Jungle (2017)

“I told my parents I’d be back in a year, but I don’t think I’m ever going back. ” – Yossi

Number of Times Seen – 1 (26 Nov 2017)

Brief Synopsis – A young man traveling through South America goes on a trek with friends to uncharted areas of the Amazon where things get more dangerous when one of them in injured.

My Take on it – When my good friend Damien from Riley on Film and Riley Central suggested I watch this film, I had never even heard of it.

His recommendation stated that he thought it was the kind of film I’d like plus it’s based on a true story about an Israeli (where I live).

These issues gave me a greater reason to do a bit of research on what the film was about and I was immediately hooked.

I actually pushed off the next film I planned to watch in order to replace it with this film.

I was enthralled from the beginning because they do a great job helping us understand the characters and what they are seeking by traveling to the far reaches of the Earth.

The story itself is quite moving and inspirational and it comes across as feeling quite realistic.

They are able to keep the tension level quite high and being aware of the true aspects of the story helps make the tension even more impactful for the viewer.

I’m personally not the biggest fan of Daniel Radcliffe (post-Harry Potter), but he actually did a fine job here in the lead despite the fact that his compatriots always tower so high above him.

They are able to deal with some great issues about life, choices and of course the quest to seek out new and exciting things in the world.

The best part of this film tho is the fact that it allows us all to use our imagination trying to see ourselves in similar circumstances and dreaming of how and what we would do to survive in such a situation.

Bottom Line – Very moving and inspirational story that works really well. The tension is kept quite high and knowing that this is based on a true story makes it even more impactful. Radcliffe is quite good here despite a few moments where too many of the other characters tower over him. The issues dealt with here are really interesting to follow and it constantly will make everyone imagine how they would act given similar circumstances. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – In order to portray this extreme form of starvation accurately on screen, Daniel Radcliffe starved himself in real life too. While speaking to The Telegraph, Radcliffe revealed that he survived on a diet of one chicken breast and one protein bar per day, supplemented by copious amounts of coffee and cigarettes. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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