Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle had a great premise (based on the Robin Williams film, via the original book) — sending human characters into a video game world — but a lot of time was spent in that 2017 film on the gimmick of it all. We never really got to know the people inhabiting these avatars outside of stereotypes. This time around in Jumanji: The Next Level, we do, and it makes for a much more entertaining story.
The sequel starts off a while after the kids — Bethany (Madison Iseman), Martha (Morgan Turner), Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain), and Spencer (Alex Wolff) — have returned to their normal lives. While the gang is thrilled to get back together on holiday break, Spencer ends up at home with his mom and ailing, grouchy and forgetful grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito). There, we also meet Milo (Danny Glover), a former buddy of Eddie’s who he has a beef with. It’s a longer setup than we saw in the last film, but it allows the viewer to really spend time with these characters this time around before they inevitably end up back in the Jumanji game.
Source: IGN.com Jumanji: The Next Level Review