The Final Level: Escaping Rancala (2019) User Reviews

Asylum film, yawwwwwn....

[Snootz · 2/10 · 30 December 2019]

The moment one realizes this is an Asylum film, all expectations pretty much leave the building, screaming. And rightly so.

The acting wasn't bad, considering the poor script and bad directing. I mean, actors can only do so much with 3rd grade play dialog.

General summary: idea straight from Jumanji. Worst. boss. fights. ever. (These "bosses" could pretty much be beat with a small pointy stick... or maybe giving them a wedgie.) The girls did as good a job as they could given the ridiculously slow-moving script, amateur dialog (however, not the worst we've seen from Asylum) and yawner situations. Seriously, halfway through the viewers want to enter the game ourselves with a baseball bat and take out all the adversaries in about... oh 5 minutes or so. It's. that. bad.

Not the worst Asylum film I've seen, which is why I give it 2 stars instead of 1. Favorite line of the movie: "You think this game was designed by guys?" Yeah, pretty sure the movie was too.

The really sad thing here is that even with Asylum's limited resources, they could have come up with better boss fights than presented here. One felt like shouting, "Just kick him in the tenders and get on with it!" So we have to wonder why someone in the effects team didn't put in just a little more effort and make it a lot more interesting. It really wouldn't have been more expensive or more difficult to put some of the special effects we've seen in other asylum films into this one. They started out well enough with the sharknado... and then it just stops.

If one goes in expecting yet-another-Asylum-film... that's exactly what you'll get. The three actresses are a bit more talented than usual, but that's about all that can be said for this. It's not exactly a train wreck, but the train comes to a very slow, limping halt about a mile short of the station.

Kind of good but still bad

[maikelschans · 4/10 · 1 May 2021]

Everything is mediocre, not really bad but it's just a bit off which make's it amteuristic. I like it but also dislike it.

Bimbo Jumanji

[siderite · 3/10 · 19 January 2020]

The only reason I wanted to watch this is because Bai Ling was in it. And she is, like five minutes. The rest is a really low budget Jumanji rip off, with three hapless girls stuck in an arcade game. The acting was awful, the production values ridiculous. This is one of those movies that you need to be drunk to watch and maybe it will be funny.

Sold in Tesco as Jurassic Island

[mbr-53577 · 1/10 · 1 May 2020]

The cover shows a volcano (which is not in the movie) with Pteranodons (which are not in the movie) while the lead character hides from a T Rex. On the rear cover there are 2 t rexes ( only one of which is in the movie) and a velociraptor (which is not in the movie).

In fact the total dinosaurs in Jurassic Island is 1.

This lone T Rex appears for about 3 minutes on level 2.

What this is, is a badly written, excruciatingly badly acted and awfully paced Jumanji rip off. If it was still called The Final Level: Escaping Rancala rather than renamed as Jurassic Island I might have forgiven the blatant false advertising and misrepresentation of the cover but as it stands I feel that I have been utterly ripped off. No spoilers it's utter CRA......

Just a cash grab

[hlucas3 · 1/10 · 13 December 2019]

The real jumanji is coming out this weekend so what better time to release this pile of ****. Bad acting, bad cgi, sub-par dialogue. The asylum has done it again, when you thought they couldn't do worse, they hit another home run with this train wreck of a movie. Well done. Please, don't waste your money, rent something from a studio that actually cares about movies.

classic bottom of the barrel stuff from 'The Asylum'

[Particle-X · 12 December 2019]

If you have 1 single braincell left, don't watch this trainwreck of a movie by the infamous 'mockbuster' production company 'The Asylum'. their infamy is now so well known, that they have to hide their name in the production details here on IMDB. i really hope they get sued by the copyright holders of 'ready player one' and 'jumanji'...

"True example of unwanted embarrassment"

[alejandroafm · 2/10 · 12 April 2020]

Ok when I first started this movie I thought that , ok so far not too bad, pretty low budget but seems fairly solid, but later when we get into the freaking movie it's literally trying to be like The Asylums version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe where there's several homages to The Asylums past project, when the sharks start raining the sky I'm like "What is this? A Sharknado crossover or something?".

That's not the only thing wrong with this film, next up you're gonna see crappy CGI animals that look like they were taken from those 3D models that look like they're right there in front of you that you find on google with your phone, also some of the line delivery's from the main protagonists are sometimes atrocious and very cliche. This movie is terrible and this is rather embarrassing to be a part of because this is gonna become part of your acting legacy and the public will take it mostly an offense that a company is ripping off a 132 million dollar big budget movie and those people that have a connection with these actresses will hate what they have signed up for. 2/10 (awful)

I knew what I was stepping into

[confirmeddeath · 4/10 · 15 March 2021]

Every now and then I see a poster of a movie that makes me think "That's familiar, I bet its by "that company"" And then I watch it to make sure it is by "that company" and then I see the starting credits and yeah, its by Asylum and I get to have a slight chuckle about their goofiness.

