An explorer hires an obnoxious riverboat captain to navigate
her through the Amazon to find a mythical healing plant. FAMILY/FANTASY
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Jungle Cruise (2021)Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Edgar Ramírez, Paul Giamatti, Veronica Falcón Based on the theme park attraction by Disney |
If you exclude the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which lost its steam after the initial trilogy, Disney's track record of films based on their various theme park rides is abysmal. The Haunted Mansion was a dud, Tomorrowland was a dud, and Jungle Cruise didn't look all that promising. To me, it just seemed like a place holder until the inevitable Epcot movie. Plus, I was a bit fatigued from Dwayne Johnson's extremely prolific career. I don't dislike him or his films, but I did want a break. Despite a cliched story, CGI-heavy practical effects, and very little originality, I found myself highly entertained and almost cinematically rejuvenated by Jungle Cruise. There's nothing wrong with having fun with these movies. That's what they're there for.
Lily Houghton (Blunt) is an ambitious explorer who is shunned by the English archaeological society because she's a woman, and her life's pursuit is an Amazonian legend. She seeks the Tears of the Moon, a mythical plant that can heal all wounds or break any curse. She and her brother MacGregor (Whitehall) head to Brazil and hire the obnoxious but big-hearted Frank (Johnson) to lead them through the Amazon. Along the way, they encounter evil Germans, ghostly conquistadores, and revelations about Frank and about themselves. Overall, the three have great chemistry and make for some hilarious moments, particularly Frank's constant dad jokes. I also appreciated the constant nods to the actual Disneyworld ride. Jungle Cruise is highly expensive popcorn at the very least. It's fun to dig in, but you know it has no real nutritional value. Regardless, there's a place for films like this. We could all use a reminder now and then about why we go to the movies. The spectacle, the excitement, the brainless action that reminds you to just relax from time to time. I won't call Jungle Cruise a masterpiece, but I will call it a good movie. |
Disney excels when it comes to animation, Marvel, and, to an extent, Star Wars. Where they don’t always hit the mark is with their live-action output. They had a huge hit on their hands with Pirates of the Caribbean, though. I, myself, am a big fan of the initial trilogy. But since the success of that franchise, they have continued to try to replicate it. Problem is, each clone has failed to connect with the audience and the Pirates franchise itself has been losing audiences after the third film. So, I’ve never understood why they’re so set on making this happened. Which is why I wrote off Jungle Cruise when the first trailer dropped. Yet, mainly thanks to the podcast, I found myself in a theater to check this out. And, for the most part, it’s actually pretty enjoyable. Mostly.
To the film’s credit, it knows where its strengths lie, which would be Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson’s chemistry. While both are great individually, they are even better together. The romance which develops between them feels believable and both seem to be having a lot of fun together. Not to be left out is Jack Whitehall, who provides plenty of good comedic moments. I also like how the film backs these three actors up with an extremely breezy, fun tone. The problems, though, lie outside of these elements. Anytime the film decides to take the spotlight away from our three main characters to go into heavy backstory exposition, it feels like it’s dragging a bit. And, unfortunately, it does this quite a bit towards the end. It also relies on a plot which is all too familiar to prior live-action Disney fare. There is a mystical object which will end a magical curse placed on the villains. Literally the plot to so many other films of this type which Disney puts out. For the most part, I actually had a lot of fun with this movie. Johnson and Blunt share amazing chemistry, Whitehall is a comedic delight, and the tone is appropriately a lot of fun. It just falls prey to a generic plot and too much backstory which slows the plot down at times. Still, for a knockoff of their most profitable live-action attraction to movie adaptation, this is definitely one of the better ones. |