Dwayne Johnson | Screenlife Reviews

Give a raise to the studio exec who came up with the idea of combining Disneyland’s most relaxing, mellow (some might even say boring) ride with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The resulting film plays like a combination of all the best action adventure films – from Brendan Fraser’s Mummy films to Disney’s own Pirates of the Caribbean franchise – with breakneck pacing, non-stop action and two absolutely electric lead performances that will have you rolling in the aisles and punching the air with excitement. While it may get a little long in the tooth and doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the genre, Jungle Cruise does exactly what it sets out to do and takes you on a ride far more wild than the real thing.

When driven scientist Lily Houghton (Blunt) arrives in Brazil with timid brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) in tow, she enlists the services of local Amazon tour guide Frank Wolff (Johnson) to help her locate the Tears of the Moon – petals of an ancient tree with curative properties that could change medicine forever. As the unlikely group venture deeper and deeper into the jungle they must contend with German Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons), hot on their heels in his own search for the Tears as well as the ancient explorer Aguirre (Edgar Ramírez), who has been cursed to live out his days endlessly in the jungle. With nothing but their wits and Frank’s knowledge of the Amazon to guide them, the trio battle against the odds only to discover that the thing they were searching for might not be as important as the bonds they make along the way.

If you’ve ever been on the actual Jungle Cruise ride, you know it to be an avalanche of godawful yet great puns delivered by your “guide” as you cruise along the river eyeballing all sorts of animal-induced craziness. The film does its best to show respect to that original 1955 ride, with Frank throwing out many of the rides’ best puns in a corny introduction to his character; a charming shyster who tricks and scares his tourist clientele to bigger tips by steering them through a gauntlet of fake traps and costumed trickery. It also establishes that fun and light tone that remains a mainstay throughout even the darkest of scenes before Lily arrives in the jungle; bringing with her an army of pursuers hot on her tail that creates chaos for the coming adventure.

From here it is as classic action-adventure as you can get. Sure, the key dynamic between the gruff guide and his two untested sibling charges is pulled straight out of The Mummy – but it works. Johnson, Blunt and Whitehall are all fantastically funny and endearing leads, with great interplay and comedic chemistry between them (even if the romantic chemistry between Johnson and Blunt isn’t as believable). The best parts of the film aren’t the crazy, over-the-top action sequences but the quieter moments on the boat where the trio trade jabs and learn about each other’s pasts and problems. Johnson’s character has a fair amount of depth to him, as opposed to a lot of his other roles where he is reduced to the infallible muscle, and he has fun with the image of himself as the action hero. He still gets those heroic moments, but he stumbles along the way: a refreshing, self-deprecating turn for one of the action genre’s biggest (literally) stars.

And there is a lot of action. German submarines destroying villages, cursed conquistadors chasing our heroes through native villages and one particularly playful Jaguar destroying everything in sight in a bar brawl. Again it’s all done with a light, playful tone and Lily and Frank’s constant bickering throughout does a lot to alleviate the boredom that could have set in with endless CGI explosions. For the most part, the action is fun and exciting but there is the occasional sequence that almost seems to exist simply for the sake of having an action set-piece to shake things up.

Edgar Ramírez’ cursed conquistador is essentially a duplicate of Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean, right down to his relationship with Frank, but unlike Geoffrey Rush’s classic character – who still managed to be fun whilst menacing – never comes across as anything other than another CGI baddie to take down. A meaningless obstacle rather than the truly terrifying threat the film would have you believe. Thankfully Jesse Plemon’s German prince of a villain is an absolute riot with his almost intentionally bad accent and strange idiosyncrasies. It is a performance that is a mish-mash of inspirations – from Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained to the stereotypical villains of classic cinema – as Joachim breaks into song before unleashing a machine gun salvo and offers meaningless pleasantries before every evildoing. Out of place in almost any other modern film, but a perfect fit for the lighthearted, early 1900’s set shenanigans of Jungle Cruise.

Free from the complex lore of its other Disney ride contemporary Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise is able to just have fun with its characters and Amazonian setting, throwing audiences into the thick of things instead of floating past like the ride it is based on. The chemistry of Blunt, Johnson and Whitehall is without a doubt the film’s greatest strength, carrying you through all the CGI action and over-the-top craziness with genuinely endearing and layered characters. Some lacklustre villains and shaky CGI might distract at times, but it is never enough to throw things truly off course. All aboard, next stop Thunder Mountain.

Jungle Cruise stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti, Veronica Falcón & Edgar Ramírez – In cinemas and streaming on Disney+ with Premier Access now.

