Really bad watch, wont' watch again, and can't recommend unless it is for a Bad Movie Night.
This movie has some charming aspects to it, and honestly a great premise (The "Jumanji" and "Zathura" movies prove that.) The writing itself is even good, but you can see where they had to note things when it went to production.
By far, the worst bit of this was the cg, it honestly would have been better to just never show the CG animals and have them verbally describe them. It's almost as bad as "Birdemic". To be fair, the foley for the gunfire actually seemed accurate enough.
There are obvious horrible cliches abound like leaving weapons behind, not checking inventory (which they even joke about), and of course there is the wonderful pro-feminine argument where the movie makes a commentary on the stupid outfits the ladies have to wear, but the movie is the one that put them in those outfits (and leaves them in them for far too long).
The reason this isn't going to stand up along side its sister movies is just bad acting: the main ladies clearly seem like they have some talent for it, but action fighting is clearing not what they should be doing. The poor fight choreography on this one must have just been happy they stayed on their feet. And it is very clear what they worked on because there are fight moves and stances that are reasonable, but it was very clear that the director was insistent on getting it to look a certain way when it was anything but "generic fighting".
They also had a lousy DP, it's a 3d environment that they're in, but they would continually reference 2d video game staples, and not angle the camera correctly for it to be isometric: you end up having "Double Dragon" or "Streets of Rage" style fights that look like "Street Fight 2" or "Mortal Kombat", and there are no weapons or special powers to punch up the fighting. Occasionally there are "team-up" moves, but that's usually just shoving or dancing with someone else.
What's worse, is that you combine some of those problems and you get weird situations: falls that are clearly shallow, but treated otherwise, people standing out in the open being "hidden" while they see someone behind a rock, and I'm very certain that one of the characters stands on her dead body after being creeped out by it: she walks away, turns around, comes back and even raises up a couple of inches...it's weird.
If you're just DYING for more "Jumanji" and you haven't watch "Zathura" yet, then invite some friends to make fun of this at a Bad Movie Night.
**_Three women get drawn into a video game at an arcade_**
This ‘B’ flick from The Asylum came out at the end of 2019 around the same time as “Jumanji: The Next Level” and tried to take advantage of its popularity. Instead of statuesque Karen Gillan as the redhead protagonist, there’s Jessica Chancellor, who’s petite by comparison, yet more voluptuous.
Although a throwaway flick, it’s a fun adventure/fantasy highlighted by Jessica, one of the most attractive redheads to hit the screen in recent years. The camera doesn’t fail to capture her beauty in a respectful way. Check her out in “616 Wilford Lane” from a couple of years later to see her in a more serious film.
Winsome Emily Gateley is also worth a mention in a small role as young Sarah.
It runs 1h 27m and was shot in Santa Barbara, which is located 90 miles northwest of Hollywood, on the coast.
GRADE: C+
