Movie Reviews

Movie Review: Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Infuse “Jungle Cruise” With Just The Right Amount Of Magnetism And Appeal


 

Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.

Disney has started rebooting many of their earlier movies so it comes as no surprise that they are taking some of their successful theme park rides and turning them into big-screen adaptations. Of course, this is nothing new as they have already adapted “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “The Haunted Mansion,” “Tomorrowland,” and “Tower of Terror” but for what it’s worth, I actually had fun with “Jungle Cruise.” According to the Disney website, the synopsis for the theme park ride reads as follows:

“Cast off on a guided tour of the world’s most remote rivers where adventure abounds — and the animals get the last laugh.”

So how does Disney take that straightforward yet simple idea and turn it into a blockbuster film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt? Money. Lots of money. It doesn’t matter that it took five screenwriters to adapt it for the big screen, what matters most is that the audience is pleased. And has fun. And I have to admit, I did. Though why it took five writers to pen this movie is beyond me but the finished product is why I am here and what I am going to critique.

Set in the early 1900s, botanist Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) travel from London to the Amazon Jungle determined to discover the Tears of the Moon, petals from an ancient Tree of Life that holds the power to heal, something Lily desperately yearns for as she wants to rid the world of sickness and disease. They hire a riverboat skipper named Frank (Dwayne Johnson) who agrees to take them on the perilous trek but when Lily tells him what she is after, he tries to deter them as the journey will be fraught with all kinds of danger including cannibalistic headhunters, snakes, piranhas, dangerous rapids, snakes, leopards, swarms of bees, and did I mention snakes? Undeterred, Lily gives Frank a large downpayment, an offer he can’t refuse as his boat is in desperate need of repairs, and off they go!

Naturally, this being a Disney adventure movie, things don’t go according to plan, and Frank, Lily, and MacGregor come face-to-face with the resurrected spirits of ancient conquistadors led by Aguirre (Édgar Ramírez), a deadly mercenary who desires the Tree of Life for his own nefarious needs, and if that isn’t enough, they are being pursued by Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), a maniacal and determined German aristocrat who wants the Tears of the Moon for himself, and who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

“Jungle Cruise” wants to exist in the same realm as Indiana Jones but while it doesn’t quite get there, it is more aligned to “The Mummy” and its sequel, “The Mummy Returns,” which also starred Dwayne Johnson in his first big-screen starring role. Frank has a neverending supply of wisecracks for every situation he finds himself in so because of the constant barrage of one-liners and humor, it is more comparable to The Mummy movies with Johnson taking on Brendan Fraser’s role as adventurer Rick O’Connell, Blunt assuming Rachel Weisz’s feminist career woman Evelyn Carnahan, and Jack Whitehall embracing his role as the comic sidekick, akin to John Hannah’s playful and jocular Jonathan Carnahan.

The CGI and special effects are first-rate and while the film gets wrapped up nice and neatly at the end, depending on its box office returns, both in theaters and on Disney+, it would come as no surprise if they announced a follow-up in the coming months. And I am totally fine with that. “Jungle Cruise” is the first action-adventure movie to come along in some time that more closely resembles the fun and entertaining aspects of both Mummy films and never takes itself too seriously. The one big criticism, however, is that Paul Giamatti is criminally underused, and should a sequel rear its head in the not-too-distant future, I will be awaiting a larger role for him.

 

In Theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access July 30th

 

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James McDonald

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, James is a Movie Critic with 40 years of experience in the film industry as an Award-Winning Filmmaker. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association.