"Jungle Cruise" a light-footed adventure that coasts on movie-star charm
Jungle Cruise (2021) Just like “The Country Bears,” “The Haunted Mansion,” and the five “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies before it, “Jungle Cruise” is based on a Disneyland attraction with animatronics. Unlike “The Country Bears,” this isn’t the worst idea for a feature film based on a theme park ride, and movie star charm goes a long way here toward making it a frivolous but rousing romp. Harkening back to the good ol’ days of the summer blockbuster, this is a light-footed, eager-to-please adventure yarn modeled after matinee serials, which were also usually reliant on the charisma and repartee of its starry headliners. Getting around in where it borrows from, besides the ride itself—including “The African Queen,” “The Mummy” (the 1999 one with Brendan Fraser, not that Tom Cruise-starring Dark Universe nonsense) and, of all things, “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”—“Jungle Cruise” is just fun enough. Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson are charming together, bickering and sharin...