The Magic Kingdom’s famous Jungle Cruise attraction comes to life!
Jungle Cruise follows in the footsteps of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney brings another one of its beloved attractions to life as an action-adventure film, this time starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. You can watch Jungle Cruise in theaters or on Disney+ Premier Access starting July 30th.
Synopsis
Researcher Lily Houghton travels from London, England, to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila, his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. As the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank, and their fate, along with mankind’s, hangs in the balance.
At first, Jungle Cruise seems to want to distract from its unoriginality by lobbing action scene after action scene before it even allows the characters (or the audience) to breathe. But once it slows down, JC embraces its derivativeness and allows the stellar cast to entertain. The two leads have a ton of chemistry but also work well individually. Dwayne Johnson has really come into his own in comedic roles. Jesse Plemons, Jack Whitehall, and Paul Giamatti round out the supporting roles. Plemons is hysterical as the Imperial German main villain. All of the actors seem to be having a blast.
The big-budget CGI, costumes, and makeup live up to Jungle Cruise’s spiritual predecessors. However, I had an issue with the 3 cursed conquistadors. They all reminded me of the crew of The Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. I practically expected Davy Jones himself to show up at one point.
Verdict
I give the Jungle Cruise a 7 out of 10. In the end, this is an enjoyable adventure movie that fails to reach the heights of Pirates or The Mummy. Still, it succeeds as escapism and doesn’t overstay its welcome.
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