- Arnold returns in an epic adventure but is it everything fans have been hoping for?
The Jungle Moviereview contains spoilers.
Theyve seen the concept art.
Theyve heard the precious bits of story leak out.
Everyone was hyped for this movie.
Thats what this was.
It was theHey Arnold!movie.
This is the big one.
All our questions answered.
This is the big screen outing Arnold deserved.
But did we really need aHey Arnold!movie?
Ad content continues below
Dont get me wrong,The Jungle Movieis great.
Its exactly what I expected the film to always be and more.
The jokes are on point and the payoff to all the plotlines are handled with great care.
Nearly all the major and secondary characters get a moment to shine.
Thats the story I was most engrossed with, actually.
Arnold and Gerald just helping Monkey Man build himself a home.
Thats totally in the style of the old series.
It even had that jazzy soundtrack that always perfectly captured the mood of Arnolds view of the world.
It wasnt epic, nobody died, and ultimately it was just a good deed.
Arnold especially was never really anIndiana Jonesstyle adventurer.
He was just a kid who also happened to be a mini philosopher.
I felt likeThe Jungle Moviewas missing those small moments.
Nor did it ever seem to aspire to tell them.
In some wacky world those stories could happen to you.
They were aspirational sure, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Arnold didnt need to survive a boat crash to have some big emotional revelation.
His own dumb (and very relatable) mistakes lead to this revelation about love.
This movie didnt have anything like that.
I understand with the structure of this film thats how it had to go.
We didnt have time to check in on his parents feelings about unintentionally abandoning their son for ten years.
But thats the kind of story the series would have focused on, not this epic adventure.
Hey Arnold!never really needed a movie.
Is it great we got one?
It was a blast!
We needed this kind of adventure after that much build up.
It provided a definitive ending if this really is the last bit of Hey Arnold well ever see.
Especially the ones that have to deal with Arnold and Helgas new romance.
Hopefully we get to see those.
That had me busting out laughing.
Rating:
3 out of 5
