Welcome to the Jungle

I'm not going to get into any plot or detailed film descriptions in this review (if you can call it that). All I'm am going to write is what I did and did not enjoy about this film.

Firstly, the bad parts - the thing that really let's the film down is the writing - basically the majority of the actors just aren't given enough to play with. They all try really hard to get laughs, whether it be by forcing out swear words or resorting to penis and boob jokes that come across more than a little forced. The characters for the most part are likable enough but the comedic actors/actresses like Kristen Schaal are not used to their full comedic potential and it is disappointing to say the least.

TV actors Adam Brody and Megan boon are good on their roles and do their best at trying to keep the viewer from nodding off into a dull boredom coma.

So why give what really is just another average comedy film that would otherwise deserve only a 5 out of ten, a 7?

Well, the answer is obvious - Jean-Claude Van Damme! Not only does he save this film from being shelved completely - he manages to make it really enjoyable and worth watching and he really is hilarious!

I have always been a massive Van Damme fan ( or "Fan a Damme" as I like to put it) but that being said, I think comedy is really a route he should explore on a more regular basis. Every scene Van Damme appears in - he steals completely and the only laugh-out-loud scenes in the film are they ones with him in them! Clearly he is enjoying himself and it really shows on screen. Whether he is stealing the other actors lines or just making fun of himself - JCVD is the one and only reason you should watch this film and I give the extra 2 stars to this films rating due to his brilliant, comedic performance.

Hopefully this film is the comedic stepping-stone Van Damme uses to land a comedy role in a big-budget comedy film and to give him the big mainstream hit he really deserves :)

You are and always will be the man, Van Damme!!!

'WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Jean-Claude Van Damme tries his hand at comedy with this workforce island retreat slapstick adventure film also starring Adam Brody, Rob Huebel, Megan Boone, Kristen Schaal and Dennis Haysbert. Brody plays an insecure office worker who is always being bullied by his co-worker (played by Huebel) and dreaming of a better life. Van Damme plays an ex-marine wilderness guide who takes the office on a 'work team adventure'. It was directed by Rob Meltzer and written by first time film writer Jeff Kauffmann. I found the movie to be pretty poorly written and directed but I did admire the effort put in by all of the cast (especially Van Damme).

Brody plays Chris, a bullied office worker who is constantly fantasizing about impressing his boss, Mr. Crawford (Haysbert), and co-workers; especially an HR manager named Lisa (Boone). Huebel plays the man who's always taking advantage of Chris, named Phil, and recently stole a successful idea of his. Chris finally has the chance to stand up to Phil, and prove his worth to all of his co-workers, when the entire work team is stranded on an island during a retreat. Their instructor, an ex-marine named Storm Rothchild (Van Damme), is attacked by a tiger and decommissioned.

This is Van Damme's first venture into comedy and he does a great job; I'm becoming more and more impressed with him (as an actor, athlete and entertainer) as years go on. It's just a shame he didn't have a better script and director to work with. I'd still much rather watch a movie like this than something like 'THE GAME PLAN' (with The Rock) or 'THE PACIFIER' (with Vin Diesel) though. Brody and Huebel are always good in comedies like this and it's great to see Haysbert stretching and doing comedy as well (and he's funny in his few scenes). I just didn't like the story or most of the jokes very much (and thought it was pretty poorly directed). Grade A for acting and effort though.

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I don't understand all the negative reviews out there. This is a miraculous gem of a movie that achieved the near impossible by eliciting at least half a dozen deep belly laughs by being a very low budget movie starring you know who. I haven't enjoyed a comedy this much since Super Bad and Pineapple Express. It's really funny in a way that Office Space is funny, quirky, dry and with characters just exaggerated enough so we don't forget they are true in the banality of our corporate work lives. There is a stoner character that reminds me a lot of Seth Rogan, so yes the film is not perfect, and it probably did exploit Office Space for some of it's humor, so it's not really original, but in the final analysis, if you like Dilbert you will laugh. If you like Van Damme making fun of a ridiculous caricature of himself you will find this film funny.

Moral of the story: don't go on team building exercises with crazy people from work on a deserted island.

Let's put van Damme in the Jungle, pair him with Adam Brody and some other comedians and see what happens. That seems to be the motto of the movie. But while that might not sound that appealing, I thought it worked. Not always, see also some of the awkward lines van Damme has to deliver, but often enough.

The movie is more than predictable, you can outright guess when what is coming and who will be getting what (or whom). But that is not the point. And while there is a journey, it's the isolation of the Jungle and the characters (used to work in offices), that make this movie funny. Is there potential for more? Sure! But that doesn't mean this is a bad movie. It's just a inferior one to what some might have expected ... still funny though