A Reel Review: JUNGLE CRUISE

In 1955, Walt Disney opened his still-popular Jungle Cruise attraction. Taking inspiration from the hit film THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1952), the ride took wanna-be young explorers on a steam-boat through an exotic jungle, encountering dangerous and beautiful wildlife. Here in 2021, the ride comes back full circle to its cinematic roots.

 

At the outbreak of WWI, Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), along with her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), hire steamboat skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), to take them down the Amazon river in search of the fabled Tree of Life; which is believed to have special healing powers that could revolutionize modern medicine. 

 

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, JUNGLE CRUISE is a rollicking adventure up and down the river; seeing our jungle explorers endure the sweltering heat, headhunters, pirhanna, and a German submarine captain (Jesse Plemons), who wants the secret of the Tree of Life to aid Germany’s cause in the new World War. 

 

There is a lot of fun to be had as the little steamboat evades torpedoes and navigates treacherous waterfalls and rapids, but JUNGLE CRUISE still manages to be character-driven. Lily is a scientist who wants a way to heal the wounded soldiers, and is more than capable of handling herself outdoors and in a fistfight. Her brother is a well-to-do gentleman who just wants to support his sister but is a fish out of water in the jungle. Frank the skipper is just out to make money and keep floating, although he does have a few secrets of his own. The clashing characters keep things grounded and fresh in all of the chasing, fighting, and evading. 

 

Director Jaume Collet-Serra, who is known for directing horror films along with a handful of Liam Neeson-led action duds, maintains a well-paced, high-energy film…which is balanced out nicely by well-timed intimate character moments. The action scenes, chases, and fights are a blast…and he keeps his horror-film roots in play with a few great jump-scares and creep-out moments. Visual effects are top-notch, and the film looks gorgeous. JUNGLE CRUISE stays very true to its origins; working in clever winks to THE AFRICAN QUEEN and the original ride; long-time fans of the original attraction will find a lot to cheer about. The score by James Newton Howard is excellent. 

 

Acting is electric as the entire cast seems to be having a blast. Emily Blunt is a delight as always. Her character seems a little undercooked as her Dr. Lily has little motivation to heal wounded soldiers other than in the name of science, but Blunt carries it well and makes it work. She does a lot of physical work here while lighting up the screen every time she’s in frame. Her chemistry with Dwayne Johnson lights things up even more, and Jack Whitehall provides comic relief and a surprising amount of heart. 

 

Many film fans will find cause to compare JUNGLE CRUISE to THE MUMMY from 1999, and that’s perfectly fine…because like THE MUMMY, this new Disney production is a high-energy, well-acted, great-looking, old-school adventure saturated in film lore. Take this cruise and enjoy. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it