Four teenagers — Spencer (Alex Wolff), Bethany (Madison Iseman), Martha (Morgan Turner) and Anthony a.k.a. "Fridge" (Ser'Darius Blain) — are given detention and told to clean out the school's basement. Fridge discovers an old video game console with a game called Jumanji, and the kids set it up, pick characters and begin to play.

They're immediately sucked into the game's jungle setting — and into the bodies of their avatars. Spencer becomes Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), Fridge turns into Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart), Martha is Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) and gorgeous Bethany is horrified to find she's an overweight middle-aged man named Professor Shelly Oberon (Jack Black). They discover what their special skills are in order to survive the game.