Movie Review: Jungle Cruise

Another movie with The Rock in the jungle, just what we needed. This seems to happen quite often! This was one of the few Disney films I was lookin mg forward to for 2021. I always thought the ride was cool and unique, plus you have The Rock and Emily Blunt. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot.

I know Disney has become known for using a ton of CGI in recent films such as The Lion King and Dumbo. It seems as if they’re cutting costs and using studios and sound staged as opposed to actual locations. If you take a look at the IMDB filming locations, it only has a couple, which is obvious when you watch the movie. What’s worse, the CGI is so blatant and obvious that it hurts the movie, overall. It’s actually distracting and laughable at times.

The story isn’t anything special, even though it’s got more depth than most of the Disney remakes. Unfortunately, it copies Pirates of the Caribbean almost beat for beat. I mean, it’s Disney ripping off Disney, but it still hurts the final product. Did they think we wouldn’t notice? The villains are just “meh”. They’re like these elemental guys that have been dead for many years. The design for the one covered in honey is pretty cool, I must admit. If I could produce honey at will, it would save me a lot of money, and I’d probably drink a lot more tea. I mean, with that much free honey, who wouldn’t. I just don’t know how showering would work.

Thankfully, I split the $30 it cost to watch the film with others, so I didn’t pay that much, but something tells me I should have known better. I try not to support the remakes because I’ve been burned so many times. Disney is so hit or miss nowadays, if it’s not Disney Animation Studios, which is consistently good. I would never watch this one again. Yes, it’s pretty, it has two great leads, and the story is interesting at times, but it’s too cookie-cutter and unoriginal to be anything other than below average.

Bonus: If you want to see what happens when The Rock collides with a rock, look no further than this film.

Score: 2 / 5

– Wade Williams