WARNING: Jumanji, The Next Level Spoilers Ahead
Sony definitely leveled up its game in Jumanji: The Next Level. Not only did the movie provide more entertainment, but it also featured many more Easter eggs. See if you spotted all these hidden references in the movie!
Fridge’s Necklace
In the beginning of the movie when Fridge is still in his own body, he’s wearing a gold necklace with a pendant in the shape of the number “94”. Now, these same scenes were featured in the Jumanji: The Next Level trailer, but in the trailer, Fridge isn’t wearing the necklace. Therefore, we can only assume that his jewelry was added as an Easter egg post-production.
The number 94 has a lot of potential references. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson wore jersey number 94 when he played football at the University of Miami, so this Easter egg could be a nod to the actor’s former career.
The number 94 could also relate to the year 1994. This is the year that the original Jumanji started filming. In 1994, a small New Hampshire town also presented Robin Williams with a key to the city while he was there filming Jumanji. Therefore, Fridge’s necklace could be a tribute to Robin Williams and the start of Jumanjii.
Jumanji Game Piece
At the end of the movie, the gang meets up outside of Jurgen the Brutal’s Game-of-Thrones-esque castle and watches as Dr. Bravestone hangs from a rope. If you broke away from the suspense of the moment and took a look at the background of this scene, you might have noticed a sneaky Easter egg. Right behind Martha, Fridge, and the rest of the team is a monkey statue that looks a lot like a game piece from the original Jumanji.
These game pieces were also found throughout Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In that film, we saw Alan Parrish’s game piece from the original movie and an elephant statue that was also designed to look like a Jumanji piece.
The Movie Took Place the Day it Was Released
When Spencer is texting his friends, take a look at his phone and you’ll learn that the current date is December 13, 2019. As you know, this is the date that the movie released in the United States.
Video Game References
Since it’s a movie about a video game, there’s no surprise that Jumanji: The Next Level included multiple video game references.
In Spencer’s room, you can find a poster for the game, RIGS: Mechanized Combat. At the end of the movie, Spencer and his grandfather Eddie area also playing a video game. This game is Street Fighter V. If you didn’t notice, it’s also the same game that Spencer plays in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
The character of Ming Lightfoot is also thought to be a mash-up of Yuffie Kisaragi of the Final Fantasy games and Kasumi Goto of Mass Effect. Although not a video game reference, the scene that features Ming retrieving the jewel is a reference to Mission Impossible.
The Nods to Indiana Jones
In this movie and the previous one, Dr. Bravestone has a lot of similarities to Indiana Jones. The references are extremely apparent based on the character’s choice in clothing. Then, later in the movie, Bravestone cuts the rope bridge as they’re being chased by monkeys – just like Indiana Jones does in The Temple of Doom.
What Happened to Nora Shepherd
At the beginning of the film, we learn that Eddie and Milo sold their restaurant to Nora. Now, at this point, you probably made the connection to the original Jumanji movie. Nora was the name of Judy and Peter’s aunt – the woman who also took the children under her care after the death of their parents.
At the end of the movie, we find out that the name of the restaurant wasn’t just a nod to the original movie – it also served as the closing of Aunt Nora’s character arc.
In the original movie, time was reversed when Alan won Jumanji and we were left in the dark about Nora’s fate for years. However, she appears at the end of Jumanji: The Next Level and we finally find out what happened to Aunt Nora. Turns out, she fulfilled her dreams of opening a restaurant by taking ownership of Eddie and Milo’s establishment.
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Did you catch any other Easter eggs in Jumanji: The Next Level? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
I noticed December 13th 2019 on Spencer’s phone. It was my 17th birthday and the day i watched the film with my sister in our local cinema in the UK.
That’s awesome! And happy belated birthday!!
So I’m still trying to fact check, but during the sand dunes scene in Next Level, there is a SUV type car near them all dusty and rusted over with some gear attached to the top. My first thought was it looks like Aunt Noras vehicle from the 1995 movie that the monkey’s steal or another similar. Its possible since at the end the cop car that was taken by the plants and other aspects of new york that was destroyed got sucked into the board game after they beat the game. So just a thought that maybe it’s another cameo to the first movie.
I just liked the tribute to Lawrence of Arabia with the music when they first got dropped in the dunes….