Where to watch Jungle Cruise
3 Stars
1916. Dreaming about saving countless lives and having another adventure, the feisty English feminist and doctor of botany, Dr Lily Houghton, embarks on a peril-laden mission to change the world. Along with her fashionable brother, MacGregor, Dr Houghton enlists the help of the arrogant, wisecracking riverboat skipper, Captain Frank Wolff, to guide them through the serpentine Amazon River in La Quila, his swift wooden boat. Now, as the intrepid trio ventures deeper and deeper into the heart of an impenetrable green maze, searching for something that cannot be found, a centuries-old curse and the ruthless aristocrat, Prince Joachim, threaten to put an end to their ambitious plans. And, sooner or later, the jungle always wins. Is it true that the Spanish conquistador, Don Aguirre, was lost in the same God-forsaken part of the world?
Jungle Cruise is a perfect example of state-of-the-art family films for better and worse. After the success of Pirates of the Caribbean, a franchise that this movie desperately and often successfully tries to emulate, Disney Pictures started mining their animated films and turning those into live-action blockbusters, all but overlooking other valuable IP at the Mouse House. So, finally, Jungle Cruise has arrived, and it’s a glossy, funny, overlong-star vehicle for Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, two actors who collectively appear in at least 50% of the movies released each year, or so it seems.
The picture survives on the charisma of the beguiling Blunt and the surprisingly comedic performance from Johnson, and also because there is a lot of funny dialogue in the movie; my favorite is the deliberate overuse of puns. The creative wizards responsible for the special effects and art design for the project nailed it, and kudos to DJ for not looking ridiculous in a Popeye-era Sailor’s cap. Jungle Cruise is sequel-ready, but as a stand-alone film, it hits the mark more than it misses.
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by: Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez