by Heath Lynch, Contributing Writer
Action adventure films, as a genre, used to dominate Hollywood. They existed to bring us some of the greatest of epics and globe-trotting thrills you could never experience in your life. Whether it was The African Queen, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Romancing the Stone, The Mummy, or something more recent like Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, we’ve been lucky to be entertained in this manner for decades. However, with the dawn of superhero blockbusters a little over a decade ago, these once beloved, quirky, and adventurous films have faded away. They’ve been replaced by aliens, superpowers, and a lot of big explosions. So how much trepidation should you have with diving into the deep end of this new adventure? Is this perilous campaign worth purchasing a ticket and hopping on the boat for, or is this a hazardous enterprise better left avoided as it sinks to the bottom of the river? Luckily, Disney is here to show us that we can still revel in these sweeping escapades with their latest entertaining summer blockbuster, Jungle Cruise.
Like Pirates of the Caribbean before it, Jungle Cruise is based on existing Disneyland and Disney World rides built back in 1955 and 1971, respectively. The rides pulled theme park patrons back in time as they were positioned on 1930s-era English steam river cruise ships. Voyages would take you down rivers in Asia, Africa, and South America. These rides have delivered joy and laughter for decades with audio-animatronics as well as eccentric and humorous tour guides. The movie takes this simple premise and expands upon it to dramatic lengths. We follow Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) during the backdrop of World War I. They are traveling to the Amazon in search of a rare legendary flower called the Tears of the Moon that sprout from the mythical Tree of Life. Its supposed healing powers have the potential to change the face of medicine around the world. Along the way, they meet Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), a rapscallion of a man who is both irritable and charming with his uncaring and selfish charisma. Reluctantly, they all team up in an effort to prove the flower is real. Ever lurking at their tail is the fiendish German Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons) who wants to utilize the flower to help win The Great War. This quest is cast under the shadow and looming presence of an ancient rainforest and its mysterious curses within…
If you couldn’t discern from the simple synopsis, the adventurous exploits throughout this film borrow heavily from the classics of the past. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you can weave a narrative that still feels fresh and original, but that is a challenging feat to overcome when your foundations are built on the accomplishments of others. You will feel the Brendan Fraser one-liners from The Mummy as you watch this picture, as well as sibling relationships. The curses and monstrous villains from Pirates are abound. There’s even travel via map a la Indiana Jones. In fact, there’s a lot of Indiana Jones here. Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as I certainly found this movie to be an enjoyable experience, but the many parallels and comparisons are inevitably going to be made as it’s nearly impossible to watch this film and not make these blatant connections.
Jungle Cruise was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who is more famous for horrors like Orphan, The Shallows, or House of Wax. So it was a bit odd seeing him helm a Disney action adventure, though he has done some Liam Neeson action thrillers like The Commuter and is slated to do Black Adam for Warner Bros./DC Comics, which will also star our famous wrestler turned actor. The direction here is serviceable. Nothing stands out as truly impressive, but nothing is outright egregious. The cast is a big part of the equation as to the draw and success of this picture. ‘The Rock’ is mixing in his own suave persona while channeling his absolute best Harrison Ford to deliver us the smarmy Frank Wolff, and Blunt is a capable, empowering, and endearing heroine as Dr. Lily Houghton. The chemistry that these two stars share is so much fun to watch unfold as the movie floats along, even down to their malicious nicknames they bestow on one another, Skippy and Pants. Whitehall is great as the comic relief, complicit in his posh cowardice and snooty behavior, while still delivering a surprisingly well-rounded character. We even have a bevy of supporting characters and villains in Plemons, Edgar Ramirez, and Paul Giamatti. Ridiculous accents aside, they bring a level of fun and levity generally not seen from villains in movies of this nature.
