Full of action packed fight scenes and incredibly realistic visual effects, Jungle Cruise is easily one of the best movies of 2021. It effortlessly adds a modern and sci-fi twist to a historical setting. It also manages to mix the genres of action/adventure, comedy, and even romance. Not to mention that you can easily stream it on Disney+! 

The movie stars award-winning actors Dwayne Johnson (Frank Wolff) and Emily Blunt (Dr. Lily Houghton). The two set out on an adventure to find an ancient tree in the Amazon, which produces flowers that supposedly can cure any illness. Dr. Houghton is especially ambitious as she recognizes the good that could be done, while Frank is rather skeptical. Regardless, the two must hurry before the tree’s gift is found by ghost-like conquistadors who don’t intend on using the tree’s powers for good. Along the way, they encounter these paranormal conquistadors and must fight to make it to the healing tree first. 

Dr. Houghton and Frank Wolff also begin to fall for one another as the movie progresses, mixing in a hint of romance. As soon as the two characters are introduced to one another, the chemistry and tension is palpable. They are playful with one another, with Wolff referring to Houghton as “Pants” and her referring to him as “Skippy”. I don’t want to spoil too much, so you’ll just have to watch for yourself! 

We’ve all watched old horror movies where the visual effects are clearly fake; however, the visual effects in Jungle Cruise are incredibly believable! In one scene, a snake is shown going in and out of a conquistador’s face. In another scene, several people turn into stone because of the conquistadors’ ghostly abilities. These are just a couple examples, so be prepared to “Ooh!” and “Ah!” at the visual effects. Despite the chaos, viewers may find themselves wishing that the movie was real life. In the middle of a terrible pandemic that has claimed more than 700,000 lives in the United States alone, a tree with healing powers sounds pretty great. Of course, this legend is not true, but Jungle Cruise has the potential to inspire its audience to take other initiatives to end this pandemic.