Much is made of the relationship between quality movies and their runtimes. Some films come in at a snappy 90 minutes and manage to wrap up an engaging story. Others take time to breathe and necessitate a two-hour-plus length — any Lord of the Rings film, or Parasite, for example.
Jungle Cruise is two hours and 16 minutes, and it's hard to imagine getting a kid (or anyone, really) to sit still long enough to enjoy it. However, Jungle Cruise manages to captivate — if not always hold – your attention thanks to the sheer charisma of its stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson.
The film, though loosely based on a Disney theme park ride, follows the story of a young woman adventurer and scientist named Lily (Blunt), shunned by patriarchal society, who treks to the Amazon with her effete brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) in search of a mythical healing tree. They chart the dangerous river thanks to Frank (Johnson) and his trusty boat.
Mythical shenanigans ensue – from magical dolphins to glowing petals. However, it's hard not to reminisce about the seamless, magical blending of animation and live-action in films like the original Mary Poppins, or Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
In spots, Jungle Cruise looks like a poorly-made video game – its live-action films are not the place to look for beautiful animation – and as such, some of the stunts and their stakes are entirely lacklustre. What Jungle Cruise lacks in polish, though, it makes up for in spades thanks to Blunt and Johnson's earnest and impassioned performances.
While the jokey-nickname-teasing-term-of-endearment gag is done to death, the pair play easily off each other – an odd couple to be sure, but one that is surprisingly believable. Blunt's belief in every line she delivers, no matter how hamfisted or silly-sounding, forces you to believe her, too.
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Then, there's MacGregor. Whitehall's casting as Disney's (debatable) first explicitly gay character caused consternation for a few reasons: firstly, Whitehall is not gay and secondly, the character seemed cliché-ridden.
Addressing the latter point, while MacGregor could certainly be viewed as a harmfully stereotypical Gay Best Friend, his clichés smack more of posh and privileged white boy elitism than homophobia, but it's a fuzzy line at best. Without spoiling anything conceptually, the confirmation of the character as gay never once uses the word 'gay' or 'homosexual' or, in fact, any word specifically relating to non-heterosexual romantic attachments.
In some ways, though, the coming out scene was poignant – the tiptoeing around confirmation, using metaphor and innuendo instead of pointed and direct language, waiting to see how the other person will react is a reality for many. As a first step... well, it's at least a first step.
Unfortunately, though, Jungle Cruise can't shake the vague feeling that you've seen this all before; whether in Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Mummy, or any other underdog adventure movie. Even its prominent twist has been done before, and while it's still impactful – in part because it has humour – the film is one that struggles to shine in the long shadow of what came before.
Jungle Cruise will be released in UK and US cinemas on July 30. It will also get a home release on Disney+ Premier Access on the same day.
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Gabriella Geisinger is a freelance film critic and journalist, with a focus on J-drama & film, and the Japanese production industry. She was previously Locations Editor at Screen International and Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy. Her writing can also befound in Curzon, 1883, and more. A born and raised New Yorker, she loves coffee and the colour black, obviously.
