Release date |
|
|---|---|
Running time | 123 minutes[ |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $125–132 million |
| Box office | $801.7 million |
Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 American fantasy adventure film directed by Jake Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The film is the fourth installment in the Jumanji film series and the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, and Madison Iseman reprise their roles from the previous film while Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito join the cast. The film's plot takes place two years after Welcome to the Jungle, in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in Jumanji once again. There, they all find themselves facing new problems and challenges with both old and new avatars, while having to save the land from a new villain to escape.
Principal photography took place between January 21 to May 11, 2019, in locations including Atlanta, New Mexico, Alberta, and Hawaii.
Jumanji: The Next Level was released in the United States on December 13, 2019, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $801.7 million worldwide against a $125–132 million budget, becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2019. A sequel is in development.
Plot
After their adventures in Jumanji, Spencer Gilpin, Anthony "Fridge" Johnson, Martha Kaply, and Bethany Walker plan to meet up over Christmas break to hang out after being apart for their first semester of college. Spencer, feeling despondent that his life is not as glamorous as his friends', enters Jumanji, wanting to feel like his avatar again: the strong, courageous Dr. Smolder Bravestone.
Upon visiting his house when Spencer fails to show up as planned, his friends are shocked to realize he entered the game. They follow him, knowing he cannot get out by himself. Unfortunately, Spencer's grandfather Eddie and Eddie's estranged friend Milo, who are upstairs, are also sucked into the game. As Bethany is left behind, she turns to Alex Vreeke for help.
Martha once again becomes the avatar Ruby Roundhouse, but Fridge becomes Bethany's old avatar, Professor Sheldon Oberon, while Eddie and Milo become Dr. Smolder Bravestone and Franklin "Mouse" Finbar. Expecting the same gameplay, the group is surprised by a new plot: Jumanji is suffering from a drought. To end the game, they must recover a magical necklace called the Falcon Jewel, stolen by warlord Jurgen the Brutal. They meet up with Spencer, who also has a new avatar: a skilled female thief called Ming Fleetfoot.
The group struggles adjusting to their avatars and have trouble with Milo not being able to relay information quickly, and Eddie's volatile carelessness costing them several lives. They reunite with Alex as his avatar Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough, along with Bethany, who has become a black stallion named Cyclone. Eddie learns that Milo is terminally ill and wants to make amends before he dies, which leads them to reconcile.
The group finds a river with magical water that allows them to switch avatars. This lets each of them return to their original avatars while Eddie and Milo are given Ming and Cyclone. When Eddie and Milo are captured by Jurgen's soldiers, the friends split up to rescue their teammates and get the Falcon Heart. They fight off Jurgen and his men and steal back the gem. Cyclone, revealed to be a Pegasus, flies up to the sky with Eddie, who shows the necklace to the sky, so the sunlight touches it as instructed, yelling Jumanji's name, and therefore completing the game.
Milo, who appreciates his new, flying form, opts to stay in the game. The rest return to the real world, and Spencer reconciles with his friends. Meanwhile, his mother brings a repairman into the house, who sees the broken video game console and inadvertently triggers the game. Simultaneously, the herd of ostriches appears outside Nora's restaurant, surprising Spencer and the others to see creatures from the world of Jumanji loose in the real world.
