Today’s Prayer Focus
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MOVIE REVIEW

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

also known as “Jumanji: En la selva,” “Jumanji - Benvenuti nella giungla,” “Jumanji: Aventurã în junglã,” “Jumanji: Bem-Vindo à Selva,” “Jumanji: Bem-Vindos à Selva,” “Jumanji: Bienvenidos a la jungla,”See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for adventure action, suggestive content and some language.

Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: • Young Adults • Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy Action Adventure
Length: 1 hr. 59 min.
Year of Release: 2017
USA Release: December 20, 2017 (wide—3,765 theaters)
DVD: March 20, 2018
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Relevant Issues
Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures

What are the likely results of continual use of profane and vulgar language and sexual innuendos?

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Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Copyright, Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures
Featuring Dwayne “The Rock” JohnsonDr. Smolder Bravestone
Kevin HartMoose Finbar
Jack BlackProfessor Shelly Oberon
Karen GillanRuby Roundhouse
Missi PyleCoach Webb
Bobby CannavaleVan Pelt
Rhys DarbyNigel
Tim MathesonOld Man Vreeke
Nick JonasAlex
Madison Iseman … Bethany
See all »
Director Jake Kasdan — “Sex Tape” (2014), “Bad Teacher” (2011), “Funny People” (2009), “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” (2007)
Producer Ted Field
Dany Garcia
Hiram Garcia
See all »
Distributor
Distributor: Columbia Pictures. Trademark logo.
Columbia Pictures
, a division of Sony Pictures

High school! It’s such a jungle. No, really! Everyone’s trying to figure out who they are and who they want to become. Take Spencer for example. He’s always been known as the “nerd,” and he’s been working so hard to rekindle an old friendship with Fridge, who has his own set of problems, that he’s tried to restore by writing Fridge’s papers and helping him with his homework, so that Fridge doesn’t get kicked off the team.

Or perhaps take Martha. Martha’s one of those girls who doesn’t speak unless spoken to, keeping herself hidden, but, also, as we see in one instance, not hesitant to question something she doesn’t see purpose in. And, of course, there’s Bethany, the popular girl that everyone looks up to but somewhere in the midst of all that, she’s forgotten about the rest of the world and the true potential she can play in it.

So what brings these four, let’s say, misfits together? Detention. Spencer and Fridge for Spencer writing Fridge’s papers, Martha for insulting the gym teacher and Bethany for video chatting during a class. As the students are cleaning up the school basement as part of their detention, they come across a mysterious video game (once an old board game that mysteriously, in a revealed flashback, turned into a video game) called “Jumanji.” The kids decide to plug it in and select their characters for the game. Then things start to happen…

Soon the kids are digitized and sucked into the game console. When they arrive, they realize they are not themselves. Spencer has become Dr. Smolder Bradstone, Fridge has become Moose Finbar, Martha has become Ruby Roundhouse, and Bethany has become Professor Shelly Oberon. What’s worse, they find that they are trapped in the game “Jumanji,” and, as they learn, the only way to win and return to the real world is to return the Jaguar Diamond to Jaguar Mountain, while avoiding man-eating rhinos and hippos, jaguars, snakes and pretty much every other element a jungle can throw at you.

Welcome to the jungle.

I remember the first time I watched the original “Jumanji.” At the time, I was too young to really appreciate all the subtle nuances and comedic moments the original film had to offer. It would be a long time before I watched it again and when I finally did I picked up on those subtle nuances comedic moments, morals and messages that I hadn’t gotten the first time around. Only then was I able to understand the filmmaking value a movie like “Jumanji” had and that only a legend such as Robin Williams, could make a film like “Jumanji” everything it was meant to be.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the first film, “Jumanji,” was released and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” reminds us of this, but in a reserved and respectable manner. As the producers intended, and is clear through the overall direction and delivery of the film, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” tries to separate itself from the original, serving as a fine sequel to the original, but standing its ground and declaring itself as its own film. This is accomplished through the wonderful performances of the leads (Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, etc.) who, quite honestly, have excellent comedic chemistry on screen, as well as a fairly strong plot with relatively even pacing, with the exception of the inclusion of a villain who doesn’t have much of a role.

