Video Review: 'The Jungle Book'

This latest version of Rudyard Kipling’s fanciful tale finds the wild-boy-raised-by-animals motif superseded by a quest for hidden treasure, tipping the narrative scale from whimsy to melodrama. Director Stephen Sommers (The Adventures of Huck Finn) deserves praise for his magnificent animal sequences. He isn’t as successful with Jason Scott Lee and love interest Lena Headey: Though attractive and competent, they lack chemistry and are overshadowed by supporting players Cary Elwes (a surprisingly able villain), Sam Neill, and John Cleese. But that doesn’t keep this Jungle Book from being more fun than a barrel of monkeys. B+