The Jungle Book – Brian

Hey, Disney, this is how you’re supposed to do a live action retelling of an old classic. Take note.

The Jungle Book, based partly on the original story by Rudyard Kipling and partly on Disney’s own 1967 animated film, is more or less the same story we’ve come to know and love over the years: after being found in the jungle as a baby, young Mowgli (Neel Sethi), is taken in by a black panther named Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) who brings him to a nearby wolf pack to be raised by a wolf named Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) as one of her own. Years later, events transpire that force Mowgli to leave his jungle home in pursuit of a man village nearby. Reluctant to go, Mowgli must find out who he truly is at heart, and decide for himself whether he is part of man’s world, the animal kingdom, or both.

Not being a fan of most of what Disney has been doing with their recent boom in live action properties based on old favorites, The Jungle Book didn’t have much competition to be anything other than mediocre for me going in. Granted, the trailers and early promos of the film looked amazing, but we all know how easy it is to make a good trailer from a bad movie. Luckily, pretty much everything here is a spot on example of how to do these types of movies right, while at the same time blazing its own path to becoming something more than what has come before. Sure there are a lot of things borrowed and used from both source materials, but director Jon Favreau somehow finds a way to embrace and pay homage to these creations while simultaneously finding a way to tie it all up in a visually stunning, emotionally charged, and action packed film that does much more than act as a simple update to a beloved classic.

Five minutes in, the first thing that clearly stands out more than anything is the near photo realistic computer animation. If I’m being honest (and I am), this movie isn’t really a live action film, more like a computer animated one with choice sets, environments, and the main actor being the only real and tangible elements in the film. To be fair, the animation and treatment of the CG animals is top notch. Between the dynamic lighting, animation and design of each animal, the filmmakers strive to make us believe that these are real creatures, even with their ability to speak. Mix that with some great performances by all involved, and you have a truly unique and magical film that you don’t see come around all that often in this day and age.

Which brings me to the flawless casting of nearly every character in the film. Not only is the young Neel Sethi a true joy to watch as Mowgli, but he also manages to bring an oddly satisfying and necessary sense of smarts, determination, and childish wonder to a role that I honestly didn’t expect much from. Throw in a great little twist of Mowgli having the skills to make any type of contraption or tool out of only what he can gather from the jungle around him, and you have a completely competent and lovable lead in a film populated by mostly computerized pixels.

But what amazing pixels they are. Voiced to literal perfection by almost everyone in the cast, these computerized characters really pull you into the film and very rarely let go. Ranging from roles that make you laugh (Bill Murray’s Baloo), to running chills down your spine (Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa), to making you uncomfortable in all the right ways (Idris Elba’s Shere Khan), the voice acting adds so much to not only their respective roles, but to the movie as a whole. I honestly believe that if any lesser actors took on these roles, the final product wouldn’t be half as good nor as successful, and if that doesn’t paint a pretty picture of how this film works, then I don’t know what will.

As for missteps, this film has few. My main problem really stems from the ending and how a certain plot point regarding fire, or the “red flower”, and subsequent handling of a pivotal setup for the films climax was handled. What seemed to me to be a huge problem for the characters involved ended up being unexplored and swept under the rug after the final battle. For all the talk of how bad fire is and the destruction it causes, the moment in question seemed to warrant more than what it was given, especially since it was Mowgli’s fault. Another scene should have been added to flesh this out a bit, but I doubt many other people will have the same issue with it as I did, let alone notice it as a problem.

The only other places I really had gripes with are a bit nitpicky but still warrant a mention. For one, the parts of the film that stray from the original stories are pretty obviously ripped straight from The Lion King, among other films. If you don’t recognize the same story beats regarding Shere Khan and the wolf pack subplot, or Mowgli’s escape early in the film, or even certain parts of the ending, then you need to pay more attention. I don’t mind the similarities that much, but with all of the other great things going on in the movie, I wish the filmmakers could have found a few other, more original ways of doing these scenes. Other than that, the pacing dragged a bit near the King Louie section of the film, and as much as I love Christopher Walken, his turn as the Gigantopithecus king (he’s technically not an orangutan this time around) was a bit too…Christopher Walken-y for me. Not a bad thing, but it pulled me out of the movie a bit, especially when he started his singing routine. He’s most certainly serviceable, but I would have liked to see someone else’s take on the role.

The Jungle Book is a triumph in more ways than one. Not only is this new take on an old story fresh and exciting, but the filmmakers were able to successfully tread new ground while at the same time staying true to that old school Disney magic many of it’s recent live action retellings have lost. It’s a must see for anyone, families and Disney diehards alike.