Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the better Disney rides. But after sitting through a few of the increasingly awful film spin offs, I was not initially bothered about Jungle Cruise. Another good ride turned into a bad movie was my initial thought. Then news about the cast started to come out. The Rock isn’t a great actor, but he rarely picks duff films. Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti…it began to look promising. The chosen director, Jaume Collet Serra, sealed the deal. His last five films have all been hugely enjoyable, so my expectations were very much raised.
Set in 1916, The Rock plays Frank Wolff a steamboat captain in the Amazon. He is hired by botanist Lily Houghton (Blunt) to take her and her seemingly effete brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) down the river on a quest to find a tree called Tears of the Moon, as she believes a legend that its petals have healing powers that could revolutionise medicine and help the war effort. But Kaiser Wilhelm’s son (Plemons) on their tail, it will not be easy.
What mostly follows is a rollicking old fashioned adventure. Blunt once again shows her acting versatility as the determined hero. The Rock is perfect as the wise-cracking Frank and Whitehall gets the most laughs.
There are some modern touches that work, such as MacGregor being openly gay, but some of the dialogue (“if the plan goes sideways”) is jarringly anachronistic. Also, with all manner of natural dangers on the journey, and a German expedition threatening the group, the supernatural element that is added over-eggs the plot. And, as this is a Disney production, there has to be some eerily unrealistic CGI’ed animals that must have wandered in from The Jungle Book.
Still, despite the faults, this is an enjoyable family-friendly yarn.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10