Quick Info
Alright, so Jungle Cruise is basically Disney taking another swing at turning a theme park ride into a summer blockbuster, like they did with Pirates of the Caribbean, but swapping pirates for a pulpy, rain-soaked Amazon adventure. It stars Emily Blunt as a buttoned-up British scientist, Dr. Lily Houghton, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as the charming riverboat captain with a suspiciously clean shirt. The plot feels a little like Indiana Jones Lite—searching for a magical healing tree, outsmarting cartoonish villains, navigating treacherous waters.
One thing that genuinely works is the chemistry between Emily Blunt and The Rock. They have that fun, slightly bickering energy that reminds me of Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser in The Mummy. Johnson's dad jokes are groanworthy but delivered with enough charm that you eventually just roll with it. And Blunt sells the whole daring-scholar-on-a-mission vibe better than the script deserves. I wish the movie let them lean more into screwball antics, though, rather than trying to play everything so big and bombastic.
Visually, Jungle Cruise is all over the map. There are some shots where the lush jungle actually looks, well, lush—lots of waterfalls, vibrant greenery, cool ancient ruins. But then the CG starts to get a little slippery, especially with the supernatural twist about halfway through. Some of the effects look like they were borrowed from an old video game. You can almost hear the computer fans whirring behind the scenes.
The pacing is relentless, which is both a blessing and a curse. It never really lags, but it also never allows the quieter moments to breathe. You can feel the studio notes in places, like someone was terrified that kids in the audience would get bored if there was even a ten-second lull. The result is two hours of non-stop quips, jumps, peril, and people falling dramatically from high places. After a while, it starts to feel numbing.
On the emotional side, the movie only goes skin deep. There are attempts at backstory and some surprisingly progressive twists for Disney, but nothing hits very hard. The villain (Jesse Plemons doing his best Werner Herzog impression) is goofy in a way that undercuts any sense of actual danger. I never once worried for the leads, which kind of robs the story of tension.
In the end, Jungle Cruise is a passable, crowd-pleasing adventure that’s entertaining in the moment but forgettable when the credits roll. If you’re looking for a throwback romp and can forgive a heaping helping of CG chaos, it’s a decent popcorn watch. Just don’t expect anything to linger after the ride stops.
The R8 Take
Jungle Cruise is like cotton candy—fun while it lasts, but it melts in your brain the second it’s over. If you liked The Mummy or Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll be fine, but don’t expect to remember much about it next week.
