Episode 65: Pirates of the Caribbean & Jungle Cruise

Cinema in Context

Disney theme park films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Jungle Cruise (2021) and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), two action adventure films based on Disney theme park rides of the same names. We begin the discussion by focusing on Jungle Cruise, reflecting upon the circumstances of how we each saw the film, and then very quickly comparing it to Pirates of the Caribbean. We hark back to the heyday of DVDs, when Pirates of the Caribbean had just been released, alongside films like Transformers (2007) and The Incredibles (2003), and discuss the film in both context of its time and how it has aged over time. Our discussion then focuses on specific elements of Pirates of the Caribbean, including the direction of Gore Verbinski, the score headed up by Hans Zimmer, the on-the-fly writing of Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, including connections and comparisons to Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone, and the LucasArts Monkey Island game series. We then discuss the writing and cast of Jungle Cruise, including connections to The African Queen, and Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, and the great work of Emily Blunt, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jessie Plemons and Jack Whitehall. Our conversation then focuses on Jack Whitehall's gay character, with his coming out in the world of the film and the allegiance of Emily Blunt's character, and a discussion around the representation of a gay character played by a straight actor. We reflect upon other Disney gay characters, including the live action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, with LeFou, and Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, with two unnamed background characters, and then consider Jungle Cruise and how they present a gay character in Jack Whitehall. We then talk to the chemistry between the characters in Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. Our chat then compares Jungle Cruise to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), The Mummy (1999), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Romancing the Stone (1984) and Apocalypse Now (1979). Our discussion then moves into a conversation about the music of Jungle Cruise, including Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters". We then consider the scariness of both films, including Edgar Ramírez' character and the skeletons of Pirates of the Caribbean. We then look back at Gore Verbinski's films, including The Lone Ranger (2013), The Ring (2002), The Cure for Wellness (2016), Rango (2011) and Mousehunt (1997),and also looking back at Jaume Collet-Serra's films The Shallows (2016), The Commuter (2018), Orphan (2009) and House of Wax (2005).