Jungle Cruise may be based on the Disney theme park rides, but the real parallels are with The African Queen, the Bogart and Hepburn classic from 1951. Both films are set on the fringes of the First World War, Queen in German East Africa and Cruise in the Amazon rainforest, and both share a “will they, won’t they?” dynamic that is shaped by their dangerous journey.

Frank (Dwayne Johnson) is much like Bogart’s Charlie Allnut, only 9 inches taller and 130lbs heavier. He lives in a ramshackle boat along the Amazon River, where he operates tourist cruises replete with dad jokes and makeshift attractions. Joining Frank is Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), who combines the class of Katherine Hepburn’s Rose Sayer with an ability to kick lots of ass. Lily recruits Frank as her skipper in the hunt for the Tree of Life, which is said to have immense...