8/10

Does anyone remember the original The Fast and the Furious all those years ago? The tale of an undercover cop infiltrating a street racing ring on the coast of California was a fresh and exciting bit of action that went on to be a huge hit. It gave the people what they wanted at the time, featuring a cast of rough yet likeable outsiders, neon-lit Japanese cars and a decent sprinkling of action here and there to keep things interesting. I start here as it’s easy to forget those early days with how far the series has come since, as the franchise now pumps out some of cinema’s biggest action blockbusters with no end in sight. Following the record-breaking 8th instalment, Fast & Furious has just delivered its first-ever spinoff with Hobbs & Shaw, aiming to give the series a chance to experiment and shake up the formula after almost 20 years. I can tell you that, while what we’ve received is certainly different from what we’ve all come to expect from the franchise, it’s still the same charged-up adrenaline shot at its core – only a whole lot more furious.

This outing sees Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham reprise their respective roles as the hulking American Diplomatic Security operative Luke Hobbs and ex-villainous British black-ops agent Deckard Shaw, with the two taking centre stage here for the first time. Hobbs has become a series regular since entering the scene in Fast 5, and Johnson has no problem in moving his character up into lead position. His spot as one of the headliners also shifts the tone of Hobbs & Shaw from what we’d usually get from a Fast & Furious movie, with the comedy and laughs constantly flowing. Not one to shy away from the spotlight himself, Shaw completes the titular duo with Statham bringing his trademark clean-cut British bruiser style to the role in spades. Shaw gets far more screentime than what he’s been given in the series before, fitting into the action perfectly like one of his own finely tailored suits. Despite their differences, the two have a decent amount of chemistry – at least enough to carry an action movie through its paces. While at times seeming like a drawn-out contest to prove who’s top dog, their relationship develops and alters over the course of their wild and explosive ride.

Centre to their mission is the film’s third lead, Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby). As her name suggests, Hattie is the younger sister of Deckard, and she’s found herself dead in the sights of a high-tech underground cell, who are (of course) out looking to end the world in some way or another. Kirby does very well with the role, not afraid to jump into the action at a moment’s notice to prove she’s more than just a token damsel in distress. She helps keep her counterparts grounded and in check, with her relationship between both male leads giving all three heroes a clear purpose and goal. Rounding out the film’s big names is Idris Elba, who plays the cybernetic supersoldier and self-titled “bad guy” Brixton Lore. Elba gives the role his best, but he’s been given some pretty average dialogue and limited time on screen, both of which work to restrict what could have otherwise been a pretty interesting villain. Brixton’s sci-fi, almost cyborg enhancements and abilities also highlight that the spinoff entry isn’t afraid to take the Fast and Furious series down new and unexplored roads.

On that note, you’ll find that this entry isn’t particularly big on its cars, at least compared to the role they’ve played throughout the franchise’s history. There’s not a single epic drag race to be seen, and there’s really only one noteworthy ride on show throughout the entire movie. Instead, Hobbs & Shaw goes hard on the laughs, sliding at least a hint of comedy into almost all of its scenes. Even tense and serious moments are generally undercut with some scathing banter between friend and foe alike – plus there’s several one-liners and a few big name cameos sprinkled throughout purely to get the audience going. It all works to the film’s credit, and it helps to remind us that it’s not taking itself too seriously. This sort of self-awareness certainly doesn’t hurt it either, as the action scenes in this movie are straight-up outrageous. You’ll be rolling your eyes as our heroes leap from skyscrapers, launch vehicles through walls and pull helicopters from the sky – but you’ll do it with a laugh. Hobbs & Shaw is absolutely bonkers, and it knows it.

You’ll have a great time if you don’t think too hard about how all the on-screen action is possible, otherwise the fully stacked two and a half hour run can start to come apart. There’s quite a few scenes and plot decisions that make very little sense other than to move us along to the next adrenaline rush, with special mention given to the final third of the movie where any remaining believability is quickly cast away. The camera work and effects keep up pretty well for the most part – especially when crafting the bedlam on screen – however there are a few rough patches where it’s fairly clear that our heroes aren’t as deep in the action as the cameras would like us to believe. Though with all this being said, it still reads like the summary of any other big action blockbuster – and it’ll be just as successful as most. No one is going into this kind of film expecting sweeping, dramatic performances or drawn out emotional scenes. We roll in to switch off and see some action heroes wreck fast cars, knock some heads together and generally get around blowing things up. If Hobbs & Shaw wants to deliver all this to us with a bunch of laughs on the side, we’re hardly going to turn them down.

A bunch of fun for those who know what they’re getting into, Hobbs & Shaw is definitely one of the biggest action movies to arrive this year. While not quite reaching the same level of polish and heart of some of the earlier entries into the series, the spinoff’s fresh cast and comedic approach help it to carve out its own successful piece of the franchise. It certainly won’t do anything to convert those not already faithful – but if you find yourself looking for an outrageous, globetrotting action joyride, then buckle up and let Hobbs & Shaw show you how it’s done.

Hobbs & Shaw stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba, Eiza González and Helen Mirren – In cinemas now.