“The Jungle Book” (Adventure/Family: 1 hour, 45 minutes)

Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba and Christopher Walken

Director: Jon Favreau

Rated: PG (Violence, sequences of scary action and peril)

Movie Review: Although not for very young kids, this family adventure is a visual treat.

It follows the life of Mowgli (Sethi), a boy raised in a jungle by a pack of wolves. He grows up as one of the animals of the jungle, but Shere Khan (Elba), a ruthless tiger, sees Mowgli as only a man cub. Shere Khan wants to kill Mowgli, but a black panther Bagheera (Kingsley), the bear Baloo (Murray) and the other animals of the jungle fight to keep Mowgli safe from Shere Khan.

“The Jungle Book” (Director Wolfgang Reitherman), an animated film based on Rudyard Kipling’s book, debuted in 1967. Since, several other versions have graced the big screen. The latest version is helmed by Director Jon Favreau (“Chef,” 2014; “Iron Man,” 2008). It boasts great computer-generated effects (CGI), and it also has multiple high-energy scenes of peril that may render it not suitable for all ages.

The story is incredible and riveting. It nicely creates a sense of adventure that is inspiring. The story is given new life, not just told from an adolescent perspective. The new movie updates the story in an engaging manner that works well.

The voices of a superb cast, mixed with the visual effects, create an attention-getting environment for viewers of all ages. Neel Sethi is moving as Mowgli. He is one of only two live-action characters. The rest are excellent CGI characters voiced by notables, yet the voices are impressive and fit the characters for which they are applied.

As family film, “The Jungle Book” is a nice tale. It provides suspense and nice imagery. The result is a worthy film for those needing an escape.

Grade: B+ (The jungle is an invigorating ‘bear necessity.’)

“Eye in the Sky” (Drama/Comedy: 1 hour, 46 minutes)

Starring: Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, Aaron Paul and Barkhad Abdi

Director: Gavin Hood

Rated: R (Profanity, violence and gore)

Movie Review: Modern warfare cinema rarely features the ethical dilemmas associated. “Eye in the Sky” is well-acted piece that tackles war and its casualties in a frank and impressive manner.

Col. Katherine Powell (Mirren) is a United Kingdom-based military officer. She is in command of a top-secret drone operation involving the United States and Kenya to capture terrorists. One terrorist, she has been hunting for some time, and several others are tracked to one house in a Kenyan neighborhood. Internal surveillance also allows Powell and her team to use a drone to take out the targets.

However, when Powell orders a U.S. Air Force team led by Lt. Steve Watts (Paul) to execute the target, complications of multiple types occur, including the arrival of a 9-year-old girl on the scene. The events turn the war on terror into a debate in a cushy Parliament office, where Lt. Gen. Frank Benson (the late Rickman) and four British government official argue the legality, moral implications, and political repercussions.

A certain seriousness exists with this film that it is intriguing. It is convincing because of a good screenplay written by Guy Hibbert “Five Minutes of Heaven” (2009) and ably directed by Gavin Hood (“Tsotsi,” 2005; “Ender’s Game,” 2013).

A talented cast makes this narrative conclusive. Cast members act their parts well. Their characters are in a tense situation. One where innocent people are in danger. They must weigh the situation and determine whether the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. The ethical question drives the plot and creates a powerful message. It also give the characters motivation.

Mirren is thought-provoking, a beautiful, intelligent lead for this production. Paul is intense, and Barkhad Abdi (“Captain Phillips,” 2013) steals scenes as an intel officer on the ground. These and other players create a nice atmosphere for characters to grow.

“Eye in the Sky” is a cerebral film. It takes a current situation, one dealing with military drone strikes and turns it into a riveting entertainment. Hats off to Hood, Hibbert and the cast for an intelligently done photoplay.

Grade: A- (Eye spy good cinema.)

“Criminal” (Action/Science-Fiction: 1 hour, 54 minutes)

Starring: Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Jordi Mollà and Tommy Lee Jones

Director: Ariel Vromen

Rated: R (Profanity, violence and gore)

Movie Review: “Criminal” is suspenseful and plays like a summer blockbuster. It has an interesting plot, even if its writers, Douglas Cook and David Weisberg, rush the story. The rush weakens characters by keeping audiences from knowing their  onscreen personas.

