From left, Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Karen Gillan star in “Jumanji: The Next Level.” (Sony)

From left, Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black and Karen Gillan star in “Jumanji: The Next Level.” (Sony)

Next level of ‘Jumanji’ reaches a listless plateau

Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and the gang are good company as always, but this sequel lacks new ideas.

The “Jumanji” sequel once again provides good starring roles for Dwayne Johnson’s tattoos, Karen Gillan’s bare midriff and Jack Black’s beard.

I think it’s all right to dehumanize the players in this way, because they portray one-dimensional avatars. We’re back inside a computer game; actual humans have been zapped inside the game, emerging as larger-than-life characters with two or three distinguishing traits.

The 2017 hit “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” proved that with the right cast and a good rat-a-tat approach to comedy, this setup could click. “Jumanji: The Next Level” doesn’t want to do everything the same as the previous film — we’re out of the jungle and into the desert, and the avatars are embodied by different players this time — but basically the idea is identical.

The group of teens sucked into the game last time is still around, joined here by a couple of old-timers, played in the non-gaming sections by Danny DeVito and Danny Glover. They inhabit the avatars played by Johnson and Kevin Hart, which means Johnson does his best to suggest a crazed DeVito inside himself, and Hart scores some laughs by imitating Danny Glover’s genial tones.

If this sounds confusing, you’ll have to see the first movie. Even though it takes a long time to get going, “The Next Level” does little to familiarize newcomers to the backstory.

There are a couple of new avatars, played by Awkwafina (lately of “The Farewell”), who also gets inhabited by DeVito at one point, and a computer-generated horse. I think the movie misses a beat by not unleashing its actors more; it needs more Awkwafina-channeling-DeVito shtick and less attention paid to its meaningless plot.

Director Jake Kasdan, returning to duty, forgets that a big part of the appeal of “Welcome to the Jungle” was the engaging chemistry of the cast. Sequels put us back in the company of people we like, and Johnson, Hart Black and Gillan are plenty likable. Here, the wild chases and hordes of stampeding ostriches keep pulling us away from hang-out time with our bantering avatars.

Yes, ostriches. You know, those incredibly fearsome creatures. I don’t want to suggest that Kasdan and his co-writers got lazy about their ideas here, but a general sense of flabbiness prevails — or they’re parodying the weirdness of old-school gaming ideas (the game Jumanji is supposed to be a holdover from the late 20th century).

These diminishing returns do not bode well for a third film, where the heroes might be menaced by a herd of rabbits, or maybe some adorable baby capybaras. Which is another way of saying this series might already be out of gas.

“Jumanji: The Next Level” (2 stars)

A sequel to the 2017 hit, returning Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan as avatars in an adventure game. The actors are good company, as before, but we don’t get enough hang-out time with them, and the sequel doesn’t have many new ideas to juice up the premise.

Rating: PG-13, for violence

Opening Friday: Alderwood, Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre Mountlake Terrace, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood Cinemas, Meridian, Oak Tree, Pacific Place, Seattle 10, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Blue Fo Drive-in, Cascade Mall

Talk to us

More in Life

A glorious example of Gothic architecture, Reims Cathedral's construction began in 1211. Around the back of the church, flying buttresses are hard at work, supporting the massive structure.
Rick Steves’ Europe: Bubbly, historic Reims: The toast of France’s Champagne country

Imagine that happy day around 1700 when the monk Dom Pérignon, after much fiddling with the double fermentation of his grape juice, stumbled onto a bubbly delight.

When to get professional help for your child

Here are some of the signs that a consultation with a mental health expert is in order.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives are slated to perfom June 13 at Edmonds Center for the Arts. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Country star Marty Stuart and his band, the Fabulous Superlatives, are performing in Edmonds on June 13.

Fishy experience at a bar in Istanbul ends up in a $7,853 charge

Nicholas Butler is robbed by criminals who prey on tourists. Will Wells Fargo step up and help him undo the charges?

Dolly Hunnicutt holds onto a metal raccoon cutout while looking through metal wildflowers at the Freeborn Metal Art booth during the first day of Sorticulture on Friday, June 9, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Sorticulture brings gardening galore, fun by the bushel at 130 booths

“Every year there’s something different to see,” one attendee said at the opening of the three-day festival in downtown Everett.

Photo by Patricia Guthrie   This old medicine bottle from Lee’s Pharmacy in Seattle was found in the dirt outside the log cabin.
A long-hidden cabin emerges from the mists of time on Whidbey

Demolition of a dilapidated farmhouse in Langley reveals an entombed log cabin that might be 150 years old.

Multiple signs at Boxcar Park alert park users to a ban on kites at the park “effective immediately” on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett’s Boxcar Park cuts strings with kite flyers due to power lines

Safety is the reason for the ban at the park with the perfect breeze for kite flying.

People begin parading down First Street with a giant balloon “PRIDE” during Snohomish’s inaugural Pride celebration on Saturday, June 3, 2023, in downtown Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Your guide to Pride in Snohomish County

Mark your calendars; Pride Month is upon us.

Twin sisters Lyndsay Lamb (left) and Leslie Davis (right), co-hosts of HGTV's Unsellable Houses. (Photo provided)
Meet and greet HGTV’s ‘Unsellable Houses’ twin sister stars in Snohomish on Friday

Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis have made Lamb & Co. a #twinwin home-selling, home-goods brand.

Most Read