Starring: Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, John Cleese
Narrated by: John Cleese
“Watch out for that tree!” The classic warning echoes once more as George of the Jungle 3: Return to the Wild brings Brendan Fraser back to the beloved role of George, the king of slapstick and heir to an adorable, if clumsy, jungle lineage.
Decades have passed since George traded the verdant canopy of Bukuvu for the concrete jungle of San Francisco. He is now George of the Jungle, Esquire, a successful (and utterly bored) corporate executive running the massive global wildlife charity he founded, all thanks to his wife, Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann). He wears a tailored suit instead of a loincloth, drinks expensive espresso instead of river water, and the only thing he “swings” on these days is the golf course. The simple, idyllic life of the jungle has been replaced by board meetings, uncomfortable shoes, and an existential malaise.
However, the tranquility of George’s domesticated life is shattered when his old nemesis, the magnificently self-obsessed and perpetually unlucky Lyle Van de Groot (Thomas Haden Church), re-emerges. Lyle, now a disgraced real estate mogul, has purchased the deed to George’s beloved Ape Mountain under the guise of turning it into a monstrously misguided “eco-friendly” luxury mall, complete with a rooftop gorilla-shaped water park.
Hearing the distressed chattering of his friends and the call of the wild, George feels a primal urge he hasn’t felt in years. With Ursula’s firm encouragement to “rip off that silly tie and go be George,” he sheds the confines of his suit and heads straight back to Bukuvu.
The transition is anything but smooth. The Narrator (John Cleese) is back, ready to gleefully mock George’s every misstep as he struggles to get back into jungle shape. George quickly discovers that swinging through the trees is significantly harder when your knees creak, your abs are non-existent, and you’ve forgotten the subtle art of avoiding large, sturdy oak trees. The jungle itself seems to have evolved, presenting George with modern obstacles like drone surveillance, motion-sensor alarms, and high-tech deforestation equipment.
The film features a return of the witty, talking apes, including George’s wise and sardonic best friend, Ape, who provides moral support and plenty of dry commentary. George must rally the jungle residents—from elephants and panthers to the entire gorilla troop—for a final, chaotic, slapstick battle against Lyle’s absurd construction crew and their industrial equipment.
George of the Jungle 3: Return to the Wild is a heartwarming and side-splitting reminder that you can take the man out of the jungle, but you absolutely cannot take the glorious, tree-crashing goofball out of the man. It’s a hilarious tale about rediscovering your true self, staying connected to your roots, and the importance of remembering to watch out for that tree!