The first reviews for the film adaptation of Disney's Jungle Cruise are coming to shore and pointing to a fun summer adventure. Based on the Disneyland ride of the same name, the film centers on 20th century riverboat captain Frank "Skipper" Wolff as he is hired by British scientist Dr. Lily Houghton to lead her and her brother on a journey into a jungle in search of the mystical Tree of Life before a competing German expedition can get there. The cast for the film is led by Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt alongside Édgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall, Paul Giamatti, Jesse Plemons and Andy Nyman.
Development on a Jungle Cruise adaptation languished in development hell for nearly 20 years, with the closest attempt coming in 2011 as Toy Story duo Tom Hanks and Tim Allen signed on to star. However, plans shifted a few years later as the project was retooled as another starring vehicle for Johnson and finally gained momentum when Jaume Collet-Serra signed on to direct in mid 2017. After becoming one of the first high-profile films to be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside fellow Blunt-starrer A Quiet Place Part II, Disney's Jungle Cruise is finally preparing to set sail this week.
With only a few days remaining until the film arrives in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access, the first reviews for Jungle Cruise have begun rolling in. Though criticism is being directed towards the film's plot, with many describing it as derivative and overstuffed, most reviews are looking generally positive and celebrating the chemistry between Johnson and Blunt and the old-fashioned escapism it delivers. See what critics are saying below:
Rachel Labonte, Screen Rant:
It's easy to grouse about the unnecessary reliance on IP, which has become something of a staple for Disney in recent years. Luckily, however, Jungle Cruise is more than a weak attempt at finding life in old properties. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the movie feels very much like a classic adventure flick, and indeed seems to have taken inspiration from many others within the genre. Led by the delightful pairing of Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, Jungle Cruise knows how to enjoy itself, even if the journey is a bit overstuffed.
Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction:
It’s the gloriously bombastic, throwback blockbuster we’ve been missing for years, along the lines of The Mummy (1999), The African Queen, Romancing the Stone and their own Pirates franchise. Simply put, this is the most fun you’ll have at the movies all summer.
Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times:
Jungle Cruise, despite its more-than-capable leads and its much-vaunted attention to detail and verisimilitude, never feels transporting in the way that even mediocre blockbusters were once able to muster.
David Rooney, THR:
If only the core charms that have given the Disneyland ride such longevity weren’t so smothered by overstuffed plot. Compared to other attempts to turn theme park attractions into fresh revenue streams, it’s not as lifeless as The Haunted Mansion or Tomorrowland. But that doesn’t mean it’s good.
Owen Gleiberman, Variety:
Jungle Cruise is a movie that implicitly asks: What’s wrong with a little good old-fashioned escapism? The answer is: Absolutely nothing, and Jungle Cruise is old-fashioned, except that it pelts the audience with entertainment in such a lively yet bumptious way that at times you may wish you were wearing protective gear.
Brian Truitt, USA Today:
While those parents who grew up with Indy and Romancing the Stone might have seen a lot of this stuff before, it’s right in the wheelhouse for movie-loving youngsters not quite ready to watch Nazis’ faces melt in Raiders. For those kiddos, Johnson’s big lug and Blunt’s eager explorer offer an enjoyable welcome to the Jungle.
Sarah Musnicky, Nightmarish Conjurings:
Now, Disney’s Jungle Cruise has been tapped with the movie stick, and, for the most part, the film works. Mind you, the film isn’t perfect and does require more suspension of disbelief than Pirates of the Caribbean. But the chemistry between the leads feels like gold and, while the film does drag slightly in the middle, Jungle Cruise is fun and a film meant to be enjoyed for the family on a big screen.
William Bibbiani, The Wrap:
Those who are expecting something new, intriguing or memorable have entered the wrong theater. This screen is reserved for Jaume Collet-Sera’s Jungle Cruise, an adaptation of a popular theme park attraction that’s specifically designed to hit your brain’s retro pleasure centers with pulpy thrills, Adventureland references, and lots and lots of quips. We’re not here to break the mold. We’re here to re-familiarize ourselves with the concept of molds.
Matt Fowler, IGN Movies:
Jungle Cruise — the first Disney theme park attraction to get the big picture action/adventure treatment since Pirates of the Caribbean — may get bogged down a tiny bit during its climax, doubling down on CGI action until the film starts to lose some of its life and charm, but that's a small quibble in the grand scheme of this fun and refreshing caper. Johnson and Blunt are tremendous together, capable of bickering and butting heads while still being believably tethered and emotionally connected to one another.
Charlie Ridgely, ComicBook.com:
Jungle Cruise is the adventure we've been waiting for, the kind of grand tale that reminds us of the movies that made many of us love movies in the first place. Hopefully it's the start of a new trend, bringing the long-lost art of swashbuckling tentpoles back to prominence once again.
Scott Mendelson, Forbes:
However, despite a game cast and some moments of high comedy and knowing charm, the film never crafts an identity of its own. While enjoyable enough for kids, the Dwayne Johnson/Emily Blunt vehicle merely serves to remind you of the other, better movies that followed their path and became stand-alone works of art.
Helen O'Hara, Empire Magazine:
As you watch Jaume Collet-Serra’s adventure, you’re haunted by the unpleasant feeling that this is a supposedly fun thing that’s already been done before. It’s only thanks to Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt that the result holds the attention, and it’s a credit to them that it’s entertaining at all.
Pete Hammond, Deadline:
Thanks to the chemistry of stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, much of it works as its intended family entertainment, though it is overloaded with CGI effects that threaten to overwhelm the humans trying to turn this into something reminiscent of the classic Bogart/Hepburn 1951 The African Queen or, more to the point, stuff like Indiana Jones films and particularly Romancing the Stone, perhaps the most accurate template for what director Jaume Collet-Serra and screenwriters Michael Green and Glenn Ficarra and John Requa are trying to emulate.
David Ehrlich, IndieWire:
Such reminders prove fleeting, however, as Jungle Cruise is fixed to its rails from the moment it starts. Amusing as it is to watch Frank wink at the film’s Disneyland origins, the good vibes wither as you realize the whole movie was shot to resemble a theme park ride.
Caitlin Kennedy, But Why Tho? A Geek Community:
Jungle Cruise delivers an electric jolt to our Disney parks nostalgia and reminds us that there is magic to be found in the familiar. The film dusts off the cobwebs on a classic and brings thrilling action, adventure and excitement. Nothing lazy about this river! Jungle Cruise does more than just capture the spirit of the original ride; it rekindles an appreciation for it.
Given the decline in quality of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the bar was never too high for critics or audiences for Jungle Cruise, so while the more mixed-to-negative reviews may be a disappointment to some, it's the generally positive reviews that will come as a happy surprise to most. Still running as one of Disneyland's first and still-popular attractions, fans know what to expect from the adventure ride and have no problem with the feeling of familiarity. With the swashbuckler and adventure genres struggling to make a proper comeback in the mainstream, the seeming self-awareness of Jungle Cruise seems to be the step forward audiences desire for both genres.
The one thing that shouldn't come as a surprise from the Jungle Cruise reviews is the praise showered upon Johnson and Blunt as the leads. Even in some of his worst movies, Johnson has proven to be consistently charming on screen and while Mary Poppins Returns allowed Blunt to explore brighter material, it's been a long time since audiences have seen the Golden Globe winner flex her comedic chops, which makes her role in the film and pairing with The Rock all the more enticing. Fans won't have to wait long to decide their thoughts on Disney's latest theme park adaptation when Jungle Cruise hits theaters and Disney+ Premier Access on Friday.
Sources: Various [see links above]
