Review of Jungle Cruise (2021) by Kai82 — 05 Feb 2022

Without the performance and good chemistry of the cast this would be a below average movie. It is a good popcorn movie but will be fast forgotten. I should mention that it is not a Jumanji rip off and based on a Disney amusement park attraction like Pirates of the Caribbean.

However it is not as good as either of those two. I would say it is one of the movies where I see great potential and sparkles of awesomeness but it fails to reach the heights. This movie I would describe it as fantasy adventure set in the World War 1 era.

It is the story of Dr. Lily Houghton and her brother MacGregor who want to find the legendary “Tears of the Moon” blossoms who could cure any injury and illness in existence to help Britain in the war.

They want the help of the Royal Society to fiance an expedition to the Amazon River to proof that the tears are not a fairy tale. However the Royal Society do not support them while a stranger wants to buy an artifact from their collection and they will meet a river steamboat captain who is a cunning trickster and badass.

This is the set up for the movie. On paper it is excellent and works more than it misses. It has some lengths and gets better when the 3 main actors start the journey on the river. The actors save this movie for me.

Lets start with Emily Blunt as Dr. Lily Houghton. She is amazing and fully delivers. Such a great performance that I want to see more. Then we have Dwanye Johnson as Frank Wolff who is a steamboat captain.

He is a scroundrel, trickster, equally great. The chemistry and enjoyable banter between him and Emily Blunts character are a strength of the movie. Jack Whitehall as Mac Gregor Houghton is another great asset and shines in his role.

Jesse Plemons is a great antagonist and so enjoyable. Maybe a bit to cliche but this takes not away my enjoyment. The rest also delivers and we have a good performance here. The humor works but reaches never a level where I could truly praise the movie.

The special effects are top notch and fully convincing. I think the nailed the atmosphere. Overall I repeat my statement. It is a good popcorn movie but fast forgotten except for the great performance of the characters / actors.