Jungle Cruise Ending Explained [SPOILER!]

SPOILER ALERT: the following article contains massive spoilers, including the ending. If you have not yet seen the movie, proceed at your own risk, or better, come back to this article later!

Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles but with a supernatural element.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Jungle Cruise Plot Summary and Synopsis

In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors, led by Don Aguirre travel to South America in search of the Tears of the Moon, a mythical tree whose petals can cure any illness, heal any injury, and lift any curse. After most of the men die in the jungle, the survivors are nursed back to health by a local tribe using the tree petals.

When they refuse to reveal the location of the tree, the Spanish destroy the village, and as punishment are cursed to never die and never be able to leave sight of the river.

In 1916, Dr. Lily Houghton and her brother MacGregor detail Lily’s research on the Tears of the Moon to an association of Royal Society explorers, explaining that the petals could revitalize medicine and aid in the British war effort. The siblings request access to an arrowhead recovered by Dr. Albert Falls that Lily believes is key to locating the tree.

When the association denies their request, believing the tree to be a myth and a female scientist unqualified to join their ranks, Lily steals the arrowhead instead. She narrowly avoids Prince Joachim, a German aristocrat who also wants the arrowhead and the tree.

In South America, Frank Wolff takes tourists on jungle river cruises, which he embellishes with fake dangers and corny jokes. When his boat engine is repossessed by businessman Nilo, he attempts to steal it back. Caught in the act by Lily, Frank pretends to be Nilo and arrogantly tells her that the Tears of the Moon is a myth and that she will not be able to handle the dangers of the jungle but changes his attitude when he notices that Lily has the arrowhead.

Frank’s deception is revealed when the real Nilo shows up, but Lily hires Frank anyway after he underbids Nilo and bravely fights a wild jaguar.

Frank, Lily, and MacGregor depart on Frank’s boat but are almost intercepted by Nilo attempting to get his engine back, mercenaries hired by Joachim to retrieve the arrowhead from Lily, and Joachim himself attacking in a German submarine. After they make their escape, it is revealed that the attacking jaguar was Frank’s pet Proxima, and Lily wonders if Frank can be trusted.

Joachim locates the cursed conquistadors, whose bodies have turned to stone due to them traveling too far from the river, and have been infested over time by tree roots, snakes, and insects. Joachim frees them by diverting the river and offers to help them break the curse if they help him to retrieve the arrowhead.

As Frank, Lily, and MacGregor continue down the river, they become closer. MacGregor reveals to Frank that he was nearly disowned by his family due to being gay, but Lily stood by him.

Breaking into Frank’s cabin, Lily finds photos and drawings of new inventions such as the automobile but also discovers drawings of the arrowhead and research on the Tears of the Moon. Lily accuses Frank of wanting the tree for himself, but he explains he gave up searching for it a long time ago and believed it couldn’t be found. They are attacked by a tribe of “cannibals” who demand the arrowhead, but this is revealed to be another deception by Frank working with a friendly tribe.

Frank apologizes and says he was unable to call off the plan, but Lily rebuffs him. Trader Sam, the tribe’s female leader, translates the writing on the arrowhead, revealing the location of the tree, and that it only blooms under a blood moon. The conquistadors attack and manage to take the arrowhead; Frank recovers it and gives it to Lily but is stabbed through the chest with a sword and falls to his death.

Lily runs away from the river so that the Spaniards cannot follow her.

The next morning, Lily discovers that Frank has miraculously survived. He reveals that his real name is Francisco, and he is actually one of the cursed conquistadors, unable to die or leave the river. The expedition to find the tree was originally a noble one to save Aguirre’s sick daughter, Anna, but when the natives were attacked by the Spaniards, Frank switched sides to help the villagers.

After years of fighting, Frank trapped Aguirre and the others in a cave away from the river. He then spent time searching for the tree to lift his curse but had been unable to find it without the arrowhead.

An injured MacGregor stays behind with Trader Sam while Lily and Frank make the final journey to the tree. MacGregor is captured by Joachim and forced to reveal the location of the tree. Frank, Lily, the Germans, and the Spaniards all converge on the tree, which begins to bloom under the blood moon.

The moon passes quickly as they fight, and Lily is only able to recover one petal. MacGregor kills Joachim, and Frank crashes his boat to block the river, turning himself, Aguirre, and the other Spaniards into stone.

Lily uses the petal to revive Frank and break the curse, only afterward discovering that due to a shift in the moonlight, there is one petal left for Lily’s research.

Jungle Cruise Ending

Returning to the United Kingdom, the society has offered full membership to Lily, which she rejects. She shows Frank London and gives him his first driving lesson in her automobile as well as delivering a corny joke herself.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Title: Jungle Cruise
US Release Date: July 30, 2021
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jesse Plemons
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by: Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Synopsis: Based on Disneyland’s theme park ride where a small riverboat takes a group of travelers through a jungle filled with dangerous animals and reptiles, but with a supernatural element.
Trailer: https://cooncel.com/jungle-cruise-trailer-3-2021-video/