Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise – Tears of the Moon is a mythical flower purported to have incredible healing powers. Dr Lily Houghton, frustrated by the sexism of the time that insists women are inferior, is convinced the flower is real. With her brother failing to persuade the Royal Society to help them discover it, she steals an ancient arrowhead which will supposedly help in her search and they set off to the Amazon by themselves. Steam boat skipper, Frank, agrees to take them down the Amazon after spying Lily’s relic but with the dangerous German prince Joachim also searching for the flower and an ancient curse to contend with, will the myth be possible for them to find?

Jungle Cruise (2021) – Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Rating: 12A

Running Length: 127 mins

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall

Genre: Action/Adventure, Period

REVIEW: ‘JUNGLE CRUISE’

Disney have form for creating excellent movies based on theme park rides – the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise can attest to that! Therefore, ‘Jungle Cruise’, also based on a Disney Park ride and starring the ever-reliable Dwayne Johnson, was likely to also be a hit. This time, the action is taken to South America – the Amazon river to be exact and set in 1916 – a time when women weren’t respected as scientists and Emily Blunt’s Lily has a lot of sexism to overcome. From getting her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) to present her findings to the Royal Society, to several characters being incredulous that she wears trousers (Frank regularly nicknames her ‘pants’ for this very reason), she has a lot of additional hurdles to get over than her male counterparts. While this is a little overdone, Lily’s assertive and blasé attitude works well to ensure she isn’t made into a victim of her circumstances.

The swashbuckling action that makes a good family movie is here in spades. It doesn’t quite have the gold star quality that we see in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ but it is a close contender. Johnson is excellent as light hearted Frank, his corny jokes throughout the movie are a unusual but fun addition that is certainly a hit with the kids and while he is still an imposing figure, he doesn’t play his normal muscly tough guy role which ensures we never feel his character can rely on brute strength to get out of any situation. The ever unnerving Jesse Plemons is excellent as over the top German Prince, Joachim, who travels around in a submarine, ensuring that he could literally pop up at any time with the potential to destroy Frank’s little steamboat.

The legend and curse plotline is extremely similar to that of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ so it is difficult to entirely forget about the ‘Jungle Cruise’ predecessor, but thankfully the rest of the plot is different enough to make it an entirely new film. ‘Jungle Cruise’ is exactly what’s needed in a family film – good humour, exciting action and just a few scares, be sure to swash those buckles as this is a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat for all the right reasons.

CONTENT: IS ‘JUNGLE CRUISE’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

On the search for a legendary flower, a group of conquistadors are taken in by a South American tribe. After they are looked after and healed, the conquistadors betray the tribe and kill several villagers.

The conquistadors are attacked by the jungle, we see a close up of one being entirely engulfed in vines; he cries out as the vines cover his face so that only his wide eye is seen then the scene cuts away.

A man kills several other innocent men simply because his name is uttered. We see some stabbings and a throat being cut but they are quick and no blood is seen.

There are several close ups of tarantulas and snakes.

A group of men watch a tarantula and a scorpion fight, placing bets on which will win.

A big cat enters a busy inn and attacks Frank. He fights it and at one point it bites his arm. During the fight the aforementioned tarantula and scorpion are knocked onto the floor alongside Frank, we see them from Frank’s point of view which is very close up!

Despite being cursed with immortality, the conquistadors are stuck and have been decomposing in the jungle for hundreds of years and have become a part of their surroundings. One of the men’s head has turned to stone but is partly made out of snakes and they communicate with another character with two snakes making head movements to answer questions. At the end of these scene, there is a close up of the man’s head; he lunges towards the camera and screams. This only lass a second before the scene cuts but it is a jump scare and could be frightening for some kids.

MaGregor, Lily and Frank are all hit with poison darts and they pass out. When they awaken, they have been captured by a tribe, many of whom wear scary masks made of animal skulls. Frank explains that they are called ‘head hunters’. The tribe’s leader tells them that they want something Lily has and she will take it from her fingers once she’s picked them clean. A character then refers to them as cannibals.

The undead conquistadors attack a village. Some look a little scary but aren’t too grotesque. They kill numerous innocent villagers.

An established character is stabbed in the chest. They then fall from a height and hit several large tree branches on the way down. Other characters are shocked and upset but as they are all in the middle of a fight, this death isn’t lingered upon.

A character breaks their ankle, there is a close up of the wound however it isn’t graphic.

There is a close up of two wounds, one of which has already been tended to with stitches. There is no blood or gore here.

In a flashback scene, a peaceful village is attacked and many are killed, their homes are destroyed with fire and they scream in terror. This isn’t overly graphic but could be upsetting for kids.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘JUNGLE CRUISE’ FOR KIDS?

If you want a fun and action packed film for the family, look no further than ‘Jungle Cruise’! Due to some of the scares being a little strong for younger children, we recommend this movie for kids aged 7 and over.

• Violence: 3/5 (mostly action based violence. Some deaths are a little strong although there is little blood or gore)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5
• Fear Factor: 3/5
• Sexual Content: 0/5
• Bad Language: 1/5 (infrequent mild cursing and blasphemy)
• Dialogue: 2/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of sexism, loyalty, friendship, curses, betrayal, bravery and standing up for what is right.

Words by Laura Record