Saw Jumaniji last night. Went in with very low expectations. It was actually outstanding.

I was really impressed. The writing itself was tight, fresh, funny. The comedy was well balanced and well delivered by the cast, for the most part. The pacing was great. I didn't feel like anything dragged on longer than it should or fell flat.

The "video game" elements were discussed in a very relatable way for a Hollywood movie. Usually, video games elements in movies are so contrived and out-of-touch, but the cut scenes, use of NPCs, use of the concept of lives... All of it was done so well.

I was just really, really happy to finally see a movie that was engaging, fun, and entertaining without having to be a huge behemoth movie or an important masterpiece. It was like brain candy.

The opening was a bit of a stumble I will admit. I was a little disappointed at first because the kids were overly stereotyped and it felt very ham-handed. However, I saw later that it was actually quite necessary in order to establish each character's personality without wasting a lot of time on too much exposition. This allowed the video game versions of the characters to then play against type, etc. So in the end I was very forgiving of the shaky opening.

And that ending. I don't want to spoil anything but I will say I damn near teared up at the end scene with the "reunion".

So, that's all. Just this one person's opinion but if you want to get out the house this weekend and see something fun and a bit refreshing , give it a shot. I think going in with such incredibly low expectations and seeing no trailers at all before going in helped a lot too.

Submitted January 14, 2018 at 10:38PM by Bingo-Bango-Bong-o http://ift.tt/2mv2fga