The images were so expansive and richly layered that I felt like I could taste them. Mowgli swung from a vine in the green-textured forest, dropped onto a wide branch and started running. A black panther leaped from above, and I may or may not have jumped a little.

“The Jungle Book” was clearly made for 3-D.

The story begins with Mowgli, a man-cub who has lived with a clan of wolves in the jungle for as long as he can remember. The drought there is so severe that he and the other animals could see the Peace Rock sticking up from the floor of the waterhole, signaling a break in the regular Law of the Jungle. Instead of preying on each other, creatures simply drink side-by-side. As the animals gathered at the pool’s edge, Shere Khan appeared. Terrified at the sight of the vicious tiger, the rest of the animals shrank back, but Shere Khan didn’t spring at them. Instead, he claimed Mowgli as his own. “Men do not belong in the jungle,” Khan said. Because it is peacetime, Khan can not kill Mowgli, but he warned he’ll be back with the rains. The wolves wanted to protect the cub they adopted, but instead of endangering them, Mowgli decided to leave. Guided by the panther who saved his life when he was a baby, he set off to the Man-Village.

Mowgli’s journey through the forest is the main action of the movie. He encounters boa constrictors, singing bears and giant gorillas; all with Shere Khan a step behind him. Finally, Mowgli must choose to become a man, kill Shere Khan or be killed.

Besides the visual escape, the movie is not exceptional. That’s not to say it’s bad, either; Bill Murray as Baloo is excellent, and there is something decidedly primal and intriguing about the storyline, which sticks to the original short story and the cartoon version pretty well. All the major characters are engaging too. (Another bonus is that none of the really nice ones die, which is so, so good after years of every other animated Disney movie.) Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli in his breakout role, cannot act, which is unfortunate and distracting, but as he is only 12, one can’t blame him for that too much. Overall, the movie achieves its purpose as engaging, adventure-filled entertainment. As a result, it’s fun but pretty forgettable.

Is “Jungle Book” scary? Slightly. It’s exciting, but still PG. I would take almost any eight-year-old with me to theaters, but not most five-year-olds. For a story about a six-year-old being stalked by a vengeful tiger, it’s not very dark.

“The Jungle Book” is worth seeing in theaters simply because of the visual experience. If you don’t go, however, you shouldn’t feel too bad. The amazing effects are the only outstanding thing you would be missing.