Jungle Cruise Review

Disney’s Jungle Cruise was written by John Norville (Tin Cup) along with others, and directed by Joame Collet-Serra (The Shallows, Orphan, and upcoming film Black Adam). It stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and is based off of the famous Disney World riverboat amusement ride of the same name. The film runs for just over 2 hours, but is it worth the cruise to the theatre or the $30 Disney Plus Premier Access price tag?

Things I Liked:

One thing that I enjoyed in this film was the adventure. I’m a huge fan of films such as The Mummy and Indiana Jones as well as video games like Tomb Raider and Uncharted. Even though this film tended to borrow aspects from these films and games, it is different enough that it is able to stand on its own. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) is the Lara Croft character of the film and is in search of the Tears of the Moon, the petals of a magical tree that grants the power to cure any illness or lift any curse. She is followed by her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) who tries to help her in asking for access to an arrowhead she believes is the key to retrieving the Tears of the Moon. Their hope is that they can travel to South America to retrieve the petals to aid the British in the war. When the society denies their request, due to Lily being a woman, the brother and sister decide to steal the Arrowhead and head to South America on their own.

As previously stated, the petals are able to lift any curse, and one of the driving forces in this film is a curse. In the 16th century, Spanish Conquistador Don Agguire (Édgar Ramírez) was in search of this tree. After he and his men die in the jungle, they are brought back to life by a tribe who uses the petals to heal them. The conquistadors then attack the tribe, but are cursed in doing so and must remain in sight of the river for all eternity or their souls will be sucked up by the jungle once again. I thought that this portion of the film was also interesting and when we see the cursed conquistadors later in the film, they’re pretty intimidating to say the least. They were consumed by the jungle so their bodies have basically become the jungle, such as jungle wood for limbs and snakes that slither all around them. The curse is pretty reminiscent of the Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (another film based on a Disney ride) but again, I think that the writers were able to change things up enough that it doesn’t feel completely copied.

Being based off of a Disney ride, I think that the writers did a good job in capturing the essence of the Jungle Cruise. If you’ve ever been on the ride (which sadly I have not because it rained the day we were in the Animal Kingdom) you will be happy to hear many of the same corny jokes said by the tour guide Jack Wolff (Dwayne Johnson). It is impressive to me that the writers can take these short 5-10 minute rides, and turn them into feature length films that last a little longer than the amount of time that you have to wait to get on these attractions. I will say however, that I do wish that there were some easter eggs planted in the film, like maybe naming the boat or pet cheetah that Frank has after one of the many boats used on the attraction.

Another thing I liked in the film was Dwayne Johnson’s casting. I really do think that this man can not do much wrong when it comes to films. Of course, he has been in films that haven’t been so great, but I would not count this as one of them. I think that he was perfectly cast for the role and he brings a charm to the role that I don’t think many can. Johnson does his best in roles where he is able to add his own sense of humor into the film, and I think that the corny jokes he makes as the skipper, as well as his one off side comments really make the film that much more enjoyable to watch. I found myself chuckling a good amount during this film, and most of the time it came from his lines.

Johnson isn’t the only actor who does great in this film, however. Emily Blunt is also able to hold her own as the scientist who is cast aside for being a woman, but is able to prove the men wrong with her wit. I think Disney did a great job this time around with their portrayal of feminism in their characters as it’s not shoved down the audience’s throat that the main character is a woman, she just is; she also isn’t always right and makes her own mistakes throughout the film. Moreover, Jack Whitehall shines in his own light in this film as well. He plays the reluctant little brother to Lily and his scenes also add their own comic relief to the film. However, they also allow for some emotion as we learn later on that he is gay and Lily was the only family member who stood by him. The film is also packed with supporting characters that all get their chance to shine. Paul Giamatti plays Nilo, an Italian harbormaster who is constantly after Frank for owing him money. Jesse Plemons plays Prince Joachim, a German aristocrat and the main villain who is after the petals to aid Germany in the war. Veronica Falcón plays Trader Sam, the female version of the (recently removed due to a racist depiction of Indiginous people) character on the Jungle Cruise. Overall, I think the film had great casting

Things I Didn’t Like:

Although there’s a lot that I liked about this film, Jungle Cruise is nowhere near perfect. One thing that didn’t work out was the romance between Johnson and Blunt. I can’t even say that there was a lack of chemistry between the two because most of the scenes they are in together go well. However, I think once they added a love interest into it, the film got lost. I don’t know if it’s that Johnson isn’t the best at acting out love, which doesn’t make too much sense since most of his Instagram posts have to do with love. However, maybe he is so in love with his wife that he isn’t able to. Could that also be the case with Blunt? Is she so in love with Jim Halpbert that she is also unable to act out affection for anyone else. Who knows, maybe the two just work better as friends than lovers, but all I can say is that romance didn’t work out here.

Another thing that didn’t work out in this film was the CGI. For a big budget Disney film, the CGI is just not up to par with other films made by the same company. I get that this film takes place in the jungle, so there’s a lot of human interaction with animals, but this is the same studio that made The Jungle Book and the CGI in that was incredible. It didn’t help that the villains of the film are all CGI as well, but I’m more willing to give that a pass than I am the cheetah, Proxima. She did not look good at all, I honestly think that Shiva the tiger from The Walking Dead looked better than this.

The final thing that I didn’t like too much in the film was the predictability. I understand that this was a children’s movie, but at the same time, it technically wasn’t. The film is rated PG-13 but has all the predictability of a film that’s rated G. I’m not saying that I expected to be mind blown by things that are happening and to be shocked and surprised at every turn, but I was easily able to predict what was going to happen before it even happened. Obviously, this is a Disney film, there’s going to be a happy ending, but when you’re able to constantly know what’s going to happen throughout the film, it takes away the stakes of the film.

Final Verdict:

Jungle Cruise is a fun adventure film that borrows a lot from other media in the genre, but does so in a way that it feels like its own thing. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, along with the rest of the supporting cast, star in a film that is entertaining to watch but easy to predict. Being based off of a Disney attraction is no easy task and the film is better than The Haunted Mansion but not as good as Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. With all that being said, if you’re looking for something to watch with the family this summer, I’d say that Jungle Cruise is the way to go and earns a 7/10.