JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL
An entertaining adventure about friendship, forgiveness, and dangerous language.
Should You Watch It?
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL delivers what its four-star rating promises: an entertaining, funny, exciting adventure with lively video-game action. Its strongest ideas are also positive. Friends must rescue one another, family members must reconnect, and old grudges must give way to forgiveness.
The cost is substantial language. The film contains 32 obscenities, seven strong profanities, and 16 light profanities, including one or two profanities using Jesus’ name. It also contains lots of action violence, sometimes with frightening situations.
So, if you are an adult who can handle those concerns, this is worth watching. For younger children and teenagers, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESCollege-age friends Martha, Fridge, and Bethany return to the mystical video game Jumanji to rescue Spencer. But the game also pulls in Spencer’s grandfather, Eddie, and Eddie’s estranged friend, Milo.
Inside the game, the group must find Spencer, retrieve a magical jewel from a powerful warlord, and save Jumanji from drought and desolation. Their journey brings rampaging ostriches, vicious baboons, dangerous bridges, and difficult personal choices.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly entertaining film. The source review describes it as funny, exciting, and comical, with rousing adventure throughout. The video-game setting gives the characters a series of escalating challenges, from giant ostriches and vicious baboons to a maze of wooden bridges above a deadly chasm.
The movie also gives its action a positive emotional center. Friends and family members must reconnect, and characters learn to release resentment and forgive. The source provides limited additional craft analysis beyond this general praise.
The Worldview
The film presents a light moral worldview with redemptive content. It exalts loving friends and family, overcoming cruel villainy, forgiveness, and refusing to hold grudges. Eddie’s resentment toward Milo changes for the better, while the characters’ dangerous quest requires them to depend on one another.
The movie also presents a negative view of growing old before changing that view for the better. Its treatment of video-game dangers keeps the violence within a fantastical setting, but the action can still be rousing and sometimes scary. Two characters lie their way into the villain’s lair, showing that the film’s moral picture is not without compromise.
The film’s central lesson is that love and forgiveness are better than resentment. Scripture says, “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Light moral worldview with some redemptive content about loving your friends and family, overcoming cruel villainy, not holding grudges, and forgiveness
Foul Language
32 obscenities (mostly “h” or “d” words, but several “s” and a** words and an SOB), seven strong profanities (including one or two Jesus profanities), and 16 light profanities
Violence
Lots of rousing and sometimes scary action violence such as people face a rampaging herd of giant ostriches, a powerful warlord and his men, a group of vicious baboons trying to bite and grab them, and a maze of rickety wooden bridges placed above a high chasm, people fall from the bridges but are mostly rescued, people fight with warlords and other people, punching and kicking, people are tossed through walls and pillars, man is rescued after almost falling from a cliff, man is grabbed and swallowed by a snake, but he’s in a video game and has two more “lives” left, rocket blows people up, but they have one video game life left, giant hippo tries to attack man, but he escapes, man hangs for dear life onto rope dangling from a blimp, head villain feeds pieces of meat to two vicious giant hyenas, and he jokes that it’s the body of their trainer who defied him, people race against the rampaging herd of ostriches that pierce the roofs of their vehicles with their beaks, etc.
Sex
No implied or depicted sex scenes, but a few passionate kisses, and man wants to follow his video game character’s old flame to her room
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Man holds a grudge against his former business partner and has a negative view of growing old, but this changes for the better, two characters lie their way into the villain’s lair.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Eddie holds a grudge against Milo. What does forgiveness require when someone has hurt or disappointed us?
Colossians 3:13 · Ephesians 4:31–32The friends return to Jumanji to rescue Spencer. What does loving a friend look like when helping becomes costly or frightening?
Proverbs 17:17 · John 15:13Eddie begins with a negative view of growing old. How can God give purpose and fruitfulness in every stage of life?
Psalm 92:12–15 · Titus 2:2–5Two characters lie their way into the villain’s lair. Can a good goal make a dishonest action right?
Proverbs 12:22 · Ephesians 4:25The Final Word
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL is a funny, exciting adventure with meaningful lessons about friendship, family, and forgiveness. Its strong language and action violence make it unsuitable for younger viewers. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
