Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Jungle

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Lifeless approach to true survival story has iffy stuff.

Movie R 2017 115 minutes
Jungle Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 17+

Watch til the end.

I watched this movie because I love Daniel Radcliffe. This movie tested my stress level. There is so much stress associated with this journey that I felt like I was there. I loved the actors. The end of the movie is worth the gaps in the storyline. Amazing. Emotional. Incredible.
age 12+

Action Packed True story

Something to watch with your pre teens, I dont think little ones will understand the concept. This is a true story about desperation and seeking God for help.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Exploitation director Greg McLean chooses a numbingly middling approach to tell this true exploration story; the movie is too blunt to be sympathetic but also too careful to be thrilling. Even as Jungle begins with its most innocuous scenes, McLean adopts a short attention-span approach, cutting every couple of seconds and creating a monotonous rhythm, a blur of movements and events. It feels too controlled for anything to happen organically. It never slows down long enough for viewers to get to know the characters, nor does it speed up enough to achieve a decent pace.

Frankly it's surprising that McLean, whose previous movies (including Wolf Creek and The Belko Experiment) have pushed the envelope for gore, should tone down Jungle, as if attempting to respect its true story ... or trying to elevate his career to some degree of credibility. By the time the movie gets to its climax, with Yossi alone in the jungle and doing whatever it takes to survive, it fails to be either shocking or thrilling. It's merely uncomfortable. Give Radcliffe credit, though, for his demanding physical performance; post-Harry Potter, he continues to select challenging projects.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate