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What’s the story?

Set in 1916, JUNGLE CRUISE opens with bold botanist Dr Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) stealing an Amazonian arrowhead from an elite — and anti-woman — British explorers’ club. The artifact is supposed to lead Houghton to a mysterious location on the Amazon River where legendary healing flowers bloom on an ancient tree. 

Lily and her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), head to the Amazon and hire brash skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to guide them on the perilous river trip. 

Along the way, Lily and Frank must avoid not only the natural dangers of the Amazon but also a villainous German prince (Jesse Plemons) who’s also searching for the tree, as well as a group of Spanish conquistadores who need the flower’s petals to reverse their immortal curse.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Jungle Cruise is an action-fantasy adventure inspired by the classic Disneyland ride. 

Set in 1916, it follows intrepid Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), who hires skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to guide her and her brother down the Amazon River in search of a mythical healing tree. 

Violence and peril are the biggest issues: Expect frequent danger, creepy cursed villains (as well as a cartoonishly evil German baddie), weapons (guns, torpedoes, swords, knives), an implied significant death (and some actual less significant ones), threatening snakes, and a jaguar that looks more vicious than she actually is. 

Adult characters drink from flasks and bottles, and an animal gets tipsy. One conversation about removing a knife from someone’s body could be perceived as suggestive (though the double meaning will likely go over kids’ heads).

Without saying it outright, one character comes out to another, who’s supportive. While main characters demonstrate impressive courage, perseverance, and teamwork, the movie’s initial depiction of Native Amazonians as a tribe of angry cannibals .

Is it any good?

The irresistibly charming stars help make this adventurous, occasionally swashbuckling ride adaptation amusing, if not as memorable as The Mummy or Pirates of the Caribbean. Johnson can make nearly any character likable; here, Frank’s silly, punny jokes are also a fun nod to the Disney ride’s vibe. 

Blunt, likewise, is ideally cast as the pioneering Dr. Houghton. 

Lily bucks social mores of the time by having a job and a Ph.D., knowing how to defend herself, and even wearing trousers (Frank calls her “Pants”). 

She also has a refreshingly close relationship with her brother, who’s posh and fussy but is still willing to follow her into murky, life-threatening situations. 

Other members of the cast are underused — like Paul Giamatti as a local riverboat mogul and Edgar Ramirez as head conquistador Aguirre — or they overact, like Plemons’ caricature of a sociopathic German villain, Prince Joachim. 

The movie’s landscaping and production art are vibrant and immersive, and director Jaume Collet-Serra should be applauded for making sure to organically include themes of gender, class, and discrimination against the Amazonian natives — without being preachy. S

till, the movie’s portrayal of those natives is a bit cringey, even if the movie course-corrects to subvert the same stereotypes it initially seems to be perpetuating. 

Luckily, Blunt and Johnson cheerfully elevate the story enough to make audiences gloss over some of the screenplay’s missteps and enjoy the ride.— commonsense