Jungle Cruise (2021)
My favorite ride in Disneyland is the Jungle Cruise, so it was a cinch that I would see the corresponding film. I had low expectations, since I knew The African Queen was the basis for the ride back in 1955. A modern movie just couldn’t hold a candle, right? Well, yes; the story bears no resemblance to the 1951 classic, but it was very enjoyable all the same. In this unrelated film, Emily Blunt stars as an Indiana Jones/Lara Croft action explorer on a quest to find magical healing petals in the jungles of South America. She has a map and an artifact to guide her, and she brings her foppish brother, Jack Whitehall, along, for no other reason than so the audience can laugh at his incompetence. Chartering a run-down boat and a shady skipper, Dwayne Johnson, she soon discovers nothing is as it seems on the river. There are many twists and turns, no pun intended, that are exciting and unpredictable.
As someone who has seen The African Queen more than thirty times, I was extremely happy to see all the little touches in the film that paid homage to the original inspiration of the Jungle Cruise ride. Johnson’s striped shirt, hat, and kerchief nearly matched Humphrey Bogart’s costume. Blunt’s character name was Lily Houghton; Katharine Hepburn’s character name was Rose, and her real-life middle name was Houghton. Little details like kicking the engine, tying a rag over the pipe after coming under German gunfire, describing the rapids as “exhilarating”, and the close relationship between the heroine and her brother. I noticed them immediately, but it was even nicer to discover that Disney included them on purpose.
I’m sure every modern adult in the audience loved this movie. There’s an abundance of modern humor, including the “bad” jokes that the Disneyland ride guides tell to the folks on the boat. While no part of the dialogue really belongs in the 1916 setting, audience members who don’t care about historical accuracy won’t care. There are awkward pauses, sarcastic quips, and superfluous teasing, all of which belong to 2021’s style of humor. On a minor note, the Disney corporation is on a recent crusade to be inclusive to everyone, and yet there was a stereotypical “Stromboli mobster” villain played by Paul Giamatti, as well as puns making fun of a cross-eyed woman. Just because another character says, “That’s not funny,” in response to the jokes, doesn’t mean children in the audience won’t still laugh. It doesn’t seem very inclusive to ridicule someone with cross-eyes, when clearly the audience is supposed to laugh at the jokes.
Speaking of influencing children, there’s a scene (that some would argue is unnecessary in length or at all) in which Whitehall confesses his homosexuality. Once again belonging to Disney’s latest “inclusive” crusade, it really has no place in the story. To small children who wouldn’t understand what Whitehall was talking about, it forces a discussion between them and their parents; I can only imagine the frustration of unsuspecting parents who thought Jungle Cruise would be a harmless movie to show their children. There’s another lengthy scene filled with thinly-veiled sexual innuendo regarding the handling of a spear. The double entendre will undoubtedly make adult parents chuckle and feel slightly titillated, but the jokes have absolutely no place in a Disney children’s movie. There are also three villains whose appearances are extremely gruesome: they are zombie-like ghosts who have been cursed to the jungle because their own quests to capture the magical petals failed. One is covered in a massive swarm of bees, and another has snakes surrounding him from head to toe. The fellow with the snakes is particularly frightening, because the snakes often swim around under his skin and contort his facial features. I’m in my thirties, and even I had nightmares after watching this movie.
All in all, Jungle Cruise was very entertaining. I am an adult viewer, so I could keep up with the action, the fast-paced humor, and the connection to the original ride. But it’s not for children. It’s too scary, it’s too sexual, and as much action that Disney tried to jampack into two hours, I can’t help thinking little kids would be bored by historical legends and quests. Adults, you’ll probably go see it twice.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The very beginning has lots of swirling camera movements, and throughout the film there are a few swirls to keep a lookout for, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to gruesome characters and sexual innuendo, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
More Emily Blunt movies here!
As someone who has seen The African Queen more than thirty times, I was extremely happy to see all the little touches in the film that paid homage to the original inspiration of the Jungle Cruise ride. Johnson’s striped shirt, hat, and kerchief nearly matched Humphrey Bogart’s costume. Blunt’s character name was Lily Houghton; Katharine Hepburn’s character name was Rose, and her real-life middle name was Houghton. Little details like kicking the engine, tying a rag over the pipe after coming under German gunfire, describing the rapids as “exhilarating”, and the close relationship between the heroine and her brother. I noticed them immediately, but it was even nicer to discover that Disney included them on purpose.
I’m sure every modern adult in the audience loved this movie. There’s an abundance of modern humor, including the “bad” jokes that the Disneyland ride guides tell to the folks on the boat. While no part of the dialogue really belongs in the 1916 setting, audience members who don’t care about historical accuracy won’t care. There are awkward pauses, sarcastic quips, and superfluous teasing, all of which belong to 2021’s style of humor. On a minor note, the Disney corporation is on a recent crusade to be inclusive to everyone, and yet there was a stereotypical “Stromboli mobster” villain played by Paul Giamatti, as well as puns making fun of a cross-eyed woman. Just because another character says, “That’s not funny,” in response to the jokes, doesn’t mean children in the audience won’t still laugh. It doesn’t seem very inclusive to ridicule someone with cross-eyes, when clearly the audience is supposed to laugh at the jokes.
Speaking of influencing children, there’s a scene (that some would argue is unnecessary in length or at all) in which Whitehall confesses his homosexuality. Once again belonging to Disney’s latest “inclusive” crusade, it really has no place in the story. To small children who wouldn’t understand what Whitehall was talking about, it forces a discussion between them and their parents; I can only imagine the frustration of unsuspecting parents who thought Jungle Cruise would be a harmless movie to show their children. There’s another lengthy scene filled with thinly-veiled sexual innuendo regarding the handling of a spear. The double entendre will undoubtedly make adult parents chuckle and feel slightly titillated, but the jokes have absolutely no place in a Disney children’s movie. There are also three villains whose appearances are extremely gruesome: they are zombie-like ghosts who have been cursed to the jungle because their own quests to capture the magical petals failed. One is covered in a massive swarm of bees, and another has snakes surrounding him from head to toe. The fellow with the snakes is particularly frightening, because the snakes often swim around under his skin and contort his facial features. I’m in my thirties, and even I had nightmares after watching this movie.
All in all, Jungle Cruise was very entertaining. I am an adult viewer, so I could keep up with the action, the fast-paced humor, and the connection to the original ride. But it’s not for children. It’s too scary, it’s too sexual, and as much action that Disney tried to jampack into two hours, I can’t help thinking little kids would be bored by historical legends and quests. Adults, you’ll probably go see it twice.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The very beginning has lots of swirling camera movements, and throughout the film there are a few swirls to keep a lookout for, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to gruesome characters and sexual innuendo, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.
More Emily Blunt movies here!