Year: 2016
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Neel Sethi, Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, and Christopher Walken
Tagline: The legend will never be the same.
Synopsis: Man-cub Mowgli has a variety of jungle adventures as he tries to get away from the tiger Shere Khan.
Tagline: The legend will never be the same.
Synopsis: Man-cub Mowgli has a variety of jungle adventures as he tries to get away from the tiger Shere Khan.
Review
Disney's classic animated take on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book has never been one of my favorites. I liked certain aspects of it. Overall, though, it was sort of "meh" to me. (I actually preferred the characters in their reincarnated versions in the TV series Tail Spin.) So when I heard that Disney was remaking their animated classic as a live action film, I wasn't particularly excited, even though I figured I'd end up seeing it.
Long story short: this live action The Jungle Book is terrific! Absolutely terrific.
First off, The Jungle Book is visually stunning. The jungle is immersive and the animals look almost real, even when they are speaking. It's incredible just how true-to-life they are. The film already seems like the Oscar contender for best visual effects. Toward the end of the credits it is almost jarring to see "Filmed in downtown Los Angeles."
As appealing as the film is to the eyes, I also found it appealing to the ears. The musical score blends new material with familiar themes from the animated version. It works well. This version is not a musical, but as Baloo and Mowgli bond, the two of them do break out into "The Bare Necessities." But they do so in such a way that it is simply two buddies singing a song as they float down the river. It's not a lavish musical production with swingin' and dancin'. And while it is a little jarring when King Louie goes from speaking to singing "I Wanna Be Like You," it doesn't detract from the story. To then hear that jazzy tune morph into something more threatening during the subsequent chase scene helps make it work.
The Jungle Book is more than just eye and ear candy; it's also an enjoyable story. It's a straightforward story. There's nothing too elaborate to keep track of. But it is a well-told story. It has an almost chapter-like feel as Mowgli goes from one adventure to the next. But the story does so with a nice, progressive flow.
I'm sometimes leery of all-star voice casts. Just because someone is a big name and a box office draw doesn't always mean they are right for an animated or CGI character. Jungle Book certainly has an all-star cast, but it works. Like the story, the characters are relatively simple and straightforward, but the voice actors bring depth and personality to them.
Much of the credit, though, goes to newcomer Neel Sethi. He's basically the only human in the film. That means he spent the entire filming process acting with and reacting to either people pretending to be animals or puppets (according to IMDb, Jim Henson's Creature Shop built puppets to use for filming). And he does a great job of it. I realized one of the things I don't like about the animated version is Mowgli. He's rather whiny and bratty in that film. In this adaptation he is neither. Yes, he's still a boy who doesn't always have the best attitude. But he's clearly a smart, brave, and good-hearted kid. I liked Mowgli throughout this version, but especially during the second elephant scene.
Throughout the film, there are nods to not only the animated film, but to various Disney films. There are a few moments that seem to take a page out of Tarzan's playbook, such as how Mowgli navigates the tree branches and his use of "tricks" (i.e., tools). There's also a stampede through a ravine reminiscent of The Lion King (but without the tragedy, don't worry). There's also a more specialized nod. Just before King Louie makes his appearance, Mowgli is admiring a cowbell. Christopher Walken (who voices King Louie) is famous for a Saturday Night Live sketch requesting "more cowbell." My favorite "Easter egg" though is the book at the end. The animated version opens with the then-standard fancy live-action book. For this film, they searched the archives and found the book that was used for the animated film and reused it at the close of this film. Quite fitting.
The film is rated PG and it might be a little intense for the littlest little ones. Both Kaa and King Louie are menacing rather than comical. And Shere Khan ... well, he's one dangerous tiger who is not to be crossed. This is the jungle; there's life-and-death peril. Other than that, the movie is entirely clean.
Do yourself a favor and go see The Jungle Book. Your eyes will thank you. Your ears will thank you. Your grin will thank you. Once again, Disney is king of the jungle. I believe Rudyard Kipling would be proud. Oh, and be sure to stay for the credits. Pixar animated the credits and they are quite fun to watch. Plus you'll get to hear a retro-inspired recording of Scarlett Johansson singing "Trust in Me."
