Movie Review: ‘Jungle Cruise’

Review by James Lindorf

Disney movies based on their rides occupy both ends of the spectrum. From the incredibly popular and well-reviewed “Pirates of the Caribbean” to the flop that was “The Haunted Mansion.” The latest ride to jump to the silver screen is “Jungle Cruise” which has been entertaining and educating park goers since 1955. The rumored 200 million dollar project starring fan favorites Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt was delayed for more than a year due to the pandemic. Fans will finally get to enter the jungle this Friday, July 30th, in theaters around the world as well as from home via paid Premier Access on Disney Plus.

Skipper Frank Wolff (Johnson) is the best riverboat captain on the Amazon river. Assuming you want to be scammed and bombarded with puns on your way to see wonders like the backside of water. Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) is an intrepid English explorer determined to find the “tears of the moon,” an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities. Accompanied by her cripplingly over-pampered brother McGregor (Jack Whitehall), Lily enlists Frank’s questionable services for her expedition. With a detailed map and a 400-year-old artifact guiding the way, it should be a relaxing cruise down the river, assuming they avoid the jaguars, piranhas, and raging rapids. Beyond the everyday hazards, the river will protect the tree from the unworthy with powerful supernatural forces. As the secrets of the tears of the moon unfold, the stakes stretch beyond personal satisfaction and recognition in the workplace. In the end, the fate of humanity may be hanging in the balance.

“Jungle Cruise” does many things well. There are obvious moments of the actors working in front of a green screen, but the effects are generally well done. The cursed characters are exceptionally well done, almost on par with “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The cast is fantastic, with Edgar Ramirez, Jesse Plemons, and the great Paul Giamatti all working to support The Rock and Blunt. However, the writing for their characters is not nearly as strong as the actors giving the performances. Plemons plays a myth-obsessed nazi, and Giamatti is an evil colonel Sanders who owns every boat in town except Frank’s. There are a pair of good messages that show up throughout the movie. The first is about following your dreams no matter where they take you or who says it is a bad idea. The second is never let anyone say that you’re not good enough for this adventure or dictate how you want to dress or carry yourself. They try really hard to make Lily a roguish badass in the vein of Rick O’Connell or Indiana Jones and are mostly successful. However, the numerous falls and bizarre bits of luck put her much more in line with the beloved Disney character Jack Sparrow,

This was a rare chance for Johnson to play a romantic lead and not just the flirtatious enforcer or overgrown kid types. While both Johnson and Blunt have charisma to spare and are loveable on their own, the pair’s chemistry fizzles instead of exploding off the screen. The film starts with a roaring fire and full steam engines ahead, but once they are on the river and fighting becomes flirting, which becomes more, the fires slowly die. We occasionally get scenes of the villainous Plemons and Ramierez to breathe some life into the plot and keep the film on track. While the twists and the climax may be a touch predictable the

“Jungle Cruise” has a lot in common with a couple of 20-year-old blockbusters, 1999s “The Mummy” and 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Each centers around the quest for a treasure, a romantic pairing, and a cursed supernatural force that will do anything to stop them. All three films are also rated PG-13, but outside of one potentially disturbing cursed character “Jungle Cruise” seems squarely aimed at a younger audience. The violence is toned down, the jokes are more juvenile, and the human villain is quite cartoonish. As presented, “Jungle Cruise” is about 75% of those all-time great family adventure movies. The biggest pitfall is the romantic elements. If that had worked out better, we would be talking somewhere in the 90% range because it would help cover other issues.

Besides lacking chemistry, the real fault lies in the inability to rein in the slapstick nature of the film. There is always something a bit silly or a joke that doesn’t stop just around the river bend. They even appear during some action scenes, limiting its attractiveness to all four quadrants of film goers, at least in turns of repeat viewings. While far from a perfect film “Jungle Cruise” was a pleasant surprise and is a great entry point to adventure films for kids a few years too young for pirates, mummies, or Nazi fighting professors. “Jungle Cruise” earns a 3.5 out of 5 for its sense of adventure, effects work, and the charisma of its leads.

Rating: PG-13 (Adventure Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Action
Original Language: English
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Producer: John Davis, John Fox, Beau Flynn, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia
Writer: Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Release Date: July 30th, 2021
Runtime: 2h 7m
Production Co: TSG Entertainment, Davis Entertainment, Flynn Picture Company, Walt Disney Pictures, Seven Bucks Productions