Welcome to the Jungle DVD Review:

Mob retrieval expert Beck (The Rock) has to do one last job before he is square and can be out of the business for good. His boss Walker (Lucking) wants him to go down into the Brazilian rainforest and find his son Travis (Scott). Sounds easy enough but he didn’t count on the jungle, its animals, the rebels who dwell in it and a local mobster called Hatcher (Walken) who owns the area.

The Rock steps up again to claim the action star crown from the kings of the 80s and early 90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone but does ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ have what it takes to let him claim that prize? The answer is no but he does take a giant leap forward towards it.

The ex-wrestling superstar is the best hope for all those fans of muscle-bound action stars that speak little dialogue but can single-handedly take an entire army on their own without even breaking sweat. However, the Rock has something Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme and the rest of them never had, the ability to deliver dialogue. This is a man who can actually act and doesn’t just rely on screen presence and body mass alone, even though he has them in abundance. All he needs is a franchise hit like a Rocky or Terminator to establish him but Welcome to the Jungle is not that film.

This doesn’t make this a bad movie, as it is far from it. The action is first rate as The Rock shows what he can do in some great scenes. The two bar fights are extremely well choreographed and the climatic rumble is first rate. The film also has its share of comedic moments thanks to Seann William Scott. The comic actor moves again into the action genre but injects his own unique humour into the mix. He seems to suit both comedy and action really well and is carving out quite a niche for himself. The mismatched pair works well together, creating good chemistry between the characters.

The pair has good support to accompany them. Villain supremo Christopher Walken gives another fine turn as the South American gold baron Hatcher. The man is a master as these types of roles, suitably over the top and very sinister. Rosario Dawson continues to make a name for herself and proves again that she is not just an extremely pretty face. Ewen Bremner is also good as a barely legible Scottish pilot who provides some comic interludes.

While not setting any new standards in the genre, Welcome to the Jungle (or The Rundown as it was known in the US) is a good, fun action flick that is entertaining throughout but don’t expect it to live long in the memory after the final credits roll.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, this is an excellent transfer, as you’d except from a modern film. The picture quality is really sharp throughout even during the darker jungle scenes. The sound quality is exceptionally good, especially during the energetic fight and stunt sequences. The explosions and stampede scenes during the finale really get the speakers booming.

BONUS FEATURES

Director and Cast Commentary
The Rock and director Peter Berg provide a very chatty and fun commentary track. They discuss Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cameo and how the opening sequence is ripped off from ESPN sports coverage. They then go on to talk about the numerous fights and stunt sequences within the movie, with The Rock revealing that he likes to do as many of his own stunts as he can. Throughout the track they take the Mickey out of Seann William Scott and heap praise upon Christopher Walken.

Producer Commentary
Producers Marc Abraham and Kevin Misher provide a more informative commentary about the making of the movie. They talk about building the Brazilian rainforest town outside of Los Angeles and the process of making it an authentic as possible. The then discuss casting and what it was like working with the great Christopher Walken, including his numerous script ideas. The then reveal that it was a conscious decision to limit the amount of gunplay in the movie and for the sake of the UK sensor, remove head butts from fight sequences.

Rumble in the Jungle (10.33 mins)

Director Peter Berg and stars The Rock, Seann William Scott, Rosario Dawson and Ernie Reyes Jr take you behind the scenes of the stunts and fights of Welcome to the Jungle. We get to see the extensive rehearsal process and the amount of preparation that goes into a fight. The Rock reveals that he like to do most of his own stunts to increase the believability of the film.

The Amazon, Hawaii style (5.28 mins)

Director Peter Berg, producer Kevin Misher and stars The Rock, Seann William Scott and Rosario Dawson reveal that the movie wasn’t actually filmed in the jungles of Brazil but in the rainforests of Hawaii.

Appetite for Destruction (8.21 mins)

Special effects coordinator Burt Dalton, animal trainer Sled Reynolds and stars The Rock, Seann William Scott and Rosario Dawson take you behind the scenes of the climatic bus explosion, the water tower collapse and the cattle stampede.

The Rundown Uncensored: A Rock-umentary (6.06 mins)

Animal trainer Kevin Keith and Kamila take you behind the scenes of the baboon attack and reveal that The Rock got a little closer to Kamila than anyone would have expected.

Running Down the Town (4.10)

Production designer Thomas Duffield shows you how the Brazilian mining town of El Dorado was created next to a nature reserve outside of Los Angeles. He takes you through how they tried to make it as authentic as possible but even after all the hard work the special effects people just went onto destroy it.

Walken’s World (5.34 mins)

Director Peter Berg and The Rock talk about acting the great Christopher Walken. The actor himself discusses the role and we go behind the scenes to watch the man in action.

Deleted Scenes (13.50 mins)

Nine deleted scenes that show more of Ewan Bremner, a longer fight between The Rock and Seann William Scott, an extended fight scene with Seann William Scott and an alternative ending.

Trailers
The full theatrical trailer for Welcome to the Jungle and previews of Big Fish, Gothika, Spider-Man 2, S.W.A.T. and The Missing

OVERALL
Columbia/Tristar have produced another great DVD transfer. The extras are very good, even if the featurettes are a tad sort and could have been joined together as one feature. The commentary tracks are fun and informative but a commentary on the deleted scenes should have been included to tell you why they where cut (Peter Berg does mention some of them in the main commentary however). The picture and sound quality of the main feature are first rate and when you add in a very good selection of bonus features you get a great value DVD that is a must buy for fans of The Rock and a very good rent for everyone else.

DVD Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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