Disney's Jungle Cruise movie has finally been released after a rocky road, and the reviews are mixed on whether the movie is good or not. The movie stars Emily Blunt as scientist Dr Lily Houghton, Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, as boat skipper Frank Wolff, and Jack Whitehall as Lily's brother MacGregor. Like Pirates of the Caribbean before it, Jungle Cruise is an adaptation of a Disney theme park ride of the same name, and tells an adventure story as the Houghtons and Wolff navigate the Amazon River and its many dangers (including cursed conquistadors, megalomaniac German princes, and the native fauna) in search of the Tree of Life, the blossoms of which can heal any ailment.
The story takes viewers on what might be a recognizable journey to many. Many reviews point out the movies that have gone before Jungle Cruise from which the movie borrows heavily, including the Indiana Jones franchise, Stephen Sommers' The Mummy movies, and Pirates of the Caribbean itself. Reviewers also criticized the flimsy story, heavy reliance on CGI, and lack of stakes for the characters in the movie, the extended cast of which includes Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti, Edgar Ramirez, and Veronica Falcón.
Reviewers can't agree on much about the movie, apart from the fact that it's fun for younger audiences. Here's what the reviews of Jungle Cruise are saying.
... The film steals from countless other, better adventure movies to create an altogether less satisfying combo plate that costs $30 to rent on Disney+... On the whole, Jungle Cruise is as exciting and inspired as those creaky robot elephants at Disney World.
... You might be fooled into thinking that Jungle Cruise is poised to recapture the swashbuckling magic of classics like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Mask of Zorro, the 1999 iteration of The Mummy, or the original Pirates of the Caribbean, with a little African Queen thrown in. It certainly liberally borrows from just about all of them. But such films were also not afraid to scare us, to make us care about their characters by putting them in real danger.
I didn't have any fun, and there's really not anything more to say.
Buffeted by a relentless score and supported by a small town’s worth of digital artists, Jungle Cruise is less directed than whipped to a stiff peak before collapsing into a soggy mess. “Everything you see wants to kill you,” Frank tells his passengers. Actually, I think it just wants to take your money.
Many reviewers, however, point out that if you let the movie take you for a ride, it can be a fun one. Certainly, the movie is designed to appeal to all ages, with children and teens front of mind. And taken for what it is, there's some enjoyment to be had from Jungle Cruise:
Jungle Cruise may be dim, dopey and derivative, but the kids will love it, and like the Metallica song in the film, “nothing else matters.”
This movie manages about what's expected of a film version of a goofy amusement park boat ride: It's a pleasant distraction, and is just as likely to float in through one ear and then sail right on out through the other.
While the movie does rush off in too many storytelling directions in a very cluttered second half, it never stops being entertaining for a heartbeat.
A slick, family-friendly adventure set in 1916 that shamelessly fuses Raiders Of The Lost Ark with The African Queen.
It seems like audiences will have to make up their own minds about Jungle Cruise, which has critics divided over whether its possible to overlook its derivativeness and reliance on CGI to have any fun on this journey down the Amazon.
