The Plot
Blunt’s character, Botanist Dr. Lily Houghton, a well-pedigreed scholar and adventurer following in the footsteps of her legendary father. (She’s like a WWI era Lara Croft) puts on pants (it’s of note women wearing trousers) travels to the Amazon basin circa 1916 in search of the Tears of the Moon, petals from a “Tree of Life”-that can heal any disease.
She, with her elitist, brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) in tow, hires Frank “Skipper” Wolff (Johnson) as a guide for the perilous journey through the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
Wolff’s day job is fleecing gullible tourists upriver, aided by friendly locals in native cosplay and making cheesy jokes in the spirit of “hosts” on Disney Jungle Cruise rides we all loved as children.
Why I liked it
It’s pure fantasy, enjoyable big-budget escapist fare with charming leads, wonderful supporting actors particularly Blunt’s effete brother and partner-in-crime, played by Jack Whitehall.
Whitehall is remarkably funny, with incredible comedic timing. He’s droll witty & charming. His character is clearly comedy relief. He comes out as gay in one of Jungle Cruises’ rare, well-acted quiet scenes. Nevertheless, his character is pivotal in the story and is never demeaned nor exploited.
The antagonist Jesse Plemons plays the main bad guy, Prince Joachim, who wants the power of the petals for the Kaiser back in Germany. He chews scenery and routinely steals the show whenever on screen.
Paul Giamatti is one of a kind. Sunburned, gold-toothed, and slightly criminal big riverboat charter rival in contrast to Johnson’s small charter boat operation. Giamatti can do it all. His role (however minor it was), was played to perfection. Perfect Disney film heavy.
Setting this revamp squarely in the wheelhouse of blockbuster franchises like Raiders of the Lost Ark The Mummy, & Romancing the Stone was inspired!
It’s unashamedly goofy, charming, and anchored to the “Sam & Diane” will they / won’t they banter between its likable leads, English feminist and adventurer Blunt and sly riverboat captain Johnson.
Director Jaume Collet-Serra (“The Shallows“) wisely, ditched the ride’s mid-century American colonialism and casual racism. Mexican actress and choreographer Veronica Falcón (Trader Sam) matriarch of the village & tribal leader is best known for playing Camila Vargas in three seasons of Queen of the South and Lupe in the 2020 HBO reboot of Perry Mason. In 2021, Falcón plays Camila Elizonndro. There aren’t any “savage” stereotypes or “damsel in distress” to be seen here.
Both Blunt & Johnson (who has a producing credit) shine in this homage to the unconventional paring of Bogart & Bacall in the movie this borrows the most from, The African Queen.
It’s a TERRIFIC pairing Johnson as producer struck gold getting the always stellar Blunt on board with this project. Jam-packed with daring stunts, intriguing plot twists (DON’T spoil it, watch it fresh) loads of comedy and surprisingly romantic runs at a steady clip through its satisfying 2 hour & 7 minute run time.
It’s both a date night & a family affair.
There is real chemistry between Blunt’s rambunctious seat-of-her-pants scholar and Johnson’s hardscrabble lovable rogue of a riverboat Captain.
The level of playful banter is set to 11 but it never gets mean or eye-rollingly trite. Which is hard to do for this style of storytelling.
This refreshingly old-school, family-friendly, action-adventure with winks & nods to fans of the beloved classic Disney Theme Park attraction it takes its name works on many levels!
Tale of the Tape
The film, starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, also debuted on Disney’s streaming service Disney+ for a $30 fee, tallying $30 million in global sales over the course of the weekend.
Walt Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” sailed to a better-than-expected opening of $34.2 million at the domestic box office, despite growing concerns that a surge in coronavirus cases could keep families at home.
The Bottom Line
Hard to please but they loved Disney’s Jungle Cruise (Photo courtesy of the author)
I took my daughter & her friend to a screening and we all had more fun watching Disney’s Jungle Cruise than we had any right to have! It was side-splittingly funny. Had incredible set pieces, enormous scale, action-packed, and wonderfully spellbinding.
This has a new franchise written all over it.
This is the last of Disney’s day & date releases and because of the pandemic, it’s going to find a huge streaming audience.
However, I recommend seeing Disney’s Jungle Cruise on the biggest screen you can find! (If you’re comfortable going back to the Theatre)
It’s that kind of movie!
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Art/Photo credit – Disney
