Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Short Film Review

Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, play their predictable personas, as in-game avataars of real life teenagers. But what makes the movie enjoyable is that these personas are the complete opposite of the teenagers' real life personalities. Dwayne, who is actually a puny cowardly nerd. Kevin, who is a big black no-nonsense jock. And Jack, who is a self-obsessed PYT
(I know, right!).

These conflicted characters conflicting with each other, as they play the game they are sucked into, battling for survival, finishing the mission, from one adventure to the next, makes for an entertaining watch on the big screen in 3D. Why expect anything more?

How does it compare with the original? Well, it doesn’t.

Jumanji 1995 had Robin Williams. Firstly, nothing can beat that. The movie was disruptive for its time. It showed us a story that was never seen before, every scene surprising us and keeping us at the edge of the seats. We were always left wondering ‘Oh God, what will the next roll of dice bring!’ and no matter how much we thought we could guess, the actual reveal was always beyond our expectations.

But, most importantly, Jumanji 1 was the world of “children”, where fantasy and imagination of an alternate world lived and changed our real world. By contrast, Jumanji 2 is the world of “teenagers”, where being literally transported to an alternate world and going through a journey is the only way we can experience a new reality. Imagination is no longer the muse of a young mind!

My advice: Watch #JumanjiWelcomeToTheJungle without any comparisons or expectations. And you should be fine.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

How do you make a legend from history relevant to contemporary times?

#StarWarsTheLastJedi shows how - being a legendary movie that is an absolute delight to watch, whether you were born in the 70s or in the 21st century. 

It is not enough for Luke Skywalker, the legendary Jedi Master, to be a symbol of hope for the universe, from his retirement planet. He needs to train the next generation to continue the legacy (even if he is disillusioned with it), and also fight the war today, right upfront in the battlefield. Luke may be the hero everyone is waiting for to save the universe, and he may never be able to absolve himself of also being responsible for creating the evil the world is facing today. But, get over it Luke. Just do your bit.

Because that’s what every other mortal is doing. When Poe recklessly destroys the enemy ships in the opening sequence and later rebels against his own command. When Finn and Rose go to Caton Bight planet to find the code-breaker and later risk their lives to defeat the laser weapon. When Vice Admiral Holdo chooses to escape-rather-than-fight, despite being called a coward and later becomes a hero when she sacrifices her life to let the rest of crew escape. When Rey convinces Luke to return and help the Resistance and later attempts to win back Kylo Ren from the dark side, at great risk to her life.

Because, the only way we can fight the evil in the universe is when everyone does their bit, together... with, ofcourse, a little help from the Jedi’s Force. ( I know, I know, you told us that the Force doesn’t belong to the Jedi, but we don’t believe you!)

May be a little too long, and may be at times a bit too pedagogical. And may be for the purists, a parent-like feeling of letting your child go. But I loved it.

Multiple action sequences, many old and new interesting characters contributing to the overall storyline, the conflicted relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey, the conflicted relationship between Kylo Ren and himself, the rich-but-feudal Canto Bight planet, Benicio Del Toro’s short but important cameo, Princess Leia’s calm and confident leadership, and above all the faith in the Force that keeps giving hope that ‘we have all we need’. As Princess Leia says “Hope is like the sun. If you only believe it when you see it you’ll never make it through the night.”

Don’t miss it on the big screen.