Content for Concern

Foul Language: There’s a lot of it and some of it is downright vulgar. Profanity is very heavy. God’s name is misused 18 times, Jesus’ name is misused once, plus “H*ll” 18 times, and “d*mn” (2). Vulgarity includes “a**” (13), “sh*t” (4), “boob,”, “fr*ckin,”, “b*tch,” and “scr*wed.” Phrases included characters mentioning that someone should “hook up with anyone you want” or “hit that” (aka have sex), the phrase “tool kit,” “sucks” (2), “d**chebag” (1), and p*nis (2)—“There’s a p*nis attached to my body” and “Martha, come look at my p*nis,” “Its like having a handle,” “It’s huge” and “Oh my G*d, these things are crazy,” “Gotta take a leak.” The lyrics of a song played during the end credits includes the words, “you're a very sexy girl very hard to please. …Feel my, my, my, my serpentine…I, I wanna hear you scream… And when you're high you never ever want to come down…”

Sensuality/Sexual Content/Nudity: Very Heavy. Bethany is seen in small shorts and a revealing shirt while taking flirtatious “selfies” for her ex-boyfriend. Martha’s character in the game, Susan, wears a short midriff and short-shorts for the entire movie. Bethany/Professor Oberon makes multiple comments throughout the movie about her fascination over male body parts and the body she now has (male). There is an extensive scene where Fridge/Moose is providing Bethany/Professor Oberon a tutorial about how to urinate for the first time (Dr. Bradstone even chimes in) with some of the conversation becoming quite inappropriate. Martha/Susan presses her breasts to find out her character’s skills. There is an inappropriate male arousal moment in the film (implied but never shown). Two characters attempt to kiss each other at first, and eventually do kiss each other for real at the end of the film.

Violence: A couple characters are seen being eaten by animals (one is eaten by a jaguar, one by a hippo, and another by a rhino), but, since they are game characters, they come back to life after they die (in fact, any time they are killed they reappear quickly). The deaths are not graphic and are quick. Characters engage in combat with enemies and are shot at and chased several times. There are a couple scenes with explosions. A scorpion kills one of the henchmen (again, nothing graphic).

Morals

At one point, Spencer/Dr. Bradstone contemplates returning to the real world, stating that in the game he’s this whole other person that he doesn’t have to hide. Martha/Susan reassures him that his life in the real world is what really matters and that he should embrace who he is and not be afraid.

Likewise, our Creator created us in His image, in his likeness, and we are not to be ashamed of this, including the skills he has given us. Since we are created in His image, we are precious in his eyes, and He only wants us to use the gifts and talents he has given us to His glory and to not be ashamed to be whom he has called us to be.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. –Psalm 139:13-14

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. –Ephesians 2:10

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. —2 Peter 1:3-4

Closing Thoughts

“…Welcome to the Jungle,” in my opinion, serves as strong sequel to the original “Jumanji” and would be worth recommending if it weren’t for the over abounding and unnecessary amount of profanity and sexual dialog and suggestive content presented throughout the film. It is sad, honestly, because there is a lot going for the film, such as a fairly strong plot and some strong performances. As the film stands, however, “…Welcome to the Jungle” is not warranted for Christian viewing or by children. This sequel, should you choose to view it, is for young adults and adults ONLY.

  • Violence: Moderately Heavy
  • Profane language: ► Very Heavy
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy
  • Nudity: None
  • Sex: Moderately Heavy
Article Version: January 23, 2018

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—My family watched this last night and thought it was great. I have two teens—a boy and a girl. I am usually pretty particular about a lot of language in a movie, so I am surprised that I didn’t hear all that was mentioned in the review (I would have said it was low on language). The “penis” references were funny to me and my husband, only because it was not done in a filthy or dirty way. I could totally have seen myself saying the exact same things or having the same issues if I were suddenly in a male body. I wasn’t embarrassed for my kids to hear these parts. If they had been referencing sex or immorality I would have.

There is a female character that reveals legs and a torso with her clothing—this is evident from the trailer. She is not comfortable this way and learns that to attract the guy she likes she doesn’t have to dress this way. Overall, I thought it was fun. All of the actors were great together. It taught forgiveness, the importance of working together, not judging others by the way they look, etc. Fun!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Miranda, age 42
Positive—Not sure what movies the reviewer watches, if this one is “heavily” profane. This movie was not PG like the first Jumanji, therefore I did not take my kids. Understanding that this was a PG-13 movie, I was highly pleased. Yes, there’s some light swearing (no heavy swear words at all) and unnecessary innuendo but overall this was a fun, fairly lighthearted movie that I highly enjoyed. I saw this movie with my mom (65), and she too was a tad disgusted with the body comments, but for a PG-13 movie I would definitely say it was on the modest side.

