What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

Movies

Jungle Cruise (2021)

Disney continues to make films off the strangest concepts, and the newest one is based on another one of their theme park rides. Set during the turbulent First World War, the film starts by introducing us to the brother-sister duo of Lily and MacGregor Houghton (Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall, respectively), the former of which is not treated very kindly by members of historic societies despite her intellect due to her gender, and the latter of which is not interested in following the family tradition of academia and is more concerned about having the right outfit for his dinner party.

Both, however, get caught up in the hunt for the mythical Tears of the Moon, a flower said to cure any illness. Being in the midst of a war, Lily is determined to help the war effort by finding said flower and harnessing its powers. Their search takes them to the Amazon, where they hire the enterprising skipper Frank (Dwayne Johnson). After several false starts, the three of them finally make their way along the Amazon River, and a series of adventures leads them directly to the tree they’ve been looking for.

During the trip, the trio gain a trust in one another, and they also learn about the curse that was cast on a group of conquistadors who had tried to steal the flowers abilities 400 years ago, which trapped their spirits to the Amazon river, as well as Frank being one of those very conquistadors. The climax of the film has Frank being trapped by the curse, and Lily sacrificing the only petal that she got from the tree to free him. Aside from a few other subplots to do with a German Prince wanting the powers of the tree for himself, and the reason for the conquistadors being curse, that’s the film in a nutshell.

Pretty standard fare, not anything new, but it was a fun watch nonetheless. I liked the three main cast members, who each brought their own sense of humor to the roles. Frank’s so-bad-they’re-funny jokes were taken exactly from the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland, one of my favourite things about the attraction. Blunt and Whitehall were similarly funny, playing with the contrast of their polished first impressions and the goofy personalities below the surface.

I think what enhanced the experience for me was getting to watch the film in IMAX. The visuals really work in the film, and theirs a rich backdrop presented here that we haven’t seen much of in Disney film much. The wildlife and the scenery were stunning, and while most of it might not have been really there, it really is amazing what can be done in graphics animation nowadays.

Overall, the film was fun, but it doesn’t have that re-watch factor that a lot of action/adventure films like the Mummy or Indianan Jones have. I came out the film satisfied, but not gripped by it, since it felt like they had played it safe for broad appeal, and in that, it ended up a little too generic, and was missing that essential component that makes you crave more.