Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Blu-ray Movie Review

Ready Players One-Four.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 18, 2018

It's always a joy when a movie truly surprises. What might have been a superfluous remake or re-imagining of the original fan favorite Jumanji is instead a spirited follow-up that reverses the flow -- characters are pulled into the game rather than the game pulled into the real world -- and follows four agreeably constructed characters as they battle their way through its perils, pitfalls, creatures, and villains. As the characters maneuver through a world built around video game rules while inhabiting new bodies and coming to understand the skillsets they now possess, individually and as a team, they face various trials along the way to saving the day while trying to find a way back home. More a sequel and less a revamp, Director Jake Kasdan's (Bad Teacher) film is actually a welcome new addition to the Jumanji family that pretty much gets it all right.

Four high school students -- the smart video game nerd Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff), the star football player "Fridge" Johnson (Ser'Darius Blain), the self-absorbed and phone-obsessed beauty Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman), and the introverted Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) -- find themselves in detention. Their punishment: clean up the school's basement. They are left unsupervised and quickly find an old video game console that even Spencer cannot identify. Inside is a game cartridge titled "Jumanji." There's also an old CRT TV on which to play it. The four of them gather around, take a controller, and as soon as the game boots up, they're pulled into it. They find themselves in a dangerous jungle environment but, perhaps more shocking, inhabiting new bodies. Spencer is the brawny leader named Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson). Fridge is a wisecracking sidekick named "Mouse" Finbar (Kevin Hart). Martha is a butt-kicking beauty named Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan). And Bethany is a cartographer...and a man named "Shelly" Oberon (Jack Black). They quickly learn that their mission is to return a stolen gem to a large statue, and each only has three lives with which to do it. It won't be easy; perils and pitfalls, a few surprises, and a strict video game structure that Spencer may be able to predict await them.

This iteration of Jumanji is, first and foremost, a character film. Whereas the older film was more an event movie, about the special effects and the novelty of it all, this film's success or failure falls squarely on the characters and the cast that portrays them. The script is witty and packed with humor, but never obnoxiously so; it's a Comedy, and the cast hams it up and has fun with the character moments which are many and equally dispersed between the four primaries. Jack Black, probably the most reliable comedian working in movies today, is hilarious. He commits to the part -- a self-absorbed high school beauty queen dropped into the body of a middle aged, pudgy man -- with glee and no boundaries. Scenes of self-deprecation are a joy, and he nails the cadence of the overstressed teenage girl who is not simply out of her body and (more importantly) out of touch with her phone but also out of her league, at least until she realizes she has a gift for reading a map, ironic since she’d otherwise probably have an app dictate directions to her and likely wind up as one of those people who drives off a cliff because she too trusting of her device and too distracted to watch where she's actually going. Dwayne Johnson is awesome portraying an allergy-riddled weakling teenager who, amongst the four, is the most familiar with video games. Karen Gillan rocks as a shy girl who is suddenly Lara Croft, and Kevin Hart does classic Kevin Hart as the support character who totes a magic bag full of whatever the others need and who will explode if he eats cake (it sound ridiculous but provides one of the movie's funniest scenes and, hey, what a way to stay on that diet!).

