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'Jungle Cruise' (12A)



Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Edgar Ramirez 

Where can I watch?: Jungle Cruise is in cinemas and streaming on Disney+

Rating: 3/5

Review: Maybe it's my old age or my enduring girl crush on Emily Blunt getting the better of me, but I actually found Disney's latest, Jungle Cruise, reasonably enjoyable. Undoubtedly daft and peppered with toe-curling dialogue it may be, but when was the last time you watched a proper adventure film? With influences from the Indiana Jones series and Pirates of the Caribbean films evident throughout, Jungle Cruise takes the viewer on a fast-paced, action-packed ride down the Amazon in the company of roguish skipper, Frank (Dwayne Johnson), all-round babe, Dr Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt, sigh) on their quest to find a mythical tree. Jesse Plemons, chewing the scenery as German baddie Prince Joachim, is hot on their tails, however, in his mini submarine... Yeah, I said it was daft. Despite an overreliance on CGI and over-saturated filters, the film looks rather good too, and there are just the right amount of spooky moments thrown in for good measure. Plus, Johnson and Blunt, despite the awkward and unnecessary romance, do make for engaging leads. 

Much has already been written about this, but I feel it's only right for me to say a few words too. When it emerged that a straight actor (Jack Whitehall) would be playing a gay character, McGregor, there was, rightly so, uproar from the LGBTQ+ community - yet another opportunity for a queer character to actually be represented by a non-straight actor wasted. However, some found it positive that a gay character should even feature in a Disney film - a breakthrough, however small, at last? Unfortunately, the 'coming out' scene is incredibly disappointing. Although Frank accepts McGregor's sexuality, the word 'gay' is never uttered, instead swapped for 'my interests lie elsewhere'. Disney, it wouldn't kill you to say 'gay'. Honestly, it wouldn't. And any breakthrough that comes from the aforementioned scene is soon quashed with a crude 'take him from behind' joke and no further reference to McGregor's homosexuality - there's no riding off into the sunset, Brazilian beau on his arm conclusion for him. It's 2021 - why is it so hard to make representation happen? 

A Must-Watch?: It would be unfair to say that Jungle Cruise is completely without merit. It's clunky, yes, but entertaining enough to have kept me reasonably engaged. It's helpful that, despite the relatively lengthy runtime, it does nip along at quite a good pace, darting from set piece to set piece with barely time for Johnson and Blunt to catch their breath. Not great, but not terrible either. 

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