Jungle Cruise is one of Disney's latest blockbusters. It is based on the Disneyland ride of the same name. It follows the story of an explorer who wishes to find a hidden tree with magical healing powers.

Basing my previous judgement on the trailers and the little hype for it, I didn't expect Jungle Cruise to reach the same heights as other Disney movies. Now that I have seen Jungle Cruise, I still don't expect it to become a hit, but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the idea of making a movie based on a Disneyland ride may not appeal to many, the story was actually brilliant. It was clever and reflected the fantasy of the original ride in a clever way.

The acting was equally excellent as you would expect from these names. The chemistry between the characters was flawless and each character was unique but blended well into the movie. The music by James Newton Howard was terrific as you would expect after reading the list of movies composed by him. In saying this, there was one sequence where I felt that the music didn't suit what was happening on screen. The music in this scene stepped out of the box and took a risk which, unfortunately, did not pay off.

But what went wrong? What about this movie won't make it a hit? Well, it was the execution of the story. The same effect of this movie could have been achieved in a much simpler way.

For starters, the amount of CGI used in the film wasn't necessary. There were a couple of characters who required CGI to appear as they did. I think that a different approach could have been taken and the characters wouldn't require as much, if not any CGI. Many of the animals in Jungle Cruise were quite obviously not real. How to fix this problem? Use real animals. I cannot see any reason as to why real living animals could have been used which would have resulted in only a more realistic film.

The amount of violence and scary sequences were also not necessary. I feel that this movie was aiming at a family audience. With an Australian classification of M, this definitely wasn't achieved. The film would have been just as powerful with less frightening elements and would have reached a broader audience.

There were times where the movie was moving so quickly that it was hard to follow. Once again, this could have been easily avoided. Some details and side stories could have been dropped for an easier viewing experience. The movie felt the slightest bit too long which could have again been prevented by not exploring so many backstories.

Jungle Cruise reminded me of the Indiana Jones movies, just not pulled off as well. Those movies, especially the earliest ones, did not have access to an endless budget to use the latest CGI technology but turned out to become viewer-favourites. With a director such as Steven Spielberg at the helm of this movie, this fantastic story with an already amazing cast could have easily become a hit.

Jungle Cruise was funny and enjoyable. I think that the director could have made some more sensible decisions to create a better film. The movie can be bought on Disney+ or seen in cinemas. I would highly recommend that you see the movie in cinemas for a better experience.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt

Year released: 2021

My rating: 6/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 01/08/2021