MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Visit any Disney theme park and within the area of Adventureland is a curious riverboat ride. Park visitors board replica steam launches in a 1930s setting as audio-animatronic effects appear throughout the duration of the ride. Like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Jungle Cruise has remained a popular Disney attraction since it was introduced in 1955. Also, like the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Walt Disney Pictures might have just found a new franchise with the launch of the film adaptation of Jungle Cruise.
A group of Spanish conquistadors travel to South America in the 16th century for the mythical Tears of the Moon, a tree with petals that can supposedly cure any disease. Led by Don Lope de Aguirre (Edgar Ramirez), the conquistadors become victims of the Amazon jungle one by one, a local tribe heals the survivors with the Tears of the Moon. When Don Aguirre tries to convince the tribal chief to reveal the tree’s location and he refuses, the Spaniards lay waste to the village and the chief curses them to remain in the forest forever.
By 1916, Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) has done extensive research on the Tears of the Moon and believes the tree can revolutionize medicine. The chauvinistic Royal Society won’t give her membership, however, making her convince her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) to present her findings to them. Lily is convinced that an arrowhead artifact in the Society’s possession is the key to finding the tree but they deny the siblings’ request to access it.
Lily then steals the artifact even as the German Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons) also chases after the tree for the German military effort. She then tries to hire a boat through the harbormaster Nilo Nemolato (Paul Giamatti). Riverboat captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) pretends to be Nilo and discourages the Houghtons on going on the expedition by telling them that the Tears of the Moon are a myth.
Offering a cheaper rate than Nilo and fighting off a jaguar named Proxima convinces Lily to hire Wolff and board his boat, La Quila. Wolff had been offering Amazon River tours with fake dangers and spouting corny jokes prior to the hire and has arranged dangers to hopefully take the arrowhead from the Houghtons. When Prince Joachim somehow frees the cursed conquistadors by promising them access to the petals, Frank, Lily, and MacGregor are placed in danger and Frank’s long-hidden secret is eventually revealed.
When Johnny Depp first donned the pirate boots and cutlass of Captain Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003, it was met with skepticism because hardly anybody believed that a film based on a Disney attraction could become a hit. That resulted in five more films while revitalizing Depp’s career and launching Kira Knightley’s. Nineteen years later, another Disney attraction might have just launched a new franchise with Jungle Cruise.
Dwayne Johnson has established himself as a box-office draw for years now and he doesn’t disappoint here. Looking “racially ambiguous” helps Frank Wolff’s mysterious backstory but Johnson doesn’t even have to look physically gigantic like he usually does in films like those he’s done in the Fast and the Furious series. Wolff’s dad jokes are so excruciating, and Johnson’s delivery is so perfect that it differentiates the character from any of Johnson’s past roles.
He also has great chemistry with Blunt, who is clearly comfortable doing comedy and adventure as she is with drama. Place her in a thriller like A Quiet Place and she’ll be the sympathetic heroine but place her as the smart, liberated Lily Houghton opposite Johnson and she’ll still fly. The trio of Johnson, Blunt, and Whitehall echo the trio from The Mummy movies of Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and John Hannah where the wisecracks and jokes come fast, and the relationships are strong.
Aside from being Disney rides, the effects of the conquistadors will inevitably call to mind some of the pirates played by Geoffrey Rush and others in the Depp films. There is a lot of computer-generated graphics used, including the jaguar Proxima, but that only adds to the enjoyment of the movie. Using a story of Spanish conquistadors trapped in the Amazon and adding the curse element while on an early 20th century riverboat actually feels inspired and credit should be given to the story by John Norville, Josh Goldstein, Glenn Ficarra, and John Requa.
After making his name in horror movies and Liam Neeson action flicks, director Jaume Collet-Serra manages to bring these elements together and turn it into a fun film experience. Charismatic lead characters, a crazy premise on the Amazon River, and great action scenes enhanced by special effects results in a fun film that the whole family can enjoy together.
