Good honest review. Thumbs up.
the new version of King Louie, who is now a giant massive prehistoric ape instead of a regular oranguatan because... well I never really worked it out, but it worked in the film so I let it pass
Apparently this is because orangutans are not native to India but exclusive to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. However, the Gigantopithecus was native to India and was also closely related to the orangutan. And from a creative standpoint, I think that making him a giant prehistoric ape gives him more menace. As a kid, King Louie never felt very threatening to me even though he was spoken of as a threat by Bagheera.
Actually, the best description is \"the closest we\'ll ever get to a proper film treatment of Bill Peet\'s script.\"
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Good - but more of an update than a full reboot
Growing up the original animated Disney Jungle Book was a film I watched a lot. And whilst adult me appreciates it wasn't perfect, the ole nostalgia filter kicks in pretty hard and whilst I can admit it was flawed in some ways, it's always going to be a very special movie for me... so I had some serious misgivings about this live-action version right from the beginning: Will it change things for change's sake? Will it forgo characterisation for the sake of showing off the CGI? Is it even ultimately all that necessary?
In order: Kind of, nope and... maybe. It's certainly not a beat for beat retread. The wolf pack gets far more to do, pretty much everyone takes a level in badass and there is a definite step up in action - most notably involving the Bandar-Log and the new version of King Louie, who is now a giant massive prehistoric ape instead of a regular oranguatan because... well I never really worked it out, but it worked in the film so I let it pass. Several characters are cut (most notably the not-Beatles Vultures) and others are reduced in role (Kaa is basically a Ms Exposition cameo) whilst Big Bad Shere Khan is far more direct and proactive this time around, but in general it follows the same general path.
The characterisation is a big plus. This is definitely an all star cast voice wise and by and large they are genuinely excellent. Idris Elba's Khan is more thuggish and brutal than the 67 iteration but with a calculating air nonetheless. Bill Murray has a ball and so do the audience with Baloo. Bagheera is reduced in direct role but Ben Kingsley sells the stern big brother aspect very well. Special mention goes to Lupita Nyongo who is excellent as Rakshi, Mowgli's adoptive wolf mother, and Christopher Walken whose take on King Louie (yes, including the song) is a highlight of the film. Young Neel Sethi does a decent job given he's a newcomer acting on a green screen even if his physical acting is much better than (some of) his vocal work.
Which brings us to the Big Question: is it necessary? Well, strictly speaking... not really. Apart from the truly exceptional CGI, it brings nothing really new to the table. On the other hand, it's got exciting action, genuinely funny humour, the songs are still catchy, the story is still compelling if somewhat simplistic. It might not be truly innovative or even all that original but what it is, is fun. It's a great all-ages movie and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you enjoyed the original... you'll enjoy this version. If you've never seen the Jungle Book? Well... this would be a fine way to start.