Since giant gorilla George rampages through the concrete jungle in your Sunday night movie Rampage, we thought we’d take a look at five movies set in an actual jungle.
There are the obvious selections – like those involving Tarzan, King Kong, and Indiana Jones – and there are the ones that literally have jungle in the title (The Jungle Book, George in the Jungle). There’s also one that, like Rampage, stars Dwayne Johnson, namely: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and its 1995 counterpart.
Instead of going with the obvious, we thought we’d rather look at five equally excellent alternatives.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola plunges into the depths of the Vietnamese and Cambodian jungle during the Vietnam War. Taking Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as inspiration, the film is a slow-burn meditation on the horror of war, seared onto the screen through hellish visuals, impressive performances, and an epic soundtrack.
MORE HERE: Top 10 primate movies.
Romancing the Stone (1984)
Mexico doubles for the Colombian jungle in this adventurous romp about an author who goes from writing about adventures to living them. Starring Kathleen Turner as said writer, she’s joined by an intrepid smuggler in the form of Michael Douglas and the romp soon turns to romance.
MORE HERE: 12 things you have to know about The Jungle Book.
Predator (1987)
Arnie launched yet another franchise when he starred in this alien-in-the-jungle action horror. A mere three years after Terminator was released, he was stomping through the Mexican jungle as Major Dutch, on the lookout for a dreadlocked beastie from outer space. The second film, released in 1990, moved the action to the urban jungle, putting the predator to bed until 2004’s crossover with Alien.
MORE HERE: The history of Kong.
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Satirising both war movies and actors preparing for war movies, is this comedy gem directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Filming took place in Hawaii where the actors played actors playing soldiers who have to become real soldiers when they’re caught in a real jungle gang war. Robert Downey Jr. turns in a stellar performance as an overcommitted method actor, Matthew McConaughey shines as a feather-brained agent, and Tom Cruise delivers an almost-unrecognisable cameo.
WATCH: Interviews with the cast of Rampage.
Rio (2011)
For a completely different jungle romp, there’s this feathered animation about a young macaw smuggled out the Amazon. He makes a home in the city with his beloved owner, only to be returned to Rio several years later to mate with a feisty female in a colourful comedy full of feathers and heart.
WATCH: More interviews with the cast of Rampage.
Watch George rampage through the concrete jungle with Dwayne Johnson in Rampage, your #SundayNightMovie on 28 April at 20:05 on M-Net channel 101.