Bill Pope (Reynolds) has valuable information to stop an international terrorist, Xavier Heimdahl (Mollà), who has plans to destroy the world via a computer program that can access the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Pope dies while completing his mission, so CIA operatives led by Quaker Wells (Oldman), turn to Dr. Franks (Jones), who has medical science that transfers Pope’s memories to another brain.

The other brain belongs to Jericho Stewart (Costner), a sadistic serial killer on death row.

The movie would make a great science-fiction piece, but the film focuses too much on action sequences, especially the car chases. A certain amount of cerebral material exists here that is skipped over for action sequences. The smart parts are intriguing and the action sequences are less intelligent, stereotypical material.

Costner, Goldman, Jones, Reynolds, who was in the similar “Self/less” (2015), and others do their part. They are engaging characters, but the screenplay rushes scenes, you do not get to know these people or care about them really.

“Criminal” becomes an action piece with interesting science fiction. The movie works for those just wanting an action screenplay with a talented cast, even if they are not used most effectively.

Grade: C+ (It works for an energetic movie, but the story’s pace is criminal.)

“Midnight Special” (Adventure/Drama/Science-Fiction: 1 hour, 50 minutes)

Starring: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, and Adam Driver

Director: Jeff Nichols

Rated: PG-13 (Strong language, violence and action)

Movie Review: The movie appears as a good science-fiction piece from the 1980s. It straddles the line of pseudo-religion and government power but provides a straight-forward story that works as an adventure and mystery.

Alton (Lieberher) is a boy with an amazing gift. He can emit blue lights from his eyes, can control electronic devices and can know matters others do not. Alton, his father Roy (Shannon) and Lucas (Edgerton), a law-enforcement officer, travel across the country, trying to elude several groups.

An extremely conservative religious group, CIA operatives led by Sevier (Driver) and various law-enforcement officials track Alton, hoping to retrieve the child with extraordinary abilities.

The use of cameras gives the sense of cinematography from movies of 1980s. The cinematography fits the story, which appears like something from that era, too. The retro-style makes the plot more intriguing. The use of camera colorization authenticates the mystery.

Director-writer Jeff Nichols (“Mud,” 2012) has Michael Shannon in his movies often; the two are a nice pairing. They are again here. Shannon and Edgerton are some of Hollywood’s most underrated actors. They are superior performers. They make “Midnight Special” a convincing tale.

The plot is a nicely paced one, where Nichols does something unique. He assumes the audience is smart enough to follow story that appears to start at midpoint. This was a good place to start. The screenplay shows audiences only what is needed to facilitate a story. More important, the screenplay makes a mysterious journey riveting.

Grade: B (It is especially cunning entertainment.)

“Barbershop: The Next Cut” (Comedy: 1 hour, 52 minutes)

Starring: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Regina Hall, Nicki Minaj and Common

Director: Malcolm D. Lee

Rated: PG-13 (Sexual innuendo, profanity)

Movie Review: The first “Barbershop” (2002) was comedic genius. “Barbershop 2: Back in Business” (2004) introduced a women’s beauty salon as a counterbalance to the mostly male dominated 2002 film. The comedies were enjoyable.

The latest version attempts to make too many characters valuable while uttering an overly preachy script about today’s woes.

The biggest problem with “The Next Cut” is its inability to use a larger cast effectively in a story that is straightforward without waffling.

For major and minor characters, each scene tries to make too many of the personas important; therefore, every character is competing for lead. This is not good when one considers some of the characters are only present for comic relief. However, the people appear as sophomoric material haphazardly directed by Malcolm Lee (“The Best Man Holiday,” 2013).

Writers Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver’s screenplay is pedantic material that concentrates too much on preaching about the ills of society: race relations, sexism, politics, and urban environments. The movie goes away from its comedic roots to be a drama or political commentary about modern United States cities. While the issues are worth talking about, the moments are trivialized by lackluster acting and too many tangent stories to develop characters.

The supposed comedy is the third in the “Barbershop” series. No need should exist to keep developing new characters. They should already be known well enough they need no side stories to develop them.

“The Next Cut” tries to add to returning characters and new ones. Some of these players deserved a cut.

Making the cut, Cedric the Entertainer and Ice Cube. They provide solid moments that keep this movie afloat. Yet they are not enough to keep the delivery of mediocre lines and multiple storylines, many clichéd, conclusive. This is bad considering the movie brings up plenty regarding topics making headlines.

Grade: C (Just a trim, a minor cut.)