Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.
Genre : Action/Adventure
Country : USA
Cast :
Dwayne Johnson : Spencer
Jack Black : Bethany
Karen Gillan : Martha
Kevin Hart : Fridge
Director :
Jake Kasdan
My opinion on “Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle”
“I think we got, like, sucked into the game.
And we’ve become the avatars that we chose.”
I was sure about one thing. A remake of “Jumanji” is the same as repainting the Mona Lisa and exhibiting this copy. Ridiculous, inglorious and unnecessary. I was afraid this movie would be ridiculed and laughed with. And on top of that, they’ve asked Dwayne Johnson to join. Not exactly an actor you’ll see in what they call the “better” films. I thought it would be something like “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” and that I would curse the makers afterwards, because they dared to copy a milestone with the late Robin Williams starring in it. For once, however, I have to admit that I was wrong. It’s been a long time since I’ve amused myself so much while watching a movie.
Never thought I would say this. Dwayne Johnson is hilarious.
In the original movie, it was of course Robin Williams who took care of the humorous part. And also the inhabitants of the jungle (with some bad looking computer graphics) who stirred things up in town, were kind of fun. In this movie nobody really stands out. They are all hilarious. And this because of the fact that the four main characters (who are being sucked into the game) are totally the opposite of the in-game character they’ve chosen.
During a detention these four totally different students discover this dust-covered Jumanji game. This well-known game has been tranformed into an oldskool console game (well, they had to keep up with the times). Spencer (Alex Wolff) is a spindly little boy, plagued by all kinds of allergies, who looks rather clumsy and timid. Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) is an immense athlete. Bethany (Madison Iseman) is such a typical blond teengirl who thinks she’s the centre of the universe instead of the sun. Martha (Morgan Turner) is the shy type. Again the same stereotypes you’ll see in a film about an American high-school.
It’s plain fun watching this.
It becomes really funny after they have been transformed into the characters from the computer game. Maybe too predictable but still hilarious at times. The schmuck suddenly sees how his biceps have grown. The stuck-up, smartphone-addicted instagram bimbo notices to her horror that her perfectly streamlined teenage body is trapped in a chubby, male body. The timid girl is suddenly a duplicate of Lara Croft and to her surprise she has knowledge of certain combat techniques. The well-built sports fanatic gets a rather submissive role as a dwarfish male with a backpack.
Now get ready for the big surprise. The most hilarious role is played by Dwayne Johnson. That was really the last thing I expected. And of course Jack Black provides some humorous moments. Although the male genitalia are the main subject here. And the part where Karen Gillian has to learn the art of seduction, I actually was laughing my head off. And finally, a small remark. The pilot in the game (who’s the long-lost teenager) looks a lot like footballstar Eden Hazard!
From now on, I won’t make any assumptions anymore.
But not only the interplay and the witty interactions convinced me. I also thought that the cleverly put together concept of a video game, was a brilliant idea. The NPC’s that showed up here and there, the cut scenes and the way the participants return to the game (after which the tattoo on their arm suddenly changes) are all elements you can experience in a game. In other words, this film scores extremely high in terms of originality. On the one hand, the film “Jumanji : Welcome to the jungle” is an extension of the original film. But on the other hand it’s also a stand-alone film (with only one reference to the original flick). So I have to admit that I am pleasantly surprised by this film. And even with Dwayne Johnson in the lead. There are no more certainties in this life !
The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Plot
A new generation of stars join the world’s top action stars for an adrenaline-fueled adventure in Expend4bles. Reuniting as the team of elite mercenaries, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.
Iko Uwais as Suarto Rahmat (Lionsgate Movies)
The Expendables Film Series
I highly recommend catching up on the other movies in the Expendables film series.
Expendables 1 (2010)
The only life they’ve known is war. The only loyalty they have is to each other. They are the Expendables: leader and mastermind Barney Ross (Stallone), former SAS blade expert Lee Christmas (Statham), hand-to-hand combat specialist Yin Yang (Li), long barrel weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Crews), demolitions expert Toll Road (Couture), and precision sniper Gunnar Jensen (Lundgren). Living life in the fringes of the law, these hardened mercenaries take on what appears to be a routine assignment: a covert, CIA-funded operation to infiltrate the South American country of Vilena and overthrow its ruthless dictator General Garza (David Zayas). But when their job is revealed to be a suicide mission, the men are faced with a deadly choice, one that might redeem their souls or destroy their brotherhood forever.
