By Roxanne Ramos and Alyssa Tornel, Courier Staff Writers
“Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle” takes an innovative twist on the 1995 “Jumanji” 
starring Robin Williams. Twenty-one years after the original movie, four teenagers are transported into the Jumanji video game, where they must collaborate to return to reality.
In this modern age comedy, the four teens discover an intriguing game during a weekend detention. As they each pick a character to play, they are sucked into the game, being portrayed as the characters they choose. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays the nerdy Spencer (Alex Wolff), Kevin Hart plays the jock Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), Jack Black plays popular Bethany (Madison Iseman), and Karen Gillan plays the socially awkward Martha (Morgan Turner).
To escape the game, the four realize they must return a powerful jewel to an enormous jaguar statue. However, once they run out of their three in-game lives, they will die in real life. As they embark on their mission, they team up with another kid, Alex who has been trapped inside the game for 20 years. Together, they traverse the jungle on their way to the jaguar statue.
Contrary to popular beliefs, Karen Gillan’s character is not oversexualized. In fact, she often is perceived as timid and prude, and she does not see the logic of wearing crop tops and shorts in the jungle. Eventually she finds her inner confidence to show off her courageous side when the team needs it. Jack Black also embodies the perfect teenage girl, and although everyone’s definitely glad he is back acting, it’s almost like he never left.
The movie even plays homage to the late Robin Williams’ character, Alan Parrish, from the original movie, when the group discovers the abandoned tree house he inhabited when he played the game. Though somewhat fleeting, the tribute to Williams is both touching and heartfelt.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” will indeed exceed your expectations. With it’s recurring humor, breath taking action scenes, and occasional romance, this versatile movie is a must-watch for all ages.