The Mosley Review: Jungle Cruise
In this era of filmmaking, we are surrounded by films about space, comic book heroes and sometimes historical biopics. Those genres have taken the lead in theaters and sometimes you need a break from them. Sometimes you want to go on a globe trotting adventure that doesn't require anything, but a fun story that is filled with excitement, discovery and heart. The adventure film genre has almost been extinct for the longest time, but films like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise or even the recent Jumanji films have stocked life back into that old flame. I have been waiting for a genuine adventure film to come out that has that same heart and since of fun, but it seems I have to wait even longer before a proper film arrives. Disney has done the trick of taking their most beloved theme park attractions and turned them into films and it worked for the most part. Where they fail is when they create a story that appeases the fans of the attraction, but deliver a story that has been done to death or even try to add a complicated mythos that has the chance to be great, but is watered down. That was the tragedy of this film. The spirit of adventure was everywhere in the film and could've been easily taken to the next level, but it quickly gets watered down when it gets too dark or violent by throwing in poorly delivered jokes and horrible character development. The story was topical and was basically a lesson of inclusion, but it lost its charm very early in the film. The latter half was cool and added the mystical element, but the choppy editing and very quick story progression really took away any chance of living in the world that is created. This was a such a waste of potential with a great cast and I was baffled by it.
Emily Blunt is still one of the best actresses in the world and she was wonderfully charming as Dr. Lily Houghton. She gives off the action heroine that is tough, thirsty for knowledge and would stand up to the face of danger. A perfect example of an adventurer and worthy of your attention. Jack Whitehall was fun as her younger brother MacGregor and I liked that he wasn't completely useless. He had some genuinely funny and touching moments in a number of scenes. Dwayne Johnson plays the skipper Frank Wolff and I have seen Johnson deliver some great performances outside of his action films, but this was by far his worst. To like a character who constantly is lying to you is really hard and I felt in more capable hands, this character could've been so loveable. I couldn't connect with Frank and I ended up just not caring about him at all. Puns are a big part of the original Disney attraction and when he delivers them throughout the film, its done without an ounce of charm. You can deliver a joke in a dry manner, but there is a certain amount of charm or hamming up that makes it funny and this wasn't. Paul Giamatti was clearly having the most fun in the film as the harbormaster Nilo Nemolato. Jessie Plemons was excellent as the villainous Prince Joachim and I loved his viciously cold since of humor. Edgar Ramirez was good as the main villain Aguirre and I liked his story. I just wish he slowed down his Spanish so that you get his plot across clearer.
The score by James Newton Howard was outstanding and a proper score to jungle excursion type film. At times it reminded me of Jerry Goldsmith's score from the The Mummy. Visually the film was beautiful, but the shotty CGI really muddles it as the backgrounds and the creature visual effects take away from the artistry. There was so much potential story wise of where this film could've ascended into greatness, but it didn't learn from the past films that got it right. Too many punches were pulled where they should've followed through. The Jungle Cruise attraction at Disneyland is a decent ride through some fun sets, stories and for the ride to be fun and memorable, the Skipper has to sell it. Well, lets just say that Skipper on this boat ride was at the end of shift. The film is currently in theaters and streaming on Disney+ with Premiere Access. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