There were tons of little kids in the theater, including many toddlers. I chose not to take my 10 and 8 year olds, and I’m always saddened to see young kids in movies for which they are clearly too young. There was no sex, the violence was perfunctory, considering what it could have been as the “players” lost a life as soon as they were seriously injured, so there was no dragging it out, and there were no F or GD words. I would recommend this movie to anyone who fits in the intended audience. It was quite fun.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Doralyn, age 40 (USA)
Positive—Entertaining film that I took my 13-year-old nephew to see. Had I regarded the “critics’ reviews, I may have chosen not to see the film. Glad I ignored their take. Is it an Oscar-winning film? No. Was it predictable? Yes. Was it funny? Yes, Laugh-Out-Loud, family friendly (for the most part), adolescent humor. Jack Black’s role was hilarious! Crass at times? Yes?. But what teen isn’t crass? It was NOT, however completely vulgar, laced with gratuitous sex-scenes with every other word being an F-bomb like the “critically”-acclaimed films that are Oscar-worthy. As a Christian, I found the film mindlessly entertaining with a good moral message about working together.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Dee, age 45
Positive—…I enjoyed it.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Julie, age 54 (USA)
Positive—First off, this movie was great! Super funny, great acting and clean (besides the skimpy outfit that everyone can’t stop talking about. We know, we know. Next topic please.)

Language wasn’t as vulgar as reported. Pretty low key, just a rare one thrown here and there.
Violence, nothing a kid can’t handle.
It was more funny than I expected! Honestly Jack Black made the movie hilarious, and Kevin Hart was pretty funny too. All the actors did a great job! Great movie, fun for the whole family!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Paulina, age 24 (USA)
Positive—My family and I all enjoyed this movie a lot. Very funny and touching at times. My niece (13 y/o) and her friend wanted to watch it a second time, and my sister and her kids thought it was great. We all laughed out loud, and the crowds we were with did, too. The scenes with Jack Black and his genitalia were mildly uncomfortable, but a hit with the kids. I didn’t think it was very profane at all. No anti-christian feeling, in our opinion.

It is supposed to be like a video game, and if you have ever played them, the characters are like this. It is not meant to be a good moral story, but I did think the concept of cooperation among very different teens who had to get along and depend on each other was a good message, compared to a lot of the movies I have seen. I would think most people and their kids who are at least 9 or 10 would like this movie.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Luke, age 56 (USA)
Neutral—I liked the action and found some of the jokes funny. I didn’t see the need to promote homosexuality, though.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Julio, age 46 (Canada)
Neutral
Neutral—…I am surprised…how many times God’s name in vain was taken… Any Christian considering viewing this movie should know that God’s name was taken in vain multiple times throughout the film.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Joshua, age 32 (USA)
Neutral—“Jumanji” was great until the cursing started and body parts comments. Children are watching these Movies. What does a Man Or Woman gain by losing his or her soul for money gain. The Movie would have been good without all of that—making a Woman a Man and then still attracted to men.

I am a Christian, and we should make movies to inspire our young people to make great decisions in their lives and not make it harder. God will hold you all accountable for our children seeing and making them believe wrong be right.

I will pray for the movie industry to be more careful and making sure movies scenes are appropriate for our children. Believe me Actors and Actresses, you will be held accountable, too. Choose right and Directors will still choose you if it is God’s will. Stand on something and stop believing in everything. Stop doing anything to just make money!!!… Thank you.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Gayle Burton, age 58 (USA)
Negative
Negative—Took my wife, son-in-law, and daughter, and we all came away with a feeling that once again, Hollywood took a fun concept and tainted it with vulgarity. When the girl became a man, the movie spent way to much time on the physical “hardware”—to the point of stupidity.