I watched and fast forwarded through most of it. I didn't hate what I saw, I didn't fall in love either, but rather good for Asylum.

I feel sorry for the actors in these movies, but they do what they can.

It was what it was, no more, no less...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 16 March 2021]

Well, with this being a movie by The Asylum, you pretty much know what you are getting yourself into here before you start watching the movie. Still, I opted to sit down to watch the 2019 movie "The Final Level: Escaping Rancala" for two reasons; first of all, the movie had Bai Ling headlined on the cover, and also because there is an odd chance that The Asylum actually does put something worthwhile out every now and again.

"The Final Level: Escaping Rancala" failed on both levels - pardon the pun. Bai Ling was hardly in the movie for even five minutes, but of course she was the most famous person in the movie, so of course The Asylum headlined her on the cover. And then secondly, this movie wasn't particularly great.

The storyline told in "The Final Level: Escaping Rancala" felt like a watered down version of "Jumanji" with a pinch of "Mortal Kombat" or "Street Fighter" to it. Not really a great combo. And it worked out even less well given the fact that the storyline was just downright laughable.

The acting in the movie wasn't actually as bad as you might think for a movie such as this. With that being said, you will not find yourself in for a grand Shakespearian experience either with the performances found in the movie.

The CGI effects in the movie were questionable. Some of them was passable, while others just screamed 1990s computer game.

And the fight scenes were just wonderfully scripted and equally wonderfully choreographed, lacking a fluidity to it and a natural movement between the participants. Spice that up with flashes of lights and strange arcade punching sounds whenever someone was kicked or punched, then you know what you are in for here.

"The Final Level: Escaping Rancala" was watchable, but hardly all that entertaining. I managed to endure the entire movie, but this is not a movie that I will return to watch a second time, ever.

My rating of the 2019 movie lands on a mere three out of ten stars.

why are they waste there money, this film waste everything bad acting bad editing bad directing,

[yohansperera · 1/10 · 26 May 2020]

Why are they waste there money, this film waste everything bad acting bad editing bad directing,

Game on (off?)

[kosmasp · 4/10 · 22 December 2020]

Are into gaming? That is one of the first things that you may think is important here .. to be honest it does not matter too much, although there are few hints about gaming and role playing (not that kind, the kind you get points to enlarge your ... skills).

This is as low budget as it gets. I like the actors involved, even if they don't really seem to be much acting. As in they play themselves - I seriously didn't plan on so much innuendo .. on the other hand, if you consider how little they are wearing some may be excused of having certain thoughts. On the other hand you could also think girl power! And having Bai Ling somewhere mixed into this actually strengthens that point.

Special effects are not really good overall, maybe at the beginning with the dissapearing act - but mostly you'd have to really give this quite the break. If you don't mind, this is as mindless fun as it can get I reckon ... never ever start thinking about it though ... you'll spoil everything

Nerdy kind of fun

[ben_jimenez · 9/10 · 12 December 2019]

This movie was better than I thought it was gonna be, special effects aside, the acting was funny, and interesting. Jessica Chancellor is my new fantasy girl, she is so sexy. This movie is a knock off of Jumani, but I like that it's not trying to hide it, most of the plot is just as Jumanji, but I do wish that Jumanji had as many sexy woman as this movie did, but no, Jumanji had a rock in it. If you are bored on a Friday night and want to watch something to waste a few hours of your life check this movie out, it's not gonna wow you, but your eyes will be pleased.

Not brilliant, but not that bad

[staunton-gary · 6/10 · 15 December 2019]

The obvious aim of this movie was to imitate the Jumanji movie, it tried. The acting was just ok. The character dress codes for each level were easy on the eye, so thanks for that. The reproduction of computer game mechanics were done to a satisfactory level, even with dorky bouncing stance when ready for action. Parts of the movie could have been left out or shortened, I found myself rolling my eyes and grabbing for the remote to fast forward. However, I did resist and watched it all. Don't expect lots, it is a B grade movie, a drink or two may assist with the watching process, enjoy the eye candy.

Escaping Rancala, the sooner the better

[unbrokenmetal · 3/10 · 1 January 2021]

"The Final Level: Escaping Rancala" tells the story of 3 beauties who get into a computer game (exactly like in the 2 recent 'Jumanji' reboots) where they have to survive against several enemies in 5 different levels. Their aim is to free a friend/brother who was locked inside the game. In order to achieve this, they also have to fight the self-proclaimed "King" of the game.

