A One Mann’s Movies review of “Jungle Cruise” (2021).
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Dating from 1955, Jungle Cruise was one of the key attractions at Disneyland when it first opened. Full of corny spiel from the lovable boat captains, the experience is nicely evoked in the new Disney movie: a true summer blockbuster that delights.
The theme-park ride on which the movie is based. (Source: Disney).
Plot Summary:
It’s the turn of the 19th century and tough adventurer Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her lily-livered brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) are in a search of a mythical tree that can cure all ills. But also after the same goal is the evil Prince Joachim played by Jesse Plemons. (“Nazis – I hate these guys”).
Travelling to the Amazon, Lily charters a rickety old steamer captained by the lovable rogue Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson). But there’s a third set of players intent on reaching the goal and danger and mystery await the intrepid explorers.
Johnson, Blunt and Whitehouse deliver the acting goods. (Source: Disney Enterprises).
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramirez, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti.
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra.
Written by: Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (from a story by Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, John Norville and Josh Goldstein).
Taking punters on the ride of their life. (Source: Disney Enterprises).
“Jungle Cruise” Review:
Positives:
- Cut the movie open and it reads “summer blockbuster pleaser” through the middle. This is largely down to the charisma of its two stars, Blunt and Johnson, who prove why they are both such bankable commodities. It’s clearly based on the “will they/won’t they” simmering sexual chemistry between two polar-opposites, as featured in movies such as “Romancing the Stone” and “The African Queen”. (Since the theme park ride was heavily influenced by the latter, this is no surprise). But there’s also a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek ridiculousness as featured in other great B-movie homages such as “The Mummy” and (most notably) “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. (A few scenes directly mimic the Indiana Jones movies.)
- The supporting cast also have fun with their roles. Jack Whitehouse, doing almost a like-for-like copy of John Hannah‘s character in “The Mummy”, could have been extremely annoying. But although he’s the comic relief in the piece, he steers it just the right side of farcical, avoiding Jar-Jar Binks territory. (“When in Rome” he declares, swallowing a flagon of fermented spit. “God – I wish I was in Rome”!) Jesse Plemons, one of my favourite actors, who proved his comic chops in “Game Night“, here delivers one of the most over-the-top Nazis since Ronald Lacey‘s Toht in “Raiders”. Rounding things off is Paul Giamatti with a bizarrely comic performance as Nilo, a competing riverboat owner.
- Special effects, cinematography (Flavio Martínez Labiano, of “The Shallows“) and James Newton-Howard‘s score all add to the lush blockbuster feel of the movie. And director Jaume Collet-Serra (who did the clever shark B-movie “The Shallows“) keeps the movie clipping along at a fine rate, with only a few sections of character-building dialogue to get the kids fidgety.
- Kudos to the writers for a mid-film plot twist that I didn’t see coming at all.
Wonderfully over the top, part 1! Jesse Plemons lets rip. (Source: Disney Enterprises).
Negatives:
- I mean, it’s popcorn nonsense of course. The Amazonian ‘McGuffin’ is a tree that only comes to life under very specific conditions. And isn’t it amazing that watery machinery (developed by who?) still works after at least 400 years, when my dishwasher gives up after ten? (But it’s all done with verve and style, so who cares?)
- Although the screenplay is actually very slick for a movie of this type, it feels like a script by committee at times. A single writer might have been tempted to duck the Hollywood ending and leave things on a more thoughtful, albeit downbeat, note.
Wonderfully over the top, part 2! Paul Giamatti as the entrepreneur Nilo. (Source: Disney Enterprises).
Summary Thoughts on “Jungle Cruise”:
This was a pleasant surprise for me. A fun and light-hearted movie that ticks all the boxes as a summer blockbuster. It nicely evokes the cheesiness of the theme park ride operator (past alumni have included Robin Williams and Kevin Costner), especially with Johnson’s opening scenes. But then rounds it out as a spectacular and appealing tongue-in-cheek adventure.
And, by the way, in case you fancy sitting through the interminable end titles to watch a “monkey“…. there isn’t one. (#takenonefortheteam).
Parental Guidance.
One question might be whether, with a “12A” certificate, this summer blockbuster is one that your kids might enjoy or be freaked out by. A comparison with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is perhaps useful here. There are quite a number of “jolts” involving snakes and bees but probably not as bad as the ones you get in an uncut version of “Raiders” (think the spiked Satipo; the mummies/snakes when escaping the ‘Well of Souls’; and the melting Nazi bad-guys). So if you have kids that lapped up that stuff then I don’t think they would have any issues with this one.
Trailer:
The trailer for “Jungle Cruise” is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_HvoipFcA8.
