REVIEW: Disney’s ‘Jungle Cruise’- Charming. Witty. Fun for the Whole Family.

WARNING: SOME MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. 

While the Jungle Cruise might be a longtime favorite ride for many who frequent the Disney theme parks, the ride wasn’t without its flaws. The ride itself first opened on July 17, 1955, and needed a serious revamp. So it only fits that the premiere for the new movie took place at Disneyland, where the ride was revamped with a new storyline to remove the racist depictions of Indigenous people. Instead, the ride and movie are meant to reflect the diversity of the world around us. However, the ride revamp was a long time coming.

The Jungle Cruise movie plays along with the new storyline, which I love, that they are able to tie the film to the ride. However, I will say the backstory is a bit rushed through to get to the heart of the story. It opens with a quick explanation of the Tears of the Moon, which can cure any illness or break any curse.

Countless explorers have tried to find it, including Aguirre (Edgar Ramirez). Still, he betrays the tribe who was helping him, and with his dying breath, the chief curses Aguirre and his men making sure they can never leave the jungle, bound to the Amazon river lines for all eternity. They are never able to leave or die.  

Then we cut to London 1916, where we see Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) infiltrate a secret science society, who have the arrowhead, which is believed to lead the way to the Tears of the Moon. Using her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), as a decoy, she’s able to steal the artifact, narrowly escaping the grasp of Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), who is after the Tears of the Moon for his nefarious gain. 

Viewers will either be mouthing all the familiar jokes from the ride, including the Eighth Wonder of the World (the backside of the waterfall), or trying to learn a few new ones as we see Frank giving tourists a tour on the Amazon. Lily and MacGregor end up in Brazil searching for a skipper, Nilo (Paul Giamatti), who has a reputation for being the best around, but in a series of mishaps, Lily mistakes Frank (Dwayne Johnson) for being Nilo.

Frank is in Nilo’s office trying to retreat the key to get his engine back. He borrowed money from Nilo to get his engine but didn’t pay him back quickly enough that Nilo and his men confiscate it. Lily ends up being a great lockpicker and can open it and make a deal with Frank to take her around the Amazon to find the Tears of the Moon. Her brother finds the real Nio and brings him back to the bar, but that’s when Frank fights off a leopard, who we later find out is his leopard, Proxima. After hesitating, Lily agrees to Frank as their guide.

Meanwhile, the prince has also made his way to Brazil and is after Lily in his submarine. They narrowly escape once again and make their way into the jungle. Along the way, they see pink river dolphins, which Frank says are bewitched, and eat piranha for dinner. Frank is constantly warning Lily of the dangers, but she refuses to turn back. In fact, she wants him to take the side with the huge rapids, but she doesn’t know how to swim. He, again, hesitates, but they go through the rapids, narrowly escaping going over a huge waterfall. Unfortunately, they all end up throwing up, and the leopard ends up drunk. Frank had sent Proxima to get the arrowhead, but the cat ends up drinking spilled wine down there instead. 

While downstairs filming Proxima, Lily ends up in Frank’s captain quarters, where she finds a book on the legend and maps. Frank then explains he’s actually Francisco, and he’s 395 years, five months, and 13 days old. His father was a mercenary and worked with Aguirre, and when his father passed, he took Frank under his wing and kept him clothed and alive.

When Aguirre’s daughter, Anna, was dying, he went in search of the Tears of the Moon along with his men, including Frank, and that’s when Frank explains what really happened. In one last attempt to get them to turn away, Frank tries to get Trader Sam (Veronica Falcon) and her tribe to help, but it doesn’t work.

She does end up decoding the arrowhead for Lily, though. They narrowly escape Aguirre and his men, who have been woken up by the greedy prince and end up in a Luna Rota. The prince captures them and takes them to the tree, which is dead. Frank offers to bring it to life as long as he gets a petal in return. The prince agrees. Lily also helps but also asks for a petal.

Unfortunately, they can only have one petal between both of them. Lily shoots Frank, and the prince thinks Frank is dead, but he’s not since he’s still immortal for the time being. The tree only presents itself in the moonlight, and it’s almost gone. Lily manages to grab the only petal left on the tree. The prince tries to get it once again but is foiled and dies. 

Aguirre and his men try to take the petal, but Frank does the only thing he knows will work and sacrifices all of them to the jungle, himself included. Lily gives Frank the lone petal, which at first doesn’t work, but then it brings him back to life, making him mortal now. He can live one last life, this time with Lily, who he’s grown to love. The tree presents one last petal to them both for their sacrifice. In the end, Lily is offered a position at Cambridge, her brother declines the stuffy secret medical society on his sister’s behalf, and Lily teaches Frank how to drive in London. She has some puns of her own; telling Frank that teaching him how to drive will be exhausting. But, in true Disney form, they all live happily ever after. 

I will say that the Jungle Cruise, while an amazing film, isn’t without its flaws. The movie itself is still lacking in representation. Brazil is rich in culture, and yet the movie has mostly light-skinned characters in it. It’s not realistic. Also, aside from Lily and Trader Sam, there’s not much other female representation.

All that being said, the film is still worth a watch and is thoroughly entertaining. Disney’s Jungle Cruise has the vibe of The Mummy and Indiana Jones with the humor of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. This feel-good movie is one that everyone should make sure to watch. Add it to your list stat! Jungle Cruise is out now in theaters or on Disney + with Premier Access.