NOTE: Apologies for posting this review up so late. I saw the film in IMAX on opening night but neglected to write a proper review for the film. So without further adieu...
What are the bare necessities of this new remake of "The Jungle Book"? (1) Talking animals, (2) incredible CGI, (3) a great voice cast, (4) an Indian boy to play Mowgli, and (5) a capable director of mixing fantasy, adventure, thrills and heart. This is one tall order to fill. When Disney began remaking some of their classic films, such as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella", many groaned and moaned at first. However, "Cinderella" has proved that, with the rights people, Disney can translate their classic animated films into live-action features. This time around, "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau embarks on a daring mission to bring the lively animated character of the 1967 classic film to life on the big screen with some of the world's best computer animated technology. And with a cast of A-listers along with a newcomer to play the main protagonist, does Favreau deliver on the promise of something great? Something extraordinary?
"The Jungle Book" stars an ensemble cast, starring Neel Sethi as Mowgli and the voices of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken, and is directed by Jon Favreau. The film, much like the 1967 film, centers around a young boy named Mowgli, who has been nurtured and cared for by animals in the jungles of India. But when a fearsome man-hating tiger named Shere Khan threatens to kill him, Mowgli must set out on a dangerous journey of survival, while making some new friends on the way. Well folks, it's so pleasing and yet so odd to say that "The Jungle Book" might be the best film of the year so far. This film had it all: ground-breaking visual effects, an amazing cast that delivers their all, a delightful score, a brisk pace and some heart. Jon Favreau pulled a miracle with this adaptation, during a time when every classic film is hastily remade into a lazily put together messes.
This is be far one of the best casts assembled in 2016. With big names like Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson, "The Jungle Book" is blessed with an extremely talented group of actors who give it their all in this film. The characters they play are also extremely faithful to their animated counterparts in the 1967 original while also being appropriately updated for the 21st century's silver screen.
Neel Sethi was cast over thousands of other child actors to play Mowgli in the film and, now seeing the film, we should all definitely see why. Sethi embodies everything Mowgli should be: confident, daring, courageous, heartfelt and, most importantly, a kid. Mixing all of those key components together would be a difficult task for any child actor but Sethi somehow found a way to make his performance look effortless. While at times it is apparent that he is trying his best to act in a green screen studio, Sethi does his very best to give a believable and charming performance. He's no Haley Joel Osment, but he is pretty solid as the main lead.
Bill Murray and Baloo might have been a stroke of genius. At first, Murray's iconic voice was quite recognizable, but after those few minutes, he truly does become the carefree bear that we all know and love from the 1967 classic. Him and Sethi even sing "Bare Necessities" together in the film, which was a charming callback to the original. What more is there to say? Murray nails the role of Baloo and was the perfect actor to voice him on the big screen.
There really is no point in discussing how amazing Sir Ben Kingsley is because we all know how great of an actor he is. As one of the most versatile actors in the business, I can only imagine it was easy for him to slip into the character of Bagheera. As one of more important figures in Mowgli's life, Kingsley, as usual, commanded every scene he was in with dignity and strength, despite the fact we never see his face. Always being an overly serious and somewhat over protective character, he is portrayed as a strong, loving father-like panther who wants nothing more than what is best for Mowgli.
The classic Disney animated films have a plethora of amazing and iconic villains. The Evil Queen from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", Maleficent in "Sleeping Beauty", Lady Tremaine in "Cinderella", the Red Queen from "Alice and Wonderland" and Captain Hook in "Peter Pan" are just a few of Disney's line up of amazing villains during its golden age. Amongst these colorful and menacing characters, Sheer Khan was a very different animal, literally and figuratively. In the 1967 original, Sheer Khan was charming, confident, sophisticated and most of all dangerous. In the 2016 remake, Idris Elba took all of these elements and added something much more threatening and cruel, something we wouldn't see in a Disney animated film. Without pulling any punches, Elba, in his first scene in the film, became one of the most memorable, menacing and cool villains of the past few years. Pulling all of the viewers' attention in every scene he's in, Sheer Khan proved to be one of Disney live action's best characters ever put to the silver screen. His performance and character alone is worth the price of an IMAX ticket.
One of the most beautiful women of cinema history is playing one of the most hypnotic [and long] characters in cinema history. Scarlett Johnasson appears in the film as the strangely seductive and manipulative Kaa for only a little while, but is without a doubt one of the film's highlights. Acting a storyteller, we are told Mowgli's backstories through her eyes as she hypnotizes him as the character did in the 1967 original. Although she only has one scene in the film, it is a memorable one that you will not forget after leaving the theater.
