Our family had the pleasure of getting to watch and early screening of the new action-adventure film “Jungle Cruise” and we appreciated all the inspiration and call backs to the fun action adventure movies from the last 20 years.
Jack Whitehall plays MacGregor–brother of Lily, played by Emily Blunt in “Jungle Cruise.”
The makers of this film do a nice job taking inspiration from the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Jungle Cruise attractions and paying homage to the great films we all grew up with and our kids have watched 100 times. If you loved the “Mummy” with Brendan Frasier, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Indiana Jones, you will like this film.
The story is set around finding a mystical tree and there is action and adventure too. Emily Blunt takes the lead on the action and Dwayne Johnson looks like he is having fun along the way. There is a bad guy chasing them in a sub and some semi-scary “conquistadors” along for the ride as well. If you saw Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Men Tell No Tales, and like Capt. Salazar, you will like these guys too. Hey, they could all be on the same crew! Look out Jack Sparrow!
For Disney Parks Fans and Parents:
- For the first ten minutes of the film, it is nice to see the references from the ride, but I wished they had more later in the film.
- There are modern messages about acceptance, and it follows very modern rules in cinema. There is nothing objectionable in the film unless your little ones speak German. (I only know this because my wife does.)
- It might be slightly scary for children under the age of seven. The images are reminiscent of the Pirates films and if they can handle all of those, they will be ok with this movie. If you want a glimpse of the intensity of the violence or scary factors, check out the preview at the end of this review.
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt bring the world famous Jungle Cruise to life for Disney Parks fans!
Overall…
We enjoyed “Jungle Cruise” even though it felt a little long, had some questionable CGI, and “borrowed” a little too much from “The Mummy,” “The African Queen,” all the Pirates films, “Maverick,” “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” and various scenes from the Indiana Jones series. Watching from home, we had fun sitting with our kids and figuring out the other films it is paying homage to. We were laughing and yelling out films based on the scenes unfolding on the screen and finishing Jungle Cruise lines as they were being said by the Rock.
“Jungle Cruise” docks at theaters and on Disney+ on July 31.
