Cruise Through These 10 Adventure Flicks Next!
Jungle Cruise is a rip roaring good time, a fun adventure flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously and delivers on both charm and action. It’s certainly one of the better summer blockbusters of the year so far. If you’ve finished streaming this one and are looking for alternative movies – fret not. We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks. Of course for all the movies we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full review. So without further ado, we present 10 movies to check out when you’ve finished watching Jungle Cruise!
Finding ‘Ohana
With a distinct family vibe and a mixture of danger, light quips and treasure hunting, Finding Ohana is a fun but formulaic adventure for the whole family. Thrill-seeker Pili begins the movie with an exhilarating bike ride, a dazzling sequence that immediately introduces us to the world of geocaching, a modern-day outdoor treasure hunt. Pili is forced to join her family in Hawaii for the summer, where she soon finds herself on the hunt for a long-lost Peruvian treasure. You can read our thoughts on Finding Ohana in our review here!
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is arguably the best Indiana Jones movie and the plot here takes place deep in the heart of 1936. Venturing out into the jungles, the opening to Lost Ark is one of the best in any mainstream movie. After an exhilarating chase sequence, Jones catches wind of a biblical artifact known as The Ark of the Covenant. This inevitably sends Indie off galivanting across the globe from Nepal to Egypt on the hunt for this prize. The only trouble is, a band of Nazis are also on the hunt too. Well written, beautifully paced and undeniably timeless, Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the quintessential adventure movies.
The Goonies
The Goonies is a great Steven Spielberg movie. It’s a wonderful adventure in its own right but one that stands the test of time thanks to its characters and thrilling segments. The story centers around a group of young misfits called The Goonies, who discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure together. Their prize is a legendary pirate’s long-lost treasure. Along the way, The Goonies throws up a number of memorable encounters, tapping into all the hallmarks of great adventure movies.
Tomb Raider
Based on the story driven rebooted Tomb Raider game back in 2013, the story here sees a young Lara Croft struggling to make ends meet. She’s also grappling with the disappearance of her father who’s been declared dead by everyone around her. After uncovering a puzzle that could provide some clues to his disappearance, Lara ends up on an expedition to Hong Kong in search of answers. As an action film, Tomb Raider is surprisingly well done and delivers enough adventure and drama to make for an enjoyable watch. You can read our thoughts on Tomb Raider in our review here!
National Treasure
National Treasure is a typical cat and mouse adventure, one that essentially feels like a mash-up of Mission Impossible and Indiana Jones – and it works surprisingly well! The story centers on Benjamin Franklin Gates, a treasure hunter who learns about a national treasure from his grandfather. The treasure is stashed somewhere in the US and the clues leading to the treasure chest is cyphered and scattered all over the country. There are the usual twists and turns along the way but National Treasure does a pretty decent job delivering a fun adventure for the whole family.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
This sequel/reboot of the beloved 1995 hit movie Jumanji is surprisingly good. Changing the setting to a videogame and modernizing the franchise works wonders to wisely sidestep what Robin Williams and co. achieved in the 90’s. The result is a fun adventure where four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game. In doing so, they find themselves adopting avatars that are the exact opposite of their current high-school selves. Once they get accustomed to their newfound situation, the quartet are forced to work together in a bid to finish the game and escape this reality. While it doesn’t hold a candle to the original, Welcome to the Jungle is still good fun.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Similar to Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean is based on the Disney ride of the same name. It’s also one of the best pirate movies too. Despite its lengthy run-time, Pirates never runs out of steam and manages to enthrall from start to finish with its story. The film is full of danger, hair-raising twists and memorable one-liners, topped off with a solid dose of swashbuckling swordplay. At the heart of this lies Elizabeth Swan, the governor’s daughter. When she’s kidnapped by pirates, it’s up to blacksmith Will Turner and notorious pirate Captain Jack Sparrow to save her life.
The Mummy
The Mummy is a quintessential adventure movie, leaning into the campiness of its story, action set pieces and comedy – much to its benefit. This is a film that’s absolutely stood the test of time and it’s every bit as enjoyable now as it was back in 1999. Lying at the heart of this flick is the ancient city of Hammunaptra. An American serving in the French Foreign Legion called Rick accidentally awakens a mummy (Prince Imhotep) there, who goes on to wreak havoc across Egypt. With big plans to reincarnate his long-lost love and plague Egypt too, it falls to scholar Evelyn, her brother and Rick to stop Imhotep before it’s too late.
The Fountain
The Fountain is a clever movie and one that really ought to be watched a few times to appreciate its intricate storylines. In essence, The Fountain merges three different stories together. The first follows Tomas, a 16th century Conquistador on a hunt through a hidden Mayan temple of the mythical Tree of Life. His Queen, Isabel, is desperate for immortality. In 2005, Doctor Tom searches for a cure to cancer in order to save the life of his wife, who just so happens to be Isabel. The third takes place 500 years later with Tom traveling through space on a quest to reach the place of tranquility his wife spoke about. There’s a lot going on in this movie and the fascinating themes and ideas make it a lot deeper than Jungle Cruise, but undoubtedly similar in its search for the Tree of Life.
The African Queen
The African Queen is a quintessential classic, with a healthy dose of romcom shenanigans and action. The story revolves around Rose Sayer, a woman offered safe passage across Africa during WWI by a dissolute steamer captain called Charlie Allnut. Dissatisfied with what’s happened to her brother, she tries to persuade the captain to destroy a German gunboat. Ironically, the pair end up fighting with each other more than the Germans. This clever film is more a character study than an outright action flick but the way it handles its two leads – and the chemistry they share – is partly why this film works so well. So there we have it, our 10 movie picks to keep you busy after watching Jungle Cruise on Disney+! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!