JASON EVANS' 100-WORD REVIEWS: Jungle Cruise

 Familiar but fun

Film Critic Jason Evans makes it his business to tell you everything you need to know about movies in less time than it takes to reheat last night’s leftovers. His reviews are exactly 100 words (not 99, not 101). Here is his 100 word review of Jungle Cruise.

The Premise: There is a legend that somewhere, hidden deep in the Amazon jungle, is the Tree of Life. The flowers from the Tree will heal any injury or disease. Scientist Dr. Lilly Houghton (Emily Blunt) believes the legends are real so she takes her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) to Brazil to search for it. She hires a local riverboat captain Frank Wolff (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to take them on their journey. But, Lilly isn’t the only believer searching for the Tree. A German Prince (Jesse Plemons) is also in hot pursuit.

The 100 Words: This film really wants to be another Pirates of the Caribbean -- with some Tarzan and Indiana Jones mixed in -- but it all just feels too obvious and derivative to reach the heights of those classics. The story is propelled along by some nice action set pieces, but whenever it feels like a moment of true tension or mystery is coming the story undercuts it with humor… humor that often falls flat. Blunt and Johnson are charismatic but Plemmons is a cartoonish villain who never feels menacing or interesting. This is a classic “fine but forgettable” kind of film.

Reach out to Jason Evans on Twitter @JasonDukeEvans

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