"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" trailers didn't scream critically acclaimed blockbuster, but early reactions from the select few movie journalists who have seen it think Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's newest movie is actually pretty good.
While full reviews won't be out for a few more weeks, the entertainment writers who attended the movie's Hawaii junket with most of the stars, also including Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas, shared their brief thoughts on Twitter Monday.

Dwayne Johnson Gives 'Baywatch' Critics the People's Elbow on Twitter
View Story"Happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised by 'Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle.' It's fun and funny in equal measure, and makes smart use of its great stars. Not much of a universe-builder for a fantasy sequel, but definitely a reinvention that works," CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg tweeted.
This "Jumanji" is not a sequel to the 1995 Robin Williams fantasy movie, which was based on Chris Van Allsburg's 1981 children's book of the same name, following kids who play a magical board game that brings the dangers of the jungle into their lives. Instead, the game takes the form of a video game console four kids in detention come across while cleaning out their school's basement. After selecting their characters -- Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Johnson), Franklin "Moose" Finbar (Kevin Hart), Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) and Professor Shelly Oberon (Black) -- they're sucked into the screen and take on their respective characters' appearance, which works out great for the nerd, but not so much for the popular girl turned into a the chubby professor played by Black.
Here's what critics are saying, so far, about the new "Jumanji" hitting theaters on Dec. 20. Based on these reactions, it appears The Rock's latest movie will be greeted to significantly kinder reviews than critically panned comedy "Baywatch," but then again, "Justice League" early reactions were also mostly positive, while the majority of movie critics went on to blast it as it hit theaters.
