Today’s funniest screen tandem Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are back as in-game avatars Dr. Smolder Bravestone and Mouse Finbar, respectively, in Columbia Pictures’ epic action-adventure Jumanji: The Next Level (now showing in Philippine cinemas).
But there are twists! Because the game was smashed at the end of the previous film, it’s not functioning normally, which means anything can happen.
Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Johnson), the intrepid archeological adventurer and muscle-bound action hero is back in the game, complete with his laundry list of strengths: fearlessness, climbing, speed, boomerang, and his trademark smoldering intensity. However, this time, he serves as the avatar for Eddie (Danny DeVito), Spencer’s grandfather. In the previous film, he got to play a neurotic teenager, and now he gets to play the opposite end of the spectrum. The juxtaposition of Bravestone’s heroic abilities, and Dwayne Johnson’s physicality inhabited by a cantankerous elderly man recovering from hip surgery, results in a slew of comedic moments. Especially hilarious is seeing Bravestone inhabited by an irritable guy from Asbury Park, New Jersey.
“Capturing the essence and nuances of Danny DeVito was the best time as an actor. I had a chance to study him, going back and watching a lot of his old movies and TV shows, all the way back to Taxi. His work is just so brilliant,” says Dwayne Johnson. “There’s just a wit and a way about him. I was able to spend time with Danny and embody him as best I could. And he was very gracious. It was a blast becoming Danny DeVito.”
Meanwhile, diminutive zoologist and weapons valet, Mouse Finbar (Hart) is back sporting his trademark red bandana and huge backpack of weapons. In this level of the game, his new skill of linguistics proves especially helpful in getting the gang over some serious humps. Finbar’s weaknesses include a lack of speed, inferior strength, and a penchant for cake. This time, he becomes an avatar for Eddie’s estranged friend and former business partner, Milo (Danny Glover).
Kevin Hart’s trademark rapid-fire style of comedic delivery is replaced by the meandering, lackadaisical narrative style of Milo, resulting in major laughs as he embodies Danny Glover’s mannerisms and speech cadence. His zoological explanations of various animals provide comedic footnotes throughout the story, even if he is constantly bewildered as to how he knows this information. He doesn’t grasp that he’s been dropped into a video game, prompting him to continually ask questions, such (“Did I die and turn into a small, muscular Boy Scout?”) and is constantly misunderstanding the circumstances of their predicament.
“You see Mouse Finbar take on the persona of an older gentleman, with me being Danny Glover,” shares Hart. “The older version of Danny Glover in movies just makes me laugh because he’s so calm. Everything he says is just happy. I thought that could be a very funny place to play with. Like that older man that’s a little more at ease, because I’m very ‘Aahhh!’ all the time!”
Jumanji: The Next Level is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. #Jumanji
About Jumanji: The Next Level
In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect. The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from the arid deserts to the snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.
The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Morgan Turner, Alex Wolff with Danny Glover and Danny DeVito.
Directed by Jake Kasdan, the sequel is written by Jake Kasdan & Jeff Pinker & Scott Rosenberg, based on the book Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is produced by Matt Tolmach, Jake Kasdan, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.
