Starring: Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall Director: Jaume Collet-Serra INSPIRED by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt). Set in 1916, the film opens with Houghton acquiring a precious artifact, determined to journey into the heart of the Amazon and find something called the Tears of the Moon, a magical tree said to be imbued with “unparalleled healing powers.” Houghton travels from London to the Amazon jungle and enlists Wolff’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila — his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Houghton is resolved to uncover the tree that possesses the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rain forest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Houghton and Wolff and their fate — and mankind’s — hangs in the balance. Transforming theme park attractions into movies is hardly a science, and Disney’s success with “Pirates of the Caribbean” is balanced by efforts like “The Haunted Mansion.” Through that lens, “Jungle Cruise” delivers about as ably as it possibly could, creating a light-hearted adventure that owes as much to “The Mummy” as anything in Disney’s fleet. Granted, this sort of exercise needn’t be bashful about borrowing from the best, and the ingredients in this high-spirited gumbo range from “Romancing the Stone” to “The African Queen,” its most direct ancestor. Inevitably, the film also draws liberally from the ride itself, rattling off a laundry list of terrible puns that the “captains” have been serving up for decades, with even an early shout-out to the back side of water. Fortunately, those one-liners come by way of producer-star Johnson as skipper Wolff, who has a knack for juggling comedy with the action that moviegoers associate with his formidable presence. He also finds a worthy companion in Blunt, who happily is the sort of self-sufficient damsel capable of rescuing herself in times of distress. The supporting cast is stacked with overqualified character players. Paul Giamatti plays a gold-toothed, sunburned, cartoonishly “Italian” harbor master who delights at keeping Wolff in debt. Edgar Ramirez is creepy and scary as a conquistador whose curse from centuries ago has trapped him in the jungle. Houghton’s brother, McGregor (Jack Whitehall), is a rare gay character in the Disney live-action universe, and he accompanies Houghton while Wolff ferries them down the river, with a ruthless German aristocrat, Prince Joachim (Jesse Plemons, sinking his teeth into the “Hogan’s Heroes” accent under a Snidely Whiplash mustache), in hot pursuit. Unsurprisingly, given his track record, Plemons steals the film right out from under its leads. As is practically required in this sort of exercise, Wolff and Houghton start out really not liking each other, insisting on labeling the other with the unwelcome nicknames “Skippy” and “Pants,” respectively. Over time, there are plenty of harrowing experiences to forge their bond, as well as a supernatural backstory that’s richer and more complex than might have been anticipated for a movie with an inside gag about “Albert Falls.” Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (“The Shallows” and Johnson’s upcoming DC movie “Black Adam”) from a script credited to a trio of writers, the film is impeccably designed, conjuring the look of the past with plenty of homages while creating a nicely contemporary feel. Collet-Serra pursues a more classical style than is commonplace in recent live-action Disney product. The editing errs on the side of briskness to such an extent that affecting, beautiful, or spectacular images never get to linger long enough to become iconic. But the staging and execution of the chases and fights compensates. Derivative of films that were themselves highly derivative, “Jungle Cruise” has the look and feel of a paycheck gig for all involved, but everyone seems to be having a great time, including the filmmakers. The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen. (SD-Agencies) | 