The Jungle V.I.P
(This
review contains minor spoilers!)
If you asked anyone which of their
animated movies Disney would remake for live-action next, I can guarantee The
Jungle Book wouldn’t be high on anyone’s list. How could it? There’s only one
prominent human character in the story, with the rest of the cast being made of
talking critters.
After falling flat on their faces with
Maleficent, but knocking it out of the park with last year’s Cinderella, I was
very cautiously excited for what Disney’s live-action animation adaptation
department’s next project would be.
What I got was a resounding success on
all fronts. Jon Favreau’s reimagining of The Jungle Book is the rare adaption
that not only perfectly captures the spirit of the original, but also goes and
does it one better.
Make no mistake, while the movie is marketed for children and is based off of an old classic, Favreau pulls no punches in telling the story with all the realistic brutality of a jungle. Think of it as baby’s first Lord of the Rings. Characters die, jumpscares seem to be around every turn, and you never feel that Mowgli is truly safe. However, the movie never crosses the line into being too much for kids, with many fun and slow scenes keeping the pacing in check.
The action never stops to take a
breather, and it can get downright intense at times. This is in much part
thanks to the phenomenal CGI work. At no point in this two hour movie did I
ever stop and think “Oh yeah, none of this is real.” It’s that good. Baloo the bear looks as soft and huggable as you’d
expect, and Shere Khan the tiger is even more menacing than the real thing you’d
find at a zoo.
The real highlight of the movie is the
characters. Bill Murray’s Baloo is somehow even better than the original, with
a cute innocent feel matching some underlying strength. He never feels as goofy
or silly as the original did. Instead, he’s more like a giant teddy bear that
could still eat you whole if he wanted. Ben Kingsley and Lupita Nyong’o both do
equally good jobs as Bagheera the panther and Raksha the wolf, mixing a stern
exterior with a sort of tough-love mentor attitude. Scarlett Johansson makes a
brief but memorable appearance as Kaa the snake, in an interesting move that
changes the original character’s gender. It works really well, and her single
scene is one of the best in the movie. This is also the first movie starring
new actor Neel Sethi, playing lead protagonist Mowgli. He does well, especially
considering all he had to work with was a green screen for the most part. You
never feel like he’s reacting to a tennis ball on a stick. Instead, he blends
perfectly into the animated world as if he was always there.
Finally, Idris Elba shows his stripes as villain Shere Khan, and is truly menacing whenever he’s on screen. Whereas the other characters seem cute and cuddly for the most part, you get no such feeling from the tiger. This beast is out for man blood, and it’s clear you’d best stay away.
However, the true star of the show is Christopher Walken in his turn as the giant ape King Louie. Walken steals every scene he’s in with his enormous presence, and his rendition of the classic song “I Wanna Be Like You” is a riot that will guarantee a smile from everyone in the audience. He doesn’t do much, but when he is on screen, I guarantee all eyes will always be on him.
Aside from Walken’s song, the movie also includes two others. Johansson sings Kaa’s song “Trust in Me” from the original, but sadly only over the end credits. It’s worth sticking around for, as it’s a mesmerizing take on the original that resembles something you’d hear from a Bond villain than from a talking snake.
Murray and Sethi also have a duet of the classic “The Bare Necessities”. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go over very well, and was one of the only disappointments in the movie for me. The two constantly sound like they’re trying to sing over each other instead of in harmony, and they only get about halfway through the song before starting from the beginning again. I suppose I’ll never know how to pick a prickly pear by the paw.
That’s the only real complaint I have with the film, as the rest are very nitpicky. I would’ve liked to see more of Johansson’s Kaa, especially to hear her perform her song in person, but I’m glad with what I got. I also felt that the final climax went on a tad bit longer than I would’ve liked, but again, for what it was it was good.
The Jungle Book is a perfect example of taking something that has a large chance of not working and doing it to absolute perfection. This is the kind of movie that makes kids fall in love with the art of film, and I hope we see more like it in the future.
Finally, Idris Elba shows his stripes as villain Shere Khan, and is truly menacing whenever he’s on screen. Whereas the other characters seem cute and cuddly for the most part, you get no such feeling from the tiger. This beast is out for man blood, and it’s clear you’d best stay away.
However, the true star of the show is Christopher Walken in his turn as the giant ape King Louie. Walken steals every scene he’s in with his enormous presence, and his rendition of the classic song “I Wanna Be Like You” is a riot that will guarantee a smile from everyone in the audience. He doesn’t do much, but when he is on screen, I guarantee all eyes will always be on him.
Aside from Walken’s song, the movie also includes two others. Johansson sings Kaa’s song “Trust in Me” from the original, but sadly only over the end credits. It’s worth sticking around for, as it’s a mesmerizing take on the original that resembles something you’d hear from a Bond villain than from a talking snake.
Murray and Sethi also have a duet of the classic “The Bare Necessities”. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go over very well, and was one of the only disappointments in the movie for me. The two constantly sound like they’re trying to sing over each other instead of in harmony, and they only get about halfway through the song before starting from the beginning again. I suppose I’ll never know how to pick a prickly pear by the paw.
That’s the only real complaint I have with the film, as the rest are very nitpicky. I would’ve liked to see more of Johansson’s Kaa, especially to hear her perform her song in person, but I’m glad with what I got. I also felt that the final climax went on a tad bit longer than I would’ve liked, but again, for what it was it was good.
The Jungle Book is a perfect example of taking something that has a large chance of not working and doing it to absolute perfection. This is the kind of movie that makes kids fall in love with the art of film, and I hope we see more like it in the future.
Final Score
9/10
Amazing
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