As endearing as this cast is with its performances, the development surrounding these characters is not as solid. There is a great deal of focus put upon the main mystery surrounding 400-year-old conquistadors and the origins of the Tears of the Moon. However, there is very little lip service offered to the characters outside of this paradigm. They are one-dimensional, one-note characters explained in simple sentences. This one is greedy. That one is power-hungry. They live in the rainforests and avoid people. And so on and so forth. I’m not saying that every character needs to be fully baked and developed, but it at least helps to understand all of the pieces on the chessboard. Knowing character motivations is a big part of that, and we’re virtually at a loss for a chunk of these people. With that said, our main three protagonists do feel realized and relatable. We care about their undertaking and feel tension at the risks they’re braving. I felt like I could understand all of their motivations. I felt what they had experienced in the past that was driving them over the cliff in this adventure. I felt whether or not that was the search for proof and vindication so as to be accepted by societal peers, or to feel comforted and loved as you are rejected by those around you. The most crushing sense of empathy surprisingly came from the feeling of simply wanting to have the opportunity to rest and let go of your weariness after far too many expeditions. There’s passively a lot of surprising thematic work at play that you wouldn’t expect in this family-friendly adventure flick. The journey that each character traverses does build the core framework that makes Jungle Cruise special, despite its immense borrowing from other films in the genre.
Now let’s quickly take the time to praise Disney for their decision to have an openly gay character as one of their main characters in a big tentpole summer blockbuster. I understand that Disney has had gay characters before, and I get that MacGregor isn’t one of the two lead protagonists. However, he is still a major character who gets the third most screen time and line readings in the picture, and I can’t recall Disney ever having devoted so much time to a character from this community before. There’s even an entire scene dedicated to him where he discusses the persecution and mistreatment he has experienced in response to him being openly gay, as well as acceptance from other lead characters of MacGregor for who he is, and that’s awesome. It was noteworthy, and powerful. There’s even a scene of repeated gay sex jokes that I was able to laugh at while also being stunned that such jokes were in the film. It’s easy to rag on Disney for not being progressive enough — they’re incredibly slow on the draw in that regard, and should’ve made more progress on this by now — but recognition is due here as this is one of the biggest steps forward Disney has ever made. Now, House of Mouse, give me a major blockbuster film with a member of the LGBTQ+ community as your lead.
We have to also acknowledge the technical aspects of this film. Across the board, this was impressive. The effects were stunning, with a great mixture of practical and visual effects. There were several scenes where I was genuinely impressed with the display on screen. That corresponds to the cinematography. Jungle Cruise is a beautiful film, full of lush vibrant colors, and unique lighting effects. I will say there were some scenes that were more dark than I would’ve preferred as it made things difficult to follow, but I have a feeling that was more to do with the television I watched this on versus the film quality itself. I also really appreciated the art direction and costume work of the picture. Some of these practical sets like the Amazonian village, forest hideaway for the natives, or the cruise ship itself are stunning. You don’t see sets constructed like this anymore. The costumes melded elegantly with this visual aesthetic that the sets and decor created. Though they weren’t nearly as poignant as Disney’s recent Cruella effort, these still fit the time period well and had flair to them. I felt that the conquistadors’ armor in particular was really ornate.
Lastly, I want to consider the score. While I enjoyed it as the film was chugging on down river, it isn’t memorable in the long run. I was hoping for more; I wanted something that could stick with me like Pirates of the Caribbean, but this is not it. Though it still surely got the job done.
The number one thing that this film truly boils down to is the narrative adventure. Is it thrilling? Fun? Engaging? Absolutely. Jungle Cruise is packed full of laughs with fun situational humor, signature antics from The Rock, an adorable pet leopard, and even an homage reenactment of the actual Jungle Cruise ride itself. Also, I sure hope you like puns and ‘dad jokes,’ because we have entire segments dedicated to this cringe humor. It was wonderful.
It’s noteworthy that this is an incredibly Disneyfied adventure — there will be some story beats that might have you rolling your eyes as the movie strains your sense of disbelief — but you know what? Who cares? There’s so much fun to be had here that I was easily able to set aside any major qualms I might have had to instead allow myself to be enveloped in the feature. The chases through villages, the journey down rapids, discovering of ancient structures, deciphering of centuries old clues — it’s all here. All of this on top of a mythological curse that has twists and turns associated with it that are as winding as the prehistoric Amazon River this all takes place on. I had so much fun and enjoyed so many laughs that I already look forward to rewatching this film in the next week or two.
If you are a fan of classic action-adventure films that have felt incredibly absent in recent years… If you are a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mummy, and Indiana Jones in particular… If you love the wittiness of The Rock, then look no further than Jungle Cruise. Whether it borrows too much from previous work or not, this is still a fun, enthralling, and entertaining epic that should satisfy the vast majority of audiences, and be great for kids, adults, and families alike. The only question left for me is, how soon will Disney cash in and make a sequel?
Grade: B+
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