Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramirez, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti, Veronica Falcón, Dani Rovira, Quim Gutiérrez, Dan Dargan Carter, Andy Nyman, Raphael Alejandro, Simone Lockhart, Pedro Lopez.
The adventurous romp, the quest for something more than we can conceive in the everyday avenue of life, has always been one to draw cinema crowds in to the darkened room, but it remains, it a post-Covid world, something that the producers of such films might have to look at with a finer eye if they are to keep the thrill of the chase paramount and not relegated to that of a mere show, of whimsy without the necessary spectacle.
So many films have embedded themselves into the minds of those who love the Action-adventure genre, the conformation of puzzle solving set within a narrative that divulges, adds myth, to the idea of human history, and chiefly amongst them, and by which all others have found themselves being arguably unfairly compared to the godfather of them all, Indiana Jones.
There is little that Disney though won’t do in its search for the next possible franchise, and if that means placing trust in one of the greats of modern times, Dwayne Johnson, affable, box office success assured, genial, genuine, to get the point across, to offer the crowd a hero with an unexpected back story, then so be it, and in his pairing with the equally cool Emily Blunt, Jungle Cruise is a film that fulfils every ounce of its family friendly, occasional low level scare, adventurous romp; and one that undoubtedly has the wherewithal to secure its own franchise.
The film will be compared across the board to any of the Indiana Jones films, and for that it does suffer, whilst the effects are eye-catching, whilst the inclusion of Jack Whitehall gives extra depth, especially in his role as out homosexual, something that the company in the past would have shied away from, and perhaps that is a huge step forward for progressive representation, and whilst Emily Blunt, one of cinema’s passionate loves and leading actors of the 21st Century, gives a terrific performance, matching easily her role in films such as A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins, the sense of holding back slightly, of not wanting to put the absolute boot down on the footnote of history allows the film to stagnate slightly, that the twists are telegraphed long before they need to be made aware, and that the device itself is more of an homage to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade than surely the team were aiming for.
Overall Jungle Cruise is a marvellously enjoyable film, the expected silliness adding charm with plenty to spare, and yet, as the film comes to its conclusion, the understanding that it could have been even braver, more in tune with the undercurrent of the plight of the native people of the Amazon to whom are used almost as a comedic effect, is revealing, and one that once again will draw unfavourable comparisons to films past.
Welcome to the jungle, but its not quite as it should be.
Ian D. Hall