Jungle Cruise
Set aside your skepticism. Pretend you’re a kid visiting Disney World for the first time.
Emily Blunt is clearly the most dynamic actress working today. Here she plays Dr. Lily Houghton, an English scientist searching the Amazon in World War II for an ancient tree whose leaves can cure any illness. Teaming up with her brother (Jack Whitehall) and boat captain (Dwayne Johnson) who thinks he is a stand-up comic they try to avoid a pursuing Nazi (Jesse Plemons) while trying to survive in the jungle.
With A Quiet Place Part II still playing in the theater, Ms. Blunt gives energy and style to a completely different character. Taking care of a brother trying to hide his homosexuality, she duels with The Rock in nearly every scene. He calls her “Pants” because of her attire, and she mocks him with the name “Skippy”.
This film provides the audience with a surprising great adventure. The special effects are at times dazzling as you watch an old boat nearly sink as it confronts rapids and a dangerous waterfall.
As he demonstrated in Fighting with My Family (2019), The Rock has proven to be a very capable actor. His spirited relationship with Ms. Blunt elevates this movie far beyond what many of you would otherwise expect. Taking place in 1917, it is not afraid to confront the treatment of women as second-class citizens in the Halls of London.
Sure, this is a kid’s movie, but I saw it alone and enjoyed every minute. Buy a ticket. You won’t regret it.
