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Movie Review: Jungle Cruise

Mike Tyrkus

From the world of Disney that brought the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride to life in a series of successful live-action films starring Johnny Depp now comes a much feebler attempt to spin another park attraction into celluloid gold. This time out, Dwayne Johnson takes the mantle and the ride of choice is Jungle Cruise. As personable as Johnson is, neither he nor a strong performance from Emily Blunt can do anything to save this overlong film from eventually succumbing to its overbearing script.

Johnson plays Frank Wolff, the captain of a small river boat he calls La Quila, that he pilots up and down the Amazon leading thrill-seeking tourists on a staged adventure, much like a theme park ride. His delicate life/work balance is disrupted when researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt) arrives with her brother, McGregor (Jack Whitehall), to charter a vessel to take them to the heart of the rainforest in search of an ancient tree whose flowers are believed to be imbued with mythic-like healing abilities. Of course, Frank is more than happy to take on the new fare as he currently finds himself in dire straits with Nilo (Paul Giamatti), who is threatening to repossess La Quila and shut Frank’s entire operation down.

In addition to Frank’s situation with Nilo, the trio find themselves being chased down the river by Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons) as an amalgamation of every evil submarine captain ever capture on film. Then, later, cursed spirits of some Conquistadors show up to further foul up Frank and his friends.

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in “Jungle Cruise.” © Disney

While Johnson and Blunt are fine in their respective roles, they are not given a lot to work with and are often left adrift in a tangled and convoluted plot. Underneath it all, what director Jaume Collet-Serra has delivered is a pale imitation of the “Pirates” franchise that lacks anything of actual substance. Although screenwriters Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa may be more at fault for the film’s shortcomings than Collet-Serra given the bloated script they delivered.

As entertaining as both actors have proven to be before, it is a shame that he is stuck in such an overwrought picture as this. While it may entertain in stretches, for the most part, Jungle Cruise, fails to deliver on any sustainable entertainment and ultimately leaves the viewer wondering when this particular ride will mercifully end.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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