The Expendables Official Trailer (Lionsgate Movies)
Expendables 2
Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren),Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) — with newest members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) aboard — are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time — six tons of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way….
The Expendables 2 Official Trailer (Lionsgate Movies)
Expendables 3 (2014)
In The Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. In order to defeat Stonebanks, Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
The Expendables 3 Official Trailer (Lionsgate Movies)
Movie Review
Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Sylvester Stallone bring the explosive energy needed to give us an explosive performance on-screen. The new members, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia bring in a breath of fresh air with new attitude and fighting styles to keep us entertained. This movie is the fourth in the Expendable film series, but there is definitely no clear link between this movie and the prequels. Each movie in essence is a new mission and Expendables 4 can be watched without watching the previous movies. I suggest watching the previous three movies to experience the explosive action that you get when you combine our favorite action heroes.
Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, leader of the Expendables (Lionsgate Movies)
Expendables 4 was great and delivered yet another action-packed mission filled with awesome fights, humor, cultural references and explosions. However, it wasn’t difficult to spot the main villain and there aren’t much surprises in terms of the new action stars who join this mission.
The movie starts us off with the Expendables in a race against time to retrieve nuclear warheads, but the mission goes south and instead of sticking to orders, one of the soldiers attempt to save his team member instead, which results in a failed mission and a casualty. The story follows the combination of accomplishing the mission while delivering a can of revenge-based whoop-ass. The last fight isn’t as explosive as the cast but still manages to deliver a plot-twist finale.
Megan Fox, Andy Garcia & Jacob Scipio, some of the newest members of the Expendables (Lionsgate Movies)
A future sequel should really consider a completely new group pick up the baton and leave us in suspense as to who the new heroes and villains could be. I love a good surprise with a side of plot twist in any movie.
There is no post-credits scene, so no need to wait till the very end. The trailer doesn’t spoil any of the plot twists you can expect from the movie. Overall, my rating for Expendables 4 is a 3.5 out of 5.
Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom [credit: Warner Bros. / DC]
Genre:
Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Release Date:
December 20, 2023
Director:
James Wan
Cast:
Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Plot Summary:
Arthur must enlist the help of his half-brother Orm in order to protect Atlantis against Black Manta, who has unleashed a devastating weapon in his obsessive quest to avenge his father’s death.
The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie, Retribution, being covered here wouldn’t exist.
Plot
When a mysterious caller puts a bomb under Matt Turner’s car seat, he begins a high-speed chase across the city to complete a specific series of tasks. With his kids trapped in the back seat and a bomb that will explode if they get out of the car, a normal commute becomes a twisted game of life or death as Matt follows the stranger’s increasingly dangerous instructions in a race against time to save his family.
Liam Neeson as Matt Turner (Lionsgate Films)
Did You Know?
This movie is the third remake of the movie titled Retribution.
In 2015, a Spanish-language adaptation, The Stranger (El desconocido) was released. This was the first Retribution movie. A dishonest banker pays the ultimate price for his wrongdoings when he is held hostage in his own speeding car by a bomb-making extortionist.
In 2018, a German-language adaptation, Don’t. Get. Out! (Steig. Nicht. Aus!) was released in Germany. A loving father and husband is extorted by an unknown guy and he is about to lose his life, his money and his family
In 2021, a Korean version, Hard Hit (Balsinjehan) was released. On his way to work, a bank manager receives an anonymous call claiming there’s a bomb under his car seat, and if anyone exits the car, it will explode unless he can pay a ransom.
The Turner Family (Lionsgate Films)
Movie Review
Liam Neeson plays the role of Matt Turner, and is literally in the ‘hot seat’ throughout most of the movie. The movie eases you into the drama and the suspense keeps building as the time passes. No time is wasted to bring A small cast brought an intense situation to life in Retribution, and I need to compliment, especially Liam Neeson, Jack Champion and Lilly Aspell, who played the parts of Matt Turner, Zach Turner and Emily Turner respectively for playing the part in the car to perfection. A plot twist is delivered at the end, but the ending is not as explosive as the bomb in the car.
Overall my rating is 3 out of 5 for the Retribution. There is no post-credits scene, so no need to wait till the end. The trailer doesn’t spoil too much of the movie and serves as a great appetizer for Retribution.
Catch the trailer, and watch Retribution at a cinema near you.