I don't hold it against the movie that it looks cheap with ridiculous effects, for example the sharks and the fights with a purple comic book 'flash' for each hit. But if a movie is produced with very little money, it should have at least a few funny ideas to become a decent spoof of the original. Ideas are however totally absent here. I give it three stars, one for each of the ladies bravely wrestling with the non-existing script and non-existing digital opponents. I got the movie for free on TV, and now I know why.

Sharknado makes a cameo

[nmd-08247 · 4/10 · 23 March 2023]

Goofy ridiculous movie. But fun to watch don't go in expecting masterpiece typical syfy junk but fun. And sharknado makes an appearance so that was funny in itself. (My review is done) it made me write more so here I am kind of ridiculous how much you need to write for a review sucks if you wanna make a review brief as I still have 266 charcters left to write so still stuck here writing this must be how the writers ar syfy feel just fill the rest in with a bunch of junk because i have no other choice or I cannot post this review as you see it's crazy how much I need to write but here I still am wow.

That's not even a word

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 9 August 2023]

Getting released just three days before the remake of Jumanji, this mockbuster from The Asylum is way better than their usual fare, having plenty of humor and some heart.

Back when Sarah (Jessica Chancellor, who created and stars in the Mystery Incorporated series that's a more adult version of Scooby Doo) was a kid, her brother Jake (Brandon Root) disappeared from an arcade after playing the game Rancala. Years later, she's opening an arcade in tribute to him along with her friends Rae (Tiana Tuttle) and Chrissy (Emily Sweet, who was in the remake of Castle Freak). As they ready for the opening, someone has already been playing Rancala and using an icon that looks like Jake. All three are sucked into the game and become near-super heroic as they look for Sarah's lost brother.

Directed by Canyopn Price, who wrote the script with Daniel Lusko, this actually has a pretty fun story, some video game moments and a Sharknado first boss. I agree with other reviewers that this would be much better if every character the girls battle came from an Asylum movie, but that would require more thought than The Asylum gives to their films.

Also: Bai Ling is in this for approximately three minutes.

Boss Fight!

[finnegan1959 · 5/10 · 29 December 2022]

This is a movie by Asylum. Not known for producing Oscar winners. However I do think they make some movies that are thoroughly watchable and entertaining. The Final Level: Escaping Rancala is one of those movies. I thought the plot was intriguing. Most of the movie takes place inside a video game. The three main stars are attractive women which never hurts either. After I watched the movie (it's quite obviously CGI) I found myself being somewhat amazed at how dinosaurs or other creatures that obviously aren't real have improved since I was young. The acting is acceptable and we see Bai Ling for a short time. I'd watch it again some time for the entertainment value.

Loved this a lot

[turnbull-07338 · 10/10 · 28 January 2024]

I don't care what the bad reviews say this is a great move with great acting. It pretty much a copy of Jumanji but I loved it all the same. I liked the three girls fighting their way through the different levels. I absolutely loved the Sharknado on level one. I also liked the idea of actually seeing your corpse after you came back. That was something Jumanji never did. It may have had a low budget but they spent the money really well. Special effects where pretty good and I liked the fight scenes where each punch had a flash of light to with it. That reminded me of the old Batman movies with Adam West and the pow and comments during a fight. If you liked Jumanji you should like this cut down version like I did. The critics here should have just switched it off and not commented on it. This is a great movies for kids as there is no gore and very little blood. You can safely leave your children to watch it. All in all one of the best Asylum films. Will definitely watch again.

Three girls, one game. I was entertained.

[misbegotten · 7/10 · 26 December 2019]

THE FINAL LEVEL: ESCAPING RANCALA is a great big slab of goofy fun. Although it's The Asylum's mockbuster of JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (2019), due to budgetary constraints it's more reminiscent of earlier films such as TRON (1982), the 'Bishop of Battle' segment of anthology movie NIGHTMARES (1983), and Full Moon's ARCADE (1993). The story: avid videogamer Jake and his younger sister Sarah are spending time at Jake's favourite hangout, the local video game arcade. While Sarah goes outside to meet their mother, Jake lingers to play one last game... and is never seen again. Ten years later, a now-twentysomething Sarah (played by Jessica Chancellor) has become a successful redheaded entrepreneur, but is still deeply affected by her brother's disappearance. As a result, her latest about-to-launch business venture is a tribute to him - a themed bar that is partly a faithful recreation of a video arcade, complete with vintage games. Sarah's partners in this enterprise are her two friends since childhood, brunette tech nerd Rae (Tiana Tuttle) whose job is to make sure everything works, and blonde networking vlogger/blogger Chrissy (Emily Sweet), in charge of advertising, publicity and social media. However, when the last game to be installed turns out to be'Rancala', the game Jake was playing when he disappeared, the three friends find themselves sucked into it, and are faced with the multiple tasks of surviving and completing the game, finding Jake and trying to return to the real world.