Christopher Walken as an orangutan. What oddly perfect casting. The over-the-top ape we saw in the original animated film is brought to life by one of the strangest actors in Hollywood. Walken's iconically weird voice fit perfectly with King Louie's eccentric nature and provided the film with a very different vibe. While being slightly different from his 1967 counterpart, Walken as King Louie still shares many of the traits he had in the original film, even singing a variation of the song "I Wan'na Be Like You". This is a memorable performance that will make you laugh all the way through [and not in a bad way].
Most of us would recognize Giancarlo Esposito as the now iconic villain Gus in the critically acclaimed AMC TV series "Breaking Bad" for which he was nominated for an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Fresh of his major success in "Breaking Bad", here he is in "The Jungle Book" as Mowgli's guardian "parent" Akela. As the leader of the pack of wolves that Mowgli grows up with, Esposito gives Akela a royal and powerful presence that any strong leader would require. With such an authoritative voice, Esposito doesn't get lost in the shuffle of great actors who are cast in the film, which only goes to show how amazing of an actor he is.
After her great success with "12 Years A Slave", Lupita Nyong'o has found major success after winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2014 and being cast in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" as Maz Kanata. Just less than 6 months after her appearance in one of the biggest films of the past decade, Nyong'o appears in "The Jungle Book" as Mowgli's adoptive wolf mother Raksha. With great ease, the Oscar winning actress convinces the audience that this majestic animal truly loves this "man cub" as her own child. There is a particularly heartbreaking scene in which Mowgli has to leave the wolf tribe because of Sheer Khan and Nyong'o's performance in said scene was a tear jerking moment. With grace and strength, Nyong'o continues to show Hollywood that she is someone to look out for in the coming years.
With such a great cast that would [mostly likely] guarantee a good performance, it was up to director Jon Favreau to make a visually arresting and emotional film that paid respect to the 1967 original film. While the animated film is a classic, it would be considered very dated by today's standards. There are certain things in the original that would only work in the realm of animation and not in a live-action film. Because of this, Favreau had the incredibly difficult task of altering some of the film's plot and circumstances to better fit the silver screen and he nails it. While being extremely faithful to the original, this new adaptation takes several twists and turns in the plot that are not present in the 1967 version. Some of the characterizations of the animals were changed to the film's advantage, making the story even stronger than the original. Favreau managed to create his own distinguished world that was different but also very similar to its animated counterpart. With some of the original songs sung in the 1967 film, this new version of "The Jungle Book" is a breath of fresh air in this almost 50 year old classic, which was quite refreshing.
In 2009, James Cameron's "Avatar" changed the world of cinema with its groundbreaking special effects, which created new worlds that we have never seen before. Now in 2016, I believe that "The Jungle Book" has set a new standard for computer graphics. Not once during the film did it occur to be me that the entire film was shot in a studio in downtown Los Angeles. With the most photorealistic animals and some of the most beautiful digitally created background ever seen in the film, "The Jungle Book" is a filmmaking achievement like we've never seen before. Ever strand of hair on each animal is well defined and perfected as light bounces of their majestic bodies as they would in real life. When watching the film, you will not see CG animals. You only will see "real" animals speaking to one another. Of course, there are some shots where the CGI becomes noticeable, but this level of perfection has never been done before in a film like this. Recreating all of these natural environments as if they were real was breathtaking to see on the IMAX screen. Without a shred of doubt, "The Jungle Book" is one of the most beautiful looking films in recent memory.
While technically I don't have any problems with the film outside of extremely minor gripes, I find that the existence of this adaptation is misguided. Although this new remake is extremely fun, exciting, heartfelt and visually stunning, it will sadly not have a lasting impact in the world of cinema. I believe that remaking a classic film will result in a no-win scenario where no matter how good your adaptation is, it will [usually] never even come close to the magic of the original. "The Jungle Book", while being extraordinary, feels like something we have seen before but somehow masks its almost cliche storytelling with grand visuals and charming characters. Again, while a good film, this remake of a classic feels unnecessary and will most likely be forgotten in the next 20 years. If I had to choose between the animated or live-action "The Jungle Book" film to show my future child "The Jungle Book", I would most likely show him/her the animated classic instead.
Overall, this is one fantastic film that is unfortunately pulled down by a no-win scenario that even a director like Jon Favreau couldn't fight off. The entire cast gives their respective characters exactly what they need as the filmmakers behind them craft a beautiful world of wonder that is comparable to films like "Avatar" in terms of scale. This was a fun blast. One of the most enjoyable films I have seen in the movie theater this year. If you're a fan of the original film, you'll love this for its faithfulness and how it improves on the source material. Of course, I'm giving "The Jungle Book" a 9 out of 10. Go see it!
Go see it in Real-D 3D, IMAX 3D and Dolby Cinemas today!
