Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

A star-studded voice cast and a charismatic young actor can't save this uneven, startlingly violent take on a tale that's best known for versions with humor and songs, both of which are absent here. The technical aspects of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle are slick: Colorful visuals capture the dark, dangerous aspects of calling the jungle home. And thanks to his mastery of playing computer-generated creatures, Serkis certainly knows how to make these talking animals come off as ultra-realistic. But sometimes that realism can be off-putting -- as with Shere Khan's sidekick hyena, who's always followed by a ring of buzzing insects.

It's also completely unclear which audience the movie is aiming for. It's far too frightening for younger viewers but will undoubtedly be misperceived as a children's movie. Although the story is mostly a coming-of-age tale -- with Mowgli forced to justify his life with the wolves in a wolf rite of passage, or face banishment from the jungle -- it's not quite funny or mature enough to lure the adolescent viewers who could handle its bloodier moments. Chand does his best to carry the weight of the movie, but the plot starts to get messy and confusing once the man village -- and particularly the hunter (Matthew Rhys) who's working for the villagers -- gets involved. There are a couple of scenes that are so sad and frightening that it's hard not to imagine how traumatizing it will be for kids who misguidedly think this is another Disney-like production.