Structurally, the movie is very firm in maneuvering from one set piece to the next, but in this case a rigid, by-the-book approach is the only working option. The characters are forced to follow a prescribed set of rules. They are not in control, of course, in terms of how the story plays out; it's a video game, and one predetermined level invariably follows another. All they can control is how they respond to any given situation, how they "play the game," which is why it’s so vital that the film get its characters right. The fun comes not so much in what new danger awaits but rather how each character, individually and collectively, will combat every new trouble, struggle, enemy, and obstacle the game places before them. Welcome to the Jungle has fun with video game cliché. It knows the rhythm, it knows the verbiage, and that not all of the unwitting players know their way around a game makes it all the more fun as they sort out not only “game play” mechanics but also the probability of success and the very real consequences of failure.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle differs from its predecessor in another way: it was digitally shot whereas the older movie was captured on film. The textural differences are obvious, but Sony's Blu-ray certainly presents the film as efficiently as the format allows. It's clean, lacking the inherent film grain of the last image, and source noise is kept to a minimum, generally only seen in lower-light shots. Bright, sun-drenched game world exteriors dazzle with full, effortless, diverse color that jumps out of the screen, often as characters, clothes, explosions, and other hues contrast against the often green vegetative backgrounds. Colors are very well saturated, black levels are appropriately dark while also revealing capable shadow detail, and skin tones appear perfect, reflective of each character's natural appearance. Detailing is superb. The highlight is absolutely the film's wonderfully intricate and ornate costumes. Hats, vests, patches, ragged shorts, leather support straps, anything and everything reveals remarkable, fine-point, tactile texturing. Facial features are agreeably complex, environments are full and crisp, and overall image clarity is firm; there are no smudgy corners or anything to distract from another world-class new release image from Sony.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle's Blu-ray does not have the UHD's Dolby Atmos soundtrack on offer, instead presenting the film's soundtrack via a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 configuration. But even with fewer channels at its disposal, the 5.1 track never sounds hamstrung. In fact, it's quite fantastic. Low end engagement is tight and deep. The classic Jumanji thud-thud-thud pulsates with incredible depth and density, and the track delivers a significant low end response as the students are sucked into the video game and as they deal with various actions, such as battling off a horde of motorcyclists whose mode of transportation growls while swooping through the stage. Explosions hit hard, thuds and smacks are positive, and the track additionally makes the best of the entirety of the speakers at its disposal, offering seamless width and depth, effortless sound traversal, and precise imaging. Certainly the missing Atmos track offers a fuller sensation with more aggressive posturing and distinction on tap, but those listening via this 5.1 track aren't left wanting much more. Music boasts all of the positive assets one would expect of a new release, including high-yield detail, effortlessly large side and surround spacing, and engaging subwoofer support. Environmental supports in the jungle, a packed bazaar, a school gymnasium, and other locales throughout the film offer the appropriate balance of forward effects and rearward supports. Dialogue is clear and refined, well prioritized, and properly positioned. While the Atmos track would have been a preferable inclusion, there's no denying that this 5.1 track delivers the goods.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle contains a few featurettes, a gag reel, and a music video. A Movies Anywhere code is included with purchase.

• Journey Through The Jungle: The Making of Jumanji (1080p, 14:54): Rhys Darby in character as Nigel Billingsley hosts a broad look over the film, including the work of Director Jake Kasdan and the qualities he brought to the film and life on the set, shooting in Hawaii and Atlanta, how this film's story parallels and differers from the original 1995 film, sets and props (and how some hearken back to the original film), costume design, and creature effects.
• Meet the Players: A Heroic Cast (1080p, 7:08): As the title suggests, this supplement briefly explores the key characters and the actors who portray them, with emphasis on the challenges of portraying the "avatars" of the "real" people they play in the film.
• Attack of the Rhinos! (1080p, 3:56): A closer look at making one of the film's most visually intensive and action-packed scenes that involves "flesh-eating albino rhinos" chasing a helicopter. Visual effects progression clips are included.
• Surviving the Jungle: Spectacular Stunts! (1080p, 5:47): Crafting big and spectacular action scenes, including the motorcycle scene made with professional drivers, Ruby Roundhouse's fighting skill sets, and making the film's climactic scene.
• Book to Board Game to Big Screen & Beyond! Celebrating The Legacy of Jumanji (1080p, 4:44): Cast and crew reflect on the original film and discuss the process of honoring it while forging a new identity for this film.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:25): A basic compilation of funny moments from the shoot with, unsurprisingly, a healthy dose of Kevin Hart.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:35): "Jumanji, Jumanji" by Jack Black and Nick Jonas. A humorous tongue-in-cheek performance like only Jack Black can deliver. If only all music videos were this fun!

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a rare hit of a movie that actually builds on a franchise, takes it in the right direction, and creates its own identity without negatively impacting the original. It's very funny, spurred on by a great script and a perfectly assembled cast; few movies are this purely fun anymore, and Kasdan and Sony got it absolutely right. Sony's Blu-ray gets it absolutely right, too, with fantastic video and audio presentations and a nice little collection of bonus content. Highly recommended.