Film Lacks That Vital Bit of Nostalgia
A lot of people watching the 1967 Jungle Book these days come away a bit bored and disappointed. But as a film I grew up with, it gets a considerable amount of leeway. Sure, it is a meandering story with very little going on beyond a series of comical musical encounters, but the strength of those individual comical musical encounters was enough to carry the film. Watching the 2016 Jungle Book, I have to say that I have come away a bit bored and disappointed.
I'm not one to complain about so-called sacrilegious, unnecessary re-makes. As long as it is offering something different and of a reasonable standard, it is fine to consider these things as a independent entity. The problem I have with this new Jungle Book is that it doesn't offer anything particularly different, except for a conspicuous absence of the things that specifically made Disney's previous film so enjoyable. There are only two musical numbers in this, and neither are as good as the original versions. Similarly, the comedy is a lot more muted, restricted only to the scenes with Baloo (who only appears half way through this movie).
Without the comedy and the songs, this is still a meandering movie about a boy having random encounters with various giant sized wild animals, and very little else. The film tries to fill the void with moody atmosphere and action, but it doesn't feel like enough of a substitute. In terms of special effects, the CGI work on the characters and scenery is good enough to be convincing, yet blended in well enough to not draw attention to itself. But none of the voice acting is particularly impressive.
What this movie does try to bring to the table is a bit more of an emotional thread through the story. Something is made of Mowgli's connection to the wolf pack, and how he sees himself as more wolf than human. It pays off in the end with a cheesy "lets chant and band together against the enemy" action finale, but leads to some contradictory themes. Bagheera is constantly telling Mowgli to not behave like a human, only to go back on the advice in the climax. It leads to Mowgli bringing fire to the final fight, then refusing to use fire because its not the animal way, and then changing his mind to use the fire again two minutes later. It somehow ends with an excessive fight in which (SPOILER) Sher Khan falls from a tree and explodes.
I came out the cinema with a very MEH attitude to this. I'm surprised, considering the positive response this film has been getting, even from people who are as protective of the original as I am, but I just can't recommend this.
Film Beautifully Nostalgic
First thing that should be made absolutely clear, if you want to see the Rudyard Kipling stories, then you are not in the right place. This is based off the animated movie, not the book. I thought about when I watched Doug Walker's review (he really didn't like it), where he was always making comparisons to the book. This is not the book, not by a long shot. And considering the themes I hear Kipling believed in, I'm not sure if I want to.
That said, I actually really liked this movie. Every scene had me completely sucked in, and I got really invested in what was happening. People are telling the truth when they say that the special effects in this movie are great, because they are. Probably everything was a green screen, but there were several times where I briefly forgot that, which is helped by Neel Sethi's wonderful performance. I look forward to seeing this kid in future work, because he's really talented. The whole cast is great in this, though I do wish we got more Scarlett Johansson as Kaa. Christopher Walken may sound like a weird choice as King Louie, but he's still delightfully entertaining in this, especially when he sings that iconic song. Idris Elba is also very threatening as Shere Khan, completely dominating every scene he's in. Ben Kingsley does good as the stern parental figure, and Bill Murray is a good successor to Phil Harris. Lupita Nyongo also is really good as the loving mother, and I really bought the bond she had with her son.
Obviously, a lot of this movie is banking on the nostalgia factor, and some people criticize it for that. Well, I don't care. That's half the reason I went to see this movie, because I grew up with it. And since this was an adaptation of that movie, of course I wanted to go see it. There were times in this movie where I just got that warm feeling inside.
In summary, I really liked this movie, and if you're a fan of the animated movie, definitely check this out. But if you're a big fan of the book, I don't recommend it.
Film 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.
Film A wonderfully welcomed remake
I wasn’t a fan of the original. I found it boring. But Disney’s live action remake of their classic was at least an entertaining film.
It follows the animated film almost the same. There are changes, but not many. It’s more engaging, but the pacing is off. Some points are glanced over and others are focused on for some time. The additional action made it more interesting as well.
Most characters were voiced fine. I especially loved Ben Kingsley’s Bagheera and Scarlet Johansson’s Kaa. But Bill Murray's Baloo was distracting. I thought Murray would be the best casting choice, but it seemed out of place. Maybe it’s because he spoke more like a con artist than a jungle animal, so the issue may be more with the writing than the actor.
One of the best improvements is Neel Sethi as Mowgli. Mowgli was boring in the original. He was just an observer, his personality set by the situation. Mowgli in this movie is a defined character. He’s a smart but curious kid who wants to continue living in the jungle, preferably with the family that helped him grow. It can be argued that Mowgli’s character didn’t really grow in the movie, but I don’t think he needed it since several other characters have their own developments instead.
My other concern was the fact that it’s live action and all the animals are CGI, so I thought it’d look fake. Again, I was mistaken. The CGI on the animals is fantastic. It’s not perfect and I would have liked some practical effects, but at least I can believe that they’re in the same scene as Sethi, which is more than can be said for other films. There is no purpose in seeing this movie in 3D, though. With most of it done in CG, you’d think they’d take advantage of it. But no, there is literally just ONE scene where the 3D works. Don’t bother paying the extra money.
The biggest pitfall is the songs, or lack thereof. They do appear, but they’re handled in a very poor fashion. Bear Necessities, while getting a whole scene to it and sung well, is just Mowgli and Baloo chilling while singing it. It’s kind of boring. Wanna be Like You was just odd in its presentation in the film, especially when you hear the better rendition that they play over the end credits. Trust in Me and Elephant March songs don’t appear in the movie at all. The first is just referenced with a line and sung over the end credits. The second is completely removed (To be fair, it was removed for a very understandable reason once you see the film). I hope we get these songs properly in an extended edition, because they do sound good.
The story is good despite pacing problem, helped a lot through the additional action sequences. Almost all of the characters fit perfectly in the film, with the main character being a really great improvement on the original. The CGI is just amazing. It’s an overall great film that I would give Four and a Half stars. I totally recommend seeing it in theaters…in 2D.
Film To quote Keanu Reeves: Whoa.
That's a good whoa, by the way.
I've watched the '67 Jungle Book too many times to count, but I barely remember it, so I didn't really have a nostalgia trip here. What I did have was an incredible experience.
The Jungle Book, firstly, has such incredible visuals that I'd be happy if it was just 105 minutes of photorealistic animals mucking about. But no; it has a plot, and damn, it's a gripping one. I'm a huge fan of Kipling's original Jungle Book, and I'll be the first to tell you that the plotting is eh. There's the unifying agent that is Shere Khan, but overall, the book and cartoon are basically just episodic, and the cartoon is episodic with music. This version sustains many of the elements of the cartoon: some of the songs, Kaa as the creepy-ass villain, King Louie, and Mowgli's outfit. However, whereas many of these elements were barely connected in the '67 version, here, Mowlig's encounters with both Kaa and Louie are directly as a result of his conflict with Shere.
After the visuals and plot, my favorite bit was, by far, the acting and characterization. Shere Khan is a brutal, thuggish psychopath, and Idris Elba's rough voice and accent sell that impression. All the other characters as also magnificent, but my personal favorite was Louie. There's something about his Mafia Boss portrayal here, combined with Christopher Walken's incredible acting (ham) chops that hit all the right notes.
Five outta five stars here. Loved it.