Overall, good performances, great CG, funny parts, beautiful scenery, but too much superfluous vulgarity. I wouldn’t take my grandkids to it.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Dennis, age 64 (USA)
Negative—I have never written a review but felt it was necessary for this film. I usually do not even attend the movies, but if I do my husband checks here on Christian Spotlight. Unfortunately, we didn’t do our usual research for this movie and are seriously regretting it. The review of offensive was correct, and I am not sure how anyone could have been oblivious to the amount of obscenities.

I had preplanned this movie with my youth group girls and was really excited since the first “Jumanji” was so good. It was so morally corrupt that I was close to making them all get up and walk out. The movie would have been excellent if they would have omitted the profanities and sexual innuendos and crudeness.

On a positive note it gave me something to discuss when we returned home. It allowed me to use God’s Word on how we as Christians should not allow ourselves to be exposed to such vulgarity.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Kenya, age 43 (USA)
Negative—In short, more Hollywood Propaganda for the occult and the homosexual/transgender agenda! Just like in “Frozen,” where the propaganda was less than subtle, in my opinion, regarding homosexuality and lesbianism (proponents of gay rights have actually admitted that movies like “Frozen” are preparing Americans for what is coming, i.e. Gay heroes and couples in mainstream movies) “Jumanji” is also propaganda for homosexuality and transgenderism, as well as the occult.

*Warning—Possible Spoilers*
In the beginning we see a young man holding a mysterious board game but he comments that “Nobody plays board games anymore,” and sets it down and continues playing his video games. As a side note, it is also made very clear by the posters on his bedroom wall and comments made at the end of the movie that the young man is in to Heavy Metal music which is commonly associated with the occult.

During the night the game magically has turned into a video game cartridge so the boy decides to give it a try and when he does, gets sucked into the game. We learn later that the boy has been missing for 20 years because he’s stuck inside the game. The house he lived in looks haunted and his father who still lives in the house looks like a zombie. All things associated with darkness and evil.

The video game that the boy played before disappearing turns up in a school basement 20 years later where 4 kids (2 males and 2 females) are going to spend detention and where they find the video game. As we watched I could see what was about to happen and I told my wife that the 4 kids were about to be sucked into the video game and that one of the girls would be transformed into a boy! BINGO!

We then get to spend the remainder of the movie watching the female character trapped in a male body (played by Jack Black), and watch the male behaving like a female (because there’s a female inside the male. Sound familiar?) The “female”/male also expresses interest in two of the other males several times throughout the movie. At one point in the movie, the “female” trapped in the male body gets an erection (alluded to, not actually shown) after giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to another male, and the male thanks him (her?) for saving his life. The resuscitation scene was obviously meant to look like two males kissing. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
RD, age 48 (USA)
Comments from young people
Positive—My daddy took my brother and me to see the movie, and I thought it was excellent, but I thought the professor should not be asking him about his male part, which is uncalled for.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Charlene (USA)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Comments from non-viewers
Negative—When I first heard about “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” not too long after Robin Williams’ death, I was skeptical. When I heard the movie was a stand-alone sequel, I initially thought “Sure. Why not?”, despite the fact the characters from the original (Alan, Sarah, Judy, and Peter) would not appear. Then, I saw the trailer, put it off for a bit and read the comments. I really wish the whole transgender stuff could have been left out (yes, I know it’s due to magic against the character’s will, but really?). I am tired of Hollywood pushing inappropriate agendas down our throats, so I will not be attending this movie.

I can sit through a number of movies in good conscience, as long as they do a good job at portraying good as good, evil as evil, reality as reality, and fiction as fiction. At the end of movies like “The Godfather” trilogy, we see that the mafia life leaves Michael Corleone an unloved and lonely man. In movies like “Saving Private Ryan,” we see that a fallen world has harmed us and is the root of war and evil.

I can sit through movies where a character learns the error of their ways and chooses to renounce sin and display the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But with the world choosing to embrace what God calls inappropriate, I decided to put my foot and not see this movie in theaters. The producers of this movie need Jesus, not money (John 3:16; Romans 10:9). If anyone who worked on this movie sees my comment, please know that Jesus loves you and will forgive your sins. My not seeing this movie is not a spiteful condemnation to you, but a message to please seek God. To any Christians who see this movie, know that I respect your decision and do not condemn you; use the opportunity to build up others if you can and win souls for Christ.
Peter, age 27 (USA)