When I first heard that Disney were making a film based on the classic ride, I wasn't sure what to think. However, I have always loved the Pirates of the Carribean series, so thought, maybe it will be good? 

Our friends had also seen this film when it first came out and said it was better than they thought. So after seeing it was put onto Disney+, we thought why not give it a go.

Well, I'm so glad that we did. I really enjoyed this film. From the casting to the action-packed scenes, the 2-hour duration of the film flew by. With Jumanji/POTC vibes (the classic, better Jumanji by the way), it is full to the brim with puns (like those off of the ride!), a fun and entertaining plot and cheesy-but-great CGI. 

The ride is one of my absolute favourites whenever I'm fortunate enough to get to Florida, so I knew what some of this film could include. However, the world-building throughout Jungle Cruise makes it so much more than just a simple boat ride. 

The plot of the movie is based around Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) who travels to the Amazon to find an ancient tree that holds the power to heal (similar to that of the flower in Tangled). Hiring the comedic skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), they head down the river with Lily's brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) with plenty of mishaps along the way.

I think this is a good addition to Disney's live-action series. Although I was hesitant at first, I think that it's a fun-filled family-friendly film that's got the right level of child-friendly scenes with some adult jokes/action scenes throughout. Although there are parts that are arguably a little cheesy in places (take Jesse Plemons' character Prince Joachim for example), the film as a whole is great and one that I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of Disney.

I was, however, happy that I have previously ridden the ride, as the puns that the Rock says at the start of the film really made me laugh and took me back to my past holidays at the Magic Kingdom. Of course, you don't have to have visited Florida/Disneyland/Tokyo Disneyland. But I do think it helped in terms of knowing what the story was originally based on. 

Interested in the Jungle Cruise? See the trailer below:

Image courtesy of : https://theplaylist.net/