There's a hugely pleasing amount of meta humour in THE FINAL LEVEL (which probably reaches it's zenith early on, as the girls discover the first end-of-level boss opponent is a sharknado) centring on the trio of heroines adapting to being inside a video game: having to instinctively duck their heads every time an on-screen message appears, learning that unfeasibly large objects (oars, long-barrelled sniper rifles, planks of wood) can be pulled from the modestly-sized backpacks they're wearing, and having their clothes automatically change to match every new environment they enter. Arriving on a beach, they find themselves suddenly clad in just some skimpy & revealing bikinis. "Do you think a man designed this game?" deadpans Chrissy.

Enjoyable though THE FINAL LEVEL is, there are some negatives: much of the movie's initial fun and inventivity ebbs out after the first 35 - 40 minutes, and the film starts to drag during it's middle section. That said, things do rally in the final stretch with some welcome twists, although the reveal of The King - the game's final, super-boss opponent - is a disappointment, due to some typical Asylum penny pinching. He really should be a dastardly arch-enemy, part-Vader, part-Ming the Merciless, ruling Rancala from a lair that's half-gothic castle, half-Death Star control room. Instead, he's just some ranty man in a vaguely naval officer-style uniform, sitting on a throne made out of twigs, on a raised platform in the middle of a forest clearing. Very unsatisfying. The movie's low budget special effects and CGI mostly past muster, apart from a disastrous sequence in which two of the girls move at super-speed (having been given selected superpowers courtesy of the game), which just doesn't work and should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Characterisation is also tissue-thin, and although the three lead actresses do their best to flesh out the trio of heroines, they don't quite succeed (Sweet comes closest) due to simply having so little to work with. Full marks though to Chancellor, Tuttle and Sweet for throwing themselves full-bodily into THE FINAL LEVEL's many, many fight scenes, which are shot so you can see it's clearly the actresses and not stunt doubles who are throwing punches, high-kicking and back-flipping. And considering this movie is clearly intended for a family audience, kudos to The Asylum for including a scene in which two of the characters matter-of-factly share a same-sex kiss (this is nothing new for The Asylum - their mainstream 2007 mockbuster TRANSMORPHERS had two key characters in a same-sex marriage).

Despite it's flaws, I enjoyed THE FINAL LEVEL immensely and in my humble opinion it stands alongside the likes of SHERLOCK HOLMES (2010), MERCENARIES (2014) and the AVENGERS GRIMM movies as one of the most entertaining films The Asylum has yet made. It's hard to dislike a movie that features a girl successfully dropkicking a charging rhino.

Worth watching

[welcometokleinworld · 10/10 · 7 August 2021]

Yes acting not, the greatest, or visual effects, but I actually enjoyed to watch that movie, I like the concept. It's not triple A movie, it's a B movie and as a b movie it's good, definitely worth watching.

Considering a limited budget, not that bad

[professorjeffreypbrown · 7/10 · 21 July 2020]

Sure, not much original here, signs of Tron drifting about the story line, but a good movie if you're not expecting much. The acting isn't as bad as the directing, film not edited properly-- scenes going to long or awkward moments not cut. And with Jessica Chancellor running around in short shorts, who's to complain?

Starts off as a nice meme knock off, and then takes a nose dive caw caw.

[AngryCrow1991 · 10/10 · 10 February 2021]

YOU GET TO SEE A GOTH GIRL PUNCH GHOST SHARKS CAW CAW

SHE THEN SUMMONS A SPIRIT BOMB AND BLOWS THEM UP CAW CAW

However......

However caw caw, the brother story is cringe and is not needed caw caw. Once the girls get captured the movie takes a nose dive. It seems to lose it's humor and charm.

One of those movies that tries to become serious out of nowhere caw caw. Still worth one watch, there is some meme value here caw caw.

Also the ladies are very pretty caw caw.

People are Judging Too Harshly

[Griking · 6/10 · 1 August 2021]

Yeah, it doesn't have the movie stars and production budget as Jumanji (Jumanji btw wasn't a video game) but honestly this was still a fun movie. If you grew up with 80s arcade and home video games you'll likely enjoy this. Its not a masterpiece but it was enjoyable and much better than the 3+ score it currently has.