A boy from Los Angeles (Reiley McClendon) visits his ranger uncle (Dean Cain) in remote Northern California where he tries to save a friendly black bear from poachers and a rancher who's convinced the bear is slaughtering his sheep (Corbin Bernsen). Gil Birmingham plays an AmerIndian ranger while Cody Weiant appears as a tomboy who assists the kid & bear.

Released to TV, "Gentle Ben" (2002) wasn't based on the late 60's TV series, which took place in the Florida Everglades as opposed to Northern Cal. The movie was popular enough to produce a sequel with the same cast the next year. It belongs to the family wilderness drama/adventure genre and comes across as a meshing of movies like "Prophecy" (1979),"Magic in the Water" (1995) and "Free Willy" (1993),albeit with a TV budget. (Yes, "Prophecy" is a horror/thriller but, like the other two flicks, was shot in the same general region, has an Indian side character and involves a threatened animal species).

Ashley Laurence from the Hellraiser series is on hand as the ranger's potential babe, Dakota. She's winsome and looks great in jeans; I wish she had a bigger role though. Ashley, the magnificent locations, the bear and the quality cast make this TV flick worth catching for those interested. Martin Kove even shows up as a genial mountain man.

The movie runs 1 hour, 29 minutes and was shot in Placer County, Northern California (Auburn & Foresthill).

GRADE: B-/C+

Jack (Dean Cain) is a park ranger in the remote areas on California. Unexpectedly, his world is rocked when his missionary brother and his wife go missing and their nearly-a-teen son, Mark (Reiley McClendon) comes to stay with his uncle! There is a period of adjustment, for Mark is subjected to strange cooking and little to do. This improves when the young man makes a friend, a girl named Ashley. But, horrors, her father Fog Benson (Corbin Bernsen),a sheep rancher, is upset that a bear is stealing some of his flock. He demands that Jack find and destroy the culprit animal ASAP. But, Jack, who is more into preserving wildlife, is not certain it is a bear doing the dirty work. He proposes a more thorough investigation. Guess who's angry at this? Meanwhile, Mark and Ashley find a huge bear in a deep hole trap and try to figure out a way to set him free while they feed him on the sly. At last, Mark brings a ladder to the hole, hoping for the best. But, uh oh, Mark falls down in the hole himself during the operation. Will this bear attack? No, as it turns out, he seems to like the lad. Both of them scramble out of the trap and become friends, in secret. However, with Fog continuing to rant and rave, what will he do if Ben the Bear is discovered? This remake of a classic is very nice. Cain, one the best looking actors ever, with the sunniest smile, is terrific as the new foster dad while Bernsen makes a good villain, as always. The rest of the cast is wonderful, too, especially Gil Birmingham as a Native American ranger. Look out for William Katt, too, long after his "hero" days! Then, also, the setting is lusciously beautiful while the script and direction combine for plenty of action and animal stunts. Family film seekers who especially love nature flicks will find this a great view.

I watched 'Gentle Ben' on the telly last night and was quite reasonably entertained. You need to rise above the movie's PC-eco-philosophical blandness and value the scenery, the acting of the boy, and the sheer marvel of being this close to a black bear. Don't expect wonders, but if you have nothing much else to do on a late weekday night, you might as well watch it.