It doesn’t take a lot of time, nor a lot of effort, for Jumanji to kill apprehensions and turn one into a fan. Jumanji is one devious game. In the last movie, which may have everything yet nothing to do with this one, Jumanji (in the guise of a board game), whisked away a young boy to a mythical jungle-adventure land and returned him as a near-savage played by Robin Williams (and also gave him one of his most successful roles).

In this movie, four teenagers are whisked away to Jumanji by the game’s newest incarnation – a late 80’s or 90’s console videogame. The teenagers are given new avatars as well, played by Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart.

Screenwriter Chris McKenna’s scenes, while not exactly novel, nail down the pitch, while the actors and the director – Jake Kasdan – take care of the rest. At one point early in the movie, Kasdan and McKenna bluntly make fun of the current generation’s idiotic, superficial way of life. Although a poignant message, the tone of the story brought back memories – as if I was watching an 80’s children’s movie.

This is a great start to a (hopefully) grand new year. (Technically though, Jumanji came out at the last weekend of 2017 – so it is already a thing of the past).

Kasdan’s light touch and the family-friendly humour give this film a familiar and likeable aura. Jumanji is a surprisingly pleasant outing – and to think, I already stopped believing in the magic of such jungle adventures-this one’s a doozy.