Published: Jan 27, 2017 12:42 pm