It’s not the most remarkable opening, but it’ll do. And that same sentiment could sum up the film that follows. Jungle is another survival film about a young man who’s way out of his depth. Straight of the gate, it’s got a fair bit to prove if it wants to stand out from the pack. Justin Monjo (writer of 14 Farscape episodes) adapted Ghinsberg’s Jungle autobiography into a screenplay, meaning that much of the true story remains in tact. Wolf Creek’s Greg McLean directed the subsequent feature, providing a safe pair of hands. The result is fine: a film that gets from A to B to C, ably re-telling the origin of the expedition, the troubles the men faced, and how it all ended up. The film itself feels a bit generic. The opening scenes – where backpackers meet and chat about their journeys – emanate a warm wholesomeness, but do little to set up the characters in any meaningful way. Radcliffe recites narration at the start to hurry things along, and then his voice-of-God readings disappear altogether. The expedition is put into motion, and it looks like a bad idea pretty much immediately. The group begins falling apart and breaking up before we’ve really got to know any of the characters. It doesn’t help that, when push comes to shove and things start to go properly bad, it’s a shakily directed rafting sequence that propels the narrative forward. This should be a tense and horrifying scene – a vital turning point to up the stakes significantly – but it just doesn’t resonate. The camera is shaking, the actors are shouting a lot, and it simply doesn’t feel real. It’s down to Radcliffe to save the day, and, thankfully, he grinds out a gruelling performance that really livens up the film’s third act. When everything else falls away and we’re left with just Yossi on his own in survival mode, the film vastly improves. The script throws a lot at him – flashbacks, hallucinations, dream sequences, starvation, confusion, desperation – and Radcliffe handles it all. It’s a shame that Radcliffe’s sublime third act turn couldn’t have come after two acts of stellar set-up. This film could’ve been something special if the other characters were developed more, or if the action direction was a bit stronger. As it stands, though, it’ll do. There are moments in Jungle where you genuinely feel worried for Yossi, despite the fact that you know he survives and gets a book deal. Regardless of the film’s flaws, that’s no small feat, and you’ve got to applaud Radcliffe, Monjo and McLean for pulling it off. By the end, you won’t even notice that Radcliffe is doing an accent.