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Parents' Guide to

Jungle Cruise

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Ride-based adventure is fun, if predictable; peril, scares.

Movie PG-13 2021 127 minutes
Jungle Cruise Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 33 parent reviews

KidFriendlyEdits
KidFriendlyEdits Parent of 8 and 11-year-old
August 13, 2022
age 10+

Turn it off about an hour in...

Wow, what a mess. Not even sure where to begin with this one. It starts off fine, like an Indiana Jones knock-off, but then it just becomes weird and overly complicated. My kids checked out before the end, they were just bored to tears. The first half was genuinely funny but the second half doesn't have one laugh. It's really mystifying, almost like the 2 halves were made by completely different people. About halfway through, one character comes out as gay for seemingly no reason, there's a snake-man, a bee-man, a tree-man and, I think, a mud-man for no other reason than to be more like one of the Pirates movies, Emily Blunt's heavily caked makeup is distracting in every scene, and the special effects are downright awful with not one genuinely believable animal (all of the animals are CGI). The only objectionable stuff is some innuendo which wasn't funny at all and kind of cringe. My kids ended up hating it and so did I.
Fiamancinidurrett
Fiamancinidurrett Parent of 11-year-old
January 22, 2022
age 9+

Action and adventure

Great family movie with lots of fun topics. Although mabey to violent for younger ones
See all 33 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Set in 1916, JUNGLE CRUISE opens with bold botanist Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) stealing an Amazonian arrowhead from an elite -- and anti-woman -- British explorers' club. The artifact is supposed to lead Houghton to a mysterious location on the Amazon River where legendary healing flowers bloom on an ancient tree. Lily and her brother, MacGregor (Jack Whitehall), head to the Amazon and hire brash skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) to guide them on the perilous river trip. Along the way, Lily and Frank must avoid not only the natural dangers of the Amazon but also a villainous German prince (Jesse Plemons) who's also searching for the tree, as well as a group of Spanish conquistadores who need the flower's petals to reverse their immortal curse.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (33 ):
Kids say (68 ):

The irresistibly charming stars help make this adventurous, occasionally swashbuckling ride adaptation amusing, if not as memorable as The Mummy or Pirates of the Caribbean. Johnson can make nearly any character likable; here, Frank's silly, punny jokes are also a fun nod to the Disney ride's vibe. Blunt, likewise, is ideally cast as the pioneering Dr. Houghton. Lily bucks social mores of the time by having a job and a Ph.D., knowing how to defend herself, and even wearing trousers (Frank calls her "Pants"). She also has a refreshingly close relationship with her brother, who's posh and fussy but is still willing to follow her into murky, life-threatening situations. Other members of the cast are underused -- like Paul Giamatti as a local riverboat mogul and Edgar Ramirez as head conquistador Aguirre -- or they overact, like Plemons' caricature of a sociopathic German villain, Prince Joachim.

The movie's landscaping and production art are vibrant and immersive, and director Jaume Collet-Serra should be applauded for making sure to organically include themes of gender, class, and discrimination against the Amazonian natives -- without being preachy. Still, the movie's portrayal of those natives is a bit cringey, even if the movie course-corrects to subvert the same stereotypes it initially seems to be perpetuating. Luckily, Blunt and Johnson cheerfully elevate the story enough to make audiences gloss over some of the screenplay's missteps and enjoy the ride.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the level of violence in Jungle Cruise. Does stylized or fantasy violence impact viewers differently than more realistic violence?

  • How do Lily's actions convey that she is both brave and smart? Do you consider her a role model? What character strengths does she demonstrate?

  • How is drinking depicted in the movie? Are there consequences for any character's drinking? Why does that matter?

  • Did you notice any stereotypes in the film? Why is the initial depiction of the Native Amazonians problematic? Is it excused by the fact that the tribe is in on the joke/plan?

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