What a surprise.

Ditto. This film was just as good as expected.

Actually the original Jumanji was not made by Disney (it was a Columbia-Tristar film).

It does seem Disney-esque but Disney was not involved at all.

I think the initial backlash was understandable, only because many reboots/sequels still have a high rate of failure or "meh". This Jumanji sequel would go in the pile of rare, successful exceptions. Definitely one of the big surprises in recent years.

Yes, but it was fun and exciting. Beautiful to look at and the cast was such a treat. It's not [insert smart film with film nerd cred] but it's not trying to. Sure, the morals were old as age but they're still valid. It's a great adventure film for the family.

You see that’s the thing, hardly anyone thought Kevin Hart and Jack Black making jokes was going to work in a Jumanji movie. Many said a completely humorous Jumanji was automatically a failure. Plus The Rock being The Rock in this? Set in the Jungle? Nick Jonas? Who wants to see all that except for “young clueless kids”? Even way before the trailer hit, so many found the idea of these actors being in this movie appalling... “my childhood is ruined...Hollywood unoriginality... petition to stop this from ever happening...” Jack, Kevin as Dwayne doing what they’re known best for could spell disaster for this movie, according to nearly every fan of the original.

Well, lo and behold, to the surprise of many (old, young, former naysayers), the actors were great and all the jokes, action, effects, and overall execution worked! So while you and several others weren’t impressed by it, the general consensus is that this turned out to be an extremely fun and nicely crafted movie. And contrary to what some might say, it does pay respect to the original.

Hollow story, cheap sets and CGI? Yeah, well, I disagree. The movie delivers for what it sets out to do. Oh, and I’m not saying it is better, but did I forget to mention that Welcome to the Jungle was much better well-received than the old one? Yup.