Movie Review – Jungle Cruise – Exhilarating Fun!
Table of Contents
My Rating – 3.5 out of 5
Plot Summary – Jungle Cruise
Frank Wolff : Hey, McGregor! Had a girlfriend once, she was cross-eyed. Didn’t work out. We could never see eye to eye!
from Jungle Cruise
I’ll start with a disclaimer first – This is a Disney movie, a fantasy adventure, and hence granted a wide cinematographic license to belt out scene after scene of unbelievable incidents. But then, if all that adds up to loads of fun, as this one is, there is hardly any reason to complain! Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, this movie is a non-stop exhilarating amusement park ride from start to finish – Well! It is based on a theme park ride!! I think it’s jolly good fun, not all movies have to be serious life-based dramas. So here goes the story…
Harking back to the 16th Century, the film traces the journey of Spanish explorers cum colonists, who travel to the mysterious depths of the Amazon basin in South America, in search of a wonder cure-all tree – the Tears of the Moon. Its petals are supposed to be miracle cures for any injuries, illnesses, safeguard from evil curses and even prolong life indefinitely. But most of the explorers die during their travel and some are nursed back to life by members of a reclusive tribe, using the miraculous powers of the tree. But, of course, the Spanish want more and the tribesmen won’t reveal the location of the fabled tree.
Lily Houghton: “We” is an interesting word, Frank. Because it sort of implies a bond of trust and honesty. Neither of which you know anything about, because you are a liar, Frank. You are selfish, you are arrogant, and I wouldn’t trust you as far as I could throw you, which clearly isn’t very far, because you are huge.
From Jungle Cruise
Frustrated at their obstinacy, the Spanish annihilate the village but are cursed themselves! They can never leave the vicinity of the river and are turned to stone. Cut to 1916, London and Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) is seen trying to convince English Explorers Club to sponsor their expedition to recover the Tears of the Moon and use its petals to further medical research and eradicate diseases plaguing mankind. For that, she needs the arrowhead to aid in locating the tree. Expectedly, the club refuses to entertain her and wants to hand over the arrowhead to German Prince Joachim, who also covets the tree but for nefarious reasons! But Lily steals the arrowhead and embarks on her own expedition.
In South America, at the place where Dr. Lily and her team are to begin their expedition, there’s Captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), a grizzled veteran of guided tours into the depths of the Amazon forest – buoyed by planted contraptions and cheesy one-liners! He is the chosen Captain for the expedition to recover the venerable Tears of the Moon…. But the evil Prince Joachim is also not far behind and the mad rush to reach the Tree begins in this wildly exhilarating adventure movie. It is silly at times but mostly fun to watch, more on the lines of The Mummy, Raiders of the Last Ark etc.
Conclusion – Movie Review of Jungle Cruise
Surprisingly for a Disney movie, the CGI is a bit childish – a Jaguar with an oversized head to name one. The acting is nothing to write home about, though expectedly, Emily Blunt and Jesse Plemons are the standout performers. In the overstressed days of a Global pandemic, even a slightly silly movie like Jungle Cruise provides welcome relief. For that reason alone, it is recommended for a watch. Enjoy!
Frank Wolff: You know, before this, I used to work in an orange juice factory, but I got canned.
From Jungle Cruise
*I hope you have enjoyed reading this movie review as much as I have enjoyed writing this! Do watch this space for more such reviews and navigate through the links below for more… Thank you!! *
