Jungle Cruise movie review: The must-see movie of the summer
By Ricky Valero
When I first saw the trailer for Jungle Cruise, I was a bit skeptical because I thought we would get a more kids-like affair with Disney’s latest action-adventure. But today, I am here to tell you that I was 100% wrong. Let me explain why.
The first thirty minutes features some of the best world-building we have seen from a live-action Disney movie in a long time. Direction Jaume Collet-Serra does a great job of setting the tone early to introduce our two leads.
First, we meet Lily (Emily Blunt), a woman on a mission to find something and willing to break the rules to make sure she finds it. Lily is of small stature, and the writers did a great job working this into action sequences. She is seen escaping in very outlandish and wild ways.
Next, we meet Frank (The Rock), the captain of this ride who takes people through the jungle for this ‘show’ and fills them with pitiful dad jokes and crazy stunts. Frank is a bit of a conman. The fast-talking, humor, action, and a thrilling chase (or three) opens us to the world of these two characters while introducing us to what they are after.
Dwayne Johnson is one of the most underrated ACTORS in all of Hollywood. I say Actor because we all know that he is an action star, but people rarely credit the man for what he is capable of doing within films. In addition, he can captivate the audience with his charisma and charm, which only a select few can do in this business. The line delivery stood out the most for me within his role of Frank. Dad jokes are meant to be bad and cringy, but the way Dwayne delivered the lines made you laugh at every single one of them.
Jungle Cruise is a fun adventure for everyone in the family
Another great thing Johnson does is bring out the best in his co-stars. Yes, Emily Blunt is a great actress, but we see a version of her in this film we have yet to see on the big screen. She was funny in ways I didn’t know she was capable of.
The chemistry between these two was the reason you invest in these two characters. I could watch these two together in about a hundred of these.
While you could criticize the stakes never felt high enough for them not to overcome, we do have a fun little villain. Jesse Plemons is one of the crown jewels of sidekicks in any movie that he is in. His outrageous ancient and comedic-like presence is brilliant in this film.
The movie is predictable (outside of Frank’s pranks) and that was okay because you were more invested in these characters, which made the chase never dull. We could sit here and complain about the spotty CGI at times or the lackluster stakes, but honestly, just watch the movie, enjoy the comedy, the action, and more importantly, the ride.
Jungle Cruise premieres in theaters and Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, 2021.