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A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan, as well as his own origins.
It’s hard to imagine that a beautiful baby boy who should be in Gerber commercials, is instead learning how to navigate life in the midst of a jungle of would-be mother figures who have to go to the animal kingdom’s high court to be approved to raise him as one of their own in the jungle. After his parents have been viciously killed by a tiger, Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), Mowgli (Rohan Chand) instantly becomes a ward of the jungle as a tribe of wolves with a proud chief Akela (Peter Mullan) immediately fall in line to care for him and protect him from the tiger who has already claimed his soul and pre-determined his fate.
As the story begins, wide-eyed Mowgli sits in the middle of the jungle not fully comprehending his fate. As he coos instinctly without fear, he is clueless as to what has transpired in his short period of living and that his world will never be the same without guidance and direction from his parents. While the kingdom acknowledges he must become animal-like in order to survive, Mowgli never distinguishes himself as anything other than the digital creatures which surround him and while almost every animal has come on board with the plan to raise him, there are still some who think he’d be better off if given back to the human race which he most identifies with. As Mowgli grows into a young man, Shere Khan follows his every move throughout the jungle hoping that one day he will catch him alone and make good on his promise. Even though the wolves have to constantly rethink their position, they never regret taking Mowgli in as their own and using his paradoxical youth to gain advantage and inspire other animals in the jungle to live their best lives and make it purposeful.
Director Andy Serkis did an amazing job of taking Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Jungle Book’ and allowing both youth and adults to converge upon the simple message of triumph through defeat. Throughout the entire film, Mowgli’s rare beauty and graceful existence, coupled with the wise counsel of a black panther, Bagheera (Christian Bale), a big bear, Baloo (Serkis), a wise-cracking hyena, an elephant, and a slithering snake, Kaa (Cate Blanchett), allowed him to navigate through a world where humans and animals came together using their strengths and weaknesses to achieve a common goal. The digital renditions of these characters provided a new dimension to a timeless story that was both refreshing and wildly entertaining. Kudos for the casting of strong personalities which helped to balance the roles which ensured Mowgli’s mental, physical and psychological prowess could lead to his ultimate success.
In select theaters and streaming on Netflix Friday, December 7th