*** Spoiler Section ***
At the end of the film, I was waiting for Mowgli to go back to the man village. When he didn't, I was momentarily perplexed. Then I remembered Disney has already announced a Jungle Book 2. Kipling did write more tales of Mowgli's adventures than are represented here.
Long story short: this live action The Jungle Book is terrific! Absolutely terrific.
First off, The Jungle Book is visually stunning. The jungle is immersive and the animals look almost real, even when they are speaking. It's incredible just how true-to-life they are. The film already seems like the Oscar contender for best visual effects. Toward the end of the credits it is almost jarring to see "Filmed in downtown Los Angeles."
As appealing as the film is to the eyes, I also found it appealing to the ears. The musical score blends new material with familiar themes from the animated version. It works well. This version is not a musical, but as Baloo and Mowgli bond, the two of them do break out into "The Bare Necessities." But they do so in such a way that it is simply two buddies singing a song as they float down the river. It's not a lavish musical production with swingin' and dancin'. And while it is a little jarring when King Louie goes from speaking to singing "I Wanna Be Like You," it doesn't detract from the story. To then hear that jazzy tune morph into something more threatening during the subsequent chase scene helps make it work.
The Jungle Book is more than just eye and ear candy; it's also an enjoyable story. It's a straightforward story. There's nothing too elaborate to keep track of. But it is a well-told story. It has an almost chapter-like feel as Mowgli goes from one adventure to the next. But the story does so with a nice, progressive flow.
I'm sometimes leery of all-star voice casts. Just because someone is a big name and a box office draw doesn't always mean they are right for an animated or CGI character. Jungle Book certainly has an all-star cast, but it works. Like the story, the characters are relatively simple and straightforward, but the voice actors bring depth and personality to them.
Much of the credit, though, goes to newcomer Neel Sethi. He's basically the only human in the film. That means he spent the entire filming process acting with and reacting to either people pretending to be animals or puppets (according to IMDb, Jim Henson's Creature Shop built puppets to use for filming). And he does a great job of it. I realized one of the things I don't like about the animated version is Mowgli. He's rather whiny and bratty in that film. In this adaptation he is neither. Yes, he's still a boy who doesn't always have the best attitude. But he's clearly a smart, brave, and good-hearted kid. I liked Mowgli throughout this version, but especially during the second elephant scene.
Throughout the film, there are nods to not only the animated film, but to various Disney films. There are a few moments that seem to take a page out of Tarzan's playbook, such as how Mowgli navigates the tree branches and his use of "tricks" (i.e., tools). There's also a stampede through a ravine reminiscent of The Lion King (but without the tragedy, don't worry). There's also a more specialized nod. Just before King Louie makes his appearance, Mowgli is admiring a cowbell. Christopher Walken (who voices King Louie) is famous for a Saturday Night Live sketch requesting "more cowbell." My favorite "Easter egg" though is the book at the end. The animated version opens with the then-standard fancy live-action book. For this film, they searched the archives and found the book that was used for the animated film and reused it at the close of this film. Quite fitting.
The film is rated PG and it might be a little intense for the littlest little ones. Both Kaa and King Louie are menacing rather than comical. And Shere Khan ... well, he's one dangerous tiger who is not to be crossed. This is the jungle; there's life-and-death peril. Other than that, the movie is entirely clean.
Do yourself a favor and go see The Jungle Book. Your eyes will thank you. Your ears will thank you. Your grin will thank you. Once again, Disney is king of the jungle. I believe Rudyard Kipling would be proud. Oh, and be sure to stay for the credits. Pixar animated the credits and they are quite fun to watch. Plus you'll get to hear a retro-inspired recording of Scarlett Johansson singing "Trust in Me."
*** Spoiler Section ***
At the end of the film, I was waiting for Mowgli to go back to the man village. When he didn't, I was momentarily perplexed. Then I remembered Disney has already announced a Jungle Book 2. Kipling did write more tales of Mowgli's adventures than are represented here.
Quotable Quotes
- "I know you weren't born a wolf. But will you at least try to act like one?" -- Bagheera to Mowgli
- "You've never been more endangered than you are now." -- Baloo to the pangolin
- "Trussst in meee." -- Kaa to Mowgli
- "I know he's special. I raised him." -- Bagheera to Baloo regarding Mowgli
ISFS
No comments:
Post a Comment