Sony made a sequel to Jumanji, that sad Robin Williams movie from the '90s, 22 years later? And it made a billion dollars? And everyone liked it??
It's true. And as a result, every time a movie studio makes a questionable legacy sequel this is why. They're telling themselves: "It worked with Jumanji." It's why Disney is putting out a Tron movie this year.
Well, the thing is, the movie needs to be good! And Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle IS good. It's a very likable and winning comedy. It's just kind of a lackluster blockbuster.
But what a fun cast! The Rock is once again able to have fun playing a guy who feels very awkward looking like The Rock. Kevin Hart is very funny, Karen Gillan kicks ass, and Jack Black gives maybe his best ever performance. Nick Jonas is also here.
And this movie has us asking the big questions. What makes you you and me me? Are our personalities completely predetermined? Do NPCs have a right to privacy? If you're popular in high school, will you be popular for the rest of your life? And are dicks just the tits of the man?
There's also an unexpected 10-minute Blade Runner digression.
The Summer of Rock is our summer 2025 miniseries covering the movie career of Dwayne Johnson through nine movies, presented in chronological order. Starting with his attempt at crossing over from the world of wrestling, The Rock's career got off to a bumpy start before finally taking off in the 2010s. But it wasn't long before the bumps returned, and we'll be telling the story for you all summer long!
Subscribe to our Patreon, Load Bearing Beams: Collector's Edition for $5 a month to get two extra episodes! patreon.com/loadbearingbeams
Time stamps:
Sources:
Artwork by Laci Roth.
Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).
Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:
"Summer of Rock" - https://youtu.be/dvRY72jNIEE
"Winston-Salem" - https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM
"Snake Drama" - https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg
"The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet" - https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ
"Summer of Rock" theme song credits:
Words and music by Matt Stokes
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by TJ Barends | Bare Sounds
Personnel:
TJ Barends - backing vocals
Wade Hymel - drums/guitar/backing vocals
Laci Roth - vocals
Matt Stokes - vocals/guitar/bass
Follow Wade on Instagram: @wadealready
Follow TJ on Instagram: @baresoundstwitaj
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