It is a shame that Jean-Claude Van Damme does not command the same box office that he did in the 90s. The man was a legend and each of his movies during that era was a hit. Whether it was UNIVERSAL SOLDIER or KICKBOXER or HARD TARGET, you knew you were going in to see a violent action movie with some martial arts and likely some female nudity. Van Damme’s movies never pretended to be more than popcorn flicks and that was part of their charm. In recent years, Van Damme’s fame has slid and he primarily works in the direct-to-Redbox format of movies. Aside from turns in THE EXPENDABLES 2 and KUNG FU PANDA 2, his fame has lost it’s luster.
A few years ago, Van Damme starred in the meta-comedy/drama JCVD which had him playing a version of himself. It was the actor’s best work in years as well as his first foray into a dark comedy. Now, Van Damme is going to appear in his first straight comedy alongside a cast that includes Adam Brody, Kristen Schaal, Megan Boone, Rob Huebel, and Dennis Haysbert. The film is called WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE and sounds like a cross between OFFICE SPACE and, well, a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie.
The laugh-out-loud comedy follows a group of unsuspecting office workers who find themselves stranded on a desert island when a corporate retreat led by unhinged former Marine Storm Rothchild (Van Damme) goes horribly wrong. Now Chris (Brody) and his co-workers must battle nature — and each other — to survive!
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE looks like the kind of movie the guys from Broken Lizard would make and Van Damme seems pretty damn funny even when he is playing it straight. I like Adam Brody and Rob Huebel is hilarious. All in all, this looks like a fun movie to check out. Hopefully it will signal a resurgence in Jean-Claude Van Damme for a different genre than you would expect.
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE premieres in theaters and VOD on February 7, 2014.