If you have been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World then you may have taken a ride on the Jungle Cruise. That ride and Pirates of the Caribbean are what I call my respites when attending the parks. When you are getting a bit tired of walking throughout Fantasyland, it’s time to take a break and cool off on either ride. Now, I’m sure you are familiar with Pirates of the Caribbean’s amazing adventure films, but this weekend you can now see a full-fledged movie devoted to Jungle Cruise. In the film however, there is a lot more fun filled action adventure that you won’t see on the ride. So put on your best cargo shorts, load your mature siblings in your car and go to a theater near you to see this wild and madcap movie.
It’s the beginning of WWI and we find Botanist Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) trying to get approval from the society of medicine and archeology to search for a flower called “tears of the moon”. The legend says the blooms of this flower only grow on a tree in Brazil’s Amazon during the time of the crying moon. The flower has the power to cure any illness, but to the society it’s only a myth so approval is a big problem for them.
Lily however, gets hold of an arrowhead that is said to be the key to finding the mythical tree. Arriving at the edge of the jungle, Lily meets boat skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) who has been making a living touring visitors who are on vacation. Frank reluctantly agrees to take Lily and MacGregor on a search for the tears of the moon at Lagrimas de Cristal, the place where it supposedly exists.
After some exciting action between boat dock owner Nilo Nemolato (Paul Giamatti) and German war strategist Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), the myth hunters take off on Frank’s boat. The wild and treacherous adventure begins with Frank, Lilly and MacGregor, along with Frank’s cat Proxima, heading for the river rapids.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop”) holds true to Disney’s signature mixture of action, adventure, and comedy. The genre mix here works a lot like The Pirates of the Caribbean with the characters in and out danger, while in this case dealing with the likes of tribal warriors, supernatural conquistadors and other impossible odds. His camera work and special effects teams are excellent in depicting the dangerous jungle with all the visual excitement they create during every mile traveled into the perilous rainforest.
Dwayne Johnson continues to be up there with the best when it comes to adventure films and here he gets tangled up with some very good acting by Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall. The trio make for a fun quest that becomes a non-stop challenge waiting around every turn in the river. Johnson adds a lot of deadpan jokes, takes a beating from adversaries and even finds a little romance along the way. Most will say it’s just his trademark and nothing new, but I can’t get enough of his acting in films involving total destruction, escaping the impossible, and all while keeping the energy extraordinary high.
Emily Blount steps out of the Mary Poppins roles to give her audience more of the action star side of her like in the films Edge of Tomorrow and Sicario. She also adds some of her fighting spirit that made her a standout in both of the A Quiet Place I & II, and even puts her best foot forward adding a bit of comedy when a rest from all the action in Jungle Cruise is necessary. As for her stunts, she did many in this actioner.
Jungle Cruise has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of adventure violence. Some of it gets a bit scary and visually disturbing for those that are immature, so be sure to accompany children that need some comfort during the major action sequences. I rate the film as Very Good for families, action fans and The Rock followers.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti, Veronica Falcón
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Genre: Adventure, Action, Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of adventure violence
Running Time: 2 hrs. 7 min.
Opening Date: July 30, 2021
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Released in: Theaters, Disney+ with Premier Access
