'The Jungle Book' (2016) Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.
Won: Best Visual Effects.

The Jungle Book is the latest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's book, and I'll outright say that it's the best adaptation to date. Some of you are probably thinking that I'm insane declaring this to be superior to the 1967 animated The Jungle Book, but hear me out. This is the latest of Disney's push to make live-action adaptation of some of their classic films, but I don't think this film classifies as live-action since the entire film was shot on a sound stage in Los Angeles.

The only real, tangible aspects to the film are Neel Sethi as Mowgli and small portions of the set for Sethi to interact with. Aside from that, the remainder is entirely CGI. Yes, EVERYTHING. The jungle environments, the sky, the water, and the animals. All animated. And it's breathtaking, especially in 3-D. Now while we have seen this previously in films like Avatar or Life of Pi, this film progresses the technology going one step forward and not only making these environments and creatures seem lifelike, but also making the delivery of dialogue from the animals actually look believable as well. It's clear that the crew spent plenty of time researching the animals integral to the narrative. The animators include subtle movements for the animals that make them seem all the more real such as Shere Khan's stealthy stroll, Baloo's slow bear trod, and Bagheeera's ears flicking every now and then.

The crew even took it a step forward by ensuring to find animals quite similar to those found in the story that would actually be found in that part of the Indian Jungle. For example, instead of making King Louie an orangutan, they decided to make him a Gigantopithecus. This serviced the film in two ways by providing an over looming ape that monkeys would obviously be subservient to and also finding a creature close enough to an orangutan that actually could be found in India, although Gigantopithecus are extinct. Now many of you are probably thinking I was merely wowed by the animation, but there is so much more to this film.

First and foremost, Jon Favreau went above and beyond as director. Since Neel Sethi was acting opposite virtually nothing, he made sure to create a comfortable atmosphere for the child star by utilizing animal puppets and even acting in place of the animals himself in some cases, to be taken out in postproduction of course. Favreau did a phenomenal job stitching together all of the terrific work from each respective department to create a truly terrific movie.

Secondly, the screenwriter, Justin Marks, ensures that he adds much more depth and sophistication to the tale (or at least the animated version, I can't speak for the actual book since I haven't read it). We're all quite familiar with the basic story itself and so I won't really delve into that, especially since I included that in my Throwback Thursday Review of the animated incarnation. In comparison to Disney's other live-action fairytales and how close they stuck to their respective animated sources of inspiration, I'd say it falls somewhere between Cinderella, which was largely a clear cut live-action version of the animated film with relatively few changes, and Maleficent, which almost completely ignored the continuity of Sleeping Beauty. So for those expecting something along the lines of a clear-cut shot for shot remake of the animated version, you may be disheartened. Favreau does however take into account the love general audiences have for the animated classic and includes plenty of visual imagery homaging the animation.

One new aspect I really liked was that the jungle is treated as a society of it's own (More along the lines of what can be found in The Lion King rather than Zootopia though). The various characters are also fleshed out much more than the animated version, placing emphasis on their relationships with Mowgli, whether they be friendly or antagonistic. Also, the film captures a whirlwind of emotions with something for everyone. The film captures the lighthearted fun of the original, snippets of action and adventure in some intense moments, thanks to Shere Khan, that may scare some young children, and provided scenes with a gripping emotional core.

In regards to performances, The Jungle Book assembled quite an impressive cast. The one element that was going to make or break this film was the actor portraying Mowgli and Neel Sethi delivered. Sethi managed to act opposite the CGI creatures quite convincingly and also gave a great performance as well. Sethi embraced the innocence of Mowgli and really brought out the most of his childlike persona and sold it. I loved that his character was written so that he asked questions any child would ponder but while refraining from making it obnoxious.

Bill Murray comes into the role of Baloo injecting tons of fun into the film with his sarcastic one liners that definitely earned some laughs and he doesn't stray from the zany personality either. I also really bought into the brotherhood between Mowgli and Baloo thanks to both performances and the chemistry between the two actors (even though it's only Murray's voice). Sir Ben Kingsley manages to expertly balance Bagheera's overprotective demeanor with a mixture of responsibility and pride in Mowgli brilliantly conveyed through merely his voice.

Lupita Nyong'o is the emotional core as Raksha and serves the story as best she can in her limited screen time. Opposite her, Giancarlo Esposito makes for a believable leader and father figure albeit his limited screen time. Christopher Walken balances charisma with a looming menace as King Louie, who's much more of a mob boss this time around as opposed to the zany king. Scarlett Johannson captivates the audiences as Kaa, utilizing the snake hisses to the fullest even though she's in the film for about five minutes. Regardless, a terrific choice for Kaa.

Last, but certainly not least, Idris Elba makes a masterful villain of Shere Khan, projecting his malevolent gravitas so far that you can feel the terror when his name is mentioned. Shere Khan is introduced much earlier in this version, which I prefer because it adds gravity to the situation, giving audiences a taste of what Shere Khan is capable of.

Lastly, I'll discuss the use of music in the film. The score takes the classic songs everyone knows and loves and expands upon them by converting them into full orchestral epics. The score is embedded to match the scenes with each perspective character, such as "Trust In Me" being paired with Kaa. Don't worry though as the film doesn't cower away from any singing like Disney's previous live-action fairytales. In fact, the renditions of "I Wanna Be Like You" and "Bare Necessities" were a ridiculously fun time. If you stick through the credits you will be rewarded with a nifty credits sequence utilizing these songs, no post credits scene though. Looking forward, I really hope The Jungle Book is remembered during awards season, and it's no wonder the sequel was greenlit before the film opened.

In summary, The Jungle Book seems to be the best incarnation of the source material possible with fun for everyone providing content all ages can enjoy and I only wonder how the upcoming Warner Bros version directed by mo-cap exert Andy Serkis will fare. Now, can we get a version of The Lion King using this technology?