[yasr_overall_rating]
The man-cub Mowgli flees the jungle after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan. Guided by Bagheera the panther and the bear Baloo, Mowgli embarks on a journey of self-discovery, though he also meets creatures who don’t have his best interests at heart.
Disney has produced some wonderful classics over the years and the original version of “The Jungle Book” is considered one of their very best. For me, as a kid, I was never really taken in by their movies, that actually transpired later in my life, when as an independent filmmaker, I had a greater appreciation for the art and work that went into making them. The trailer for the new live-action version was interesting but I really had no desire to see it. Boy was I wrong. I sat there, with my nine year-old nephew Martin, and director Jon Favreau gradually pulled me in to his updated masterpiece and would not let go. And I didn’t want to let go. The characters, the performances, the music, the cinematography, it was that rare event where the stars aligned and everything came together perfectly. I can’t praise this version enough and for me, it even surpasses Disney’s 1967 original.
Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi) is a young boy who lives in the jungle and has been raised by the animals who live there ever since his father’s death years ago. The wolves have helped care for him and nurture him while Bagheera (Ben Kinglsey), the jungle’s only black panther, teaches him how to survive. When Shere Khan (Idris Elba), the jungle’s most ferocious tiger, discovers that the animals have been fostering a human child, having been injured by man in the past and harboring resentful hatred towards them, he gives the animals an ultimatum; return him to his own people or suffer the consequences. And as quickly as he appeared, he is gone. The wolves, torn between their own survival and that of Mowgli, simply cannot make a decision but Mowgli informs them that he will leave and with Bagheera’s help, he will make his way back to the human village so that they can live in peace.
As the two begin their long trek, Shere Khan returns to the wolves, demanding that they turn the boy over to him but when they inform him that he has left, enraged, he kills their alpha male, Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) and sets out on Mowgli and Bagheera’s trail. Along the way, the duo become separated and Mowgli must navigate treacherous and uncharted areas of the jungle by himself, and in the process, he encounters new characters, including Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), a large but hypnotic snake, King Louie (Christopher Walken), the king of the apes who desperately wants from Mowgli, the secret of the red flower, and finally, Baloo (Bill Murray), a gentle brown bear who takes on a paternal figure in young Mowgli’s life while Bagheera is missing. Eventually, Bagheera catches up with them but when Mowgli discovers that Akela has been killed by Shere Khan, angrily, he makes his way back to the jungle so he can challenge him, once and for all.
Young Neel Sethi who plays Mowgli, is sensational. “The Jungle Book” is his very first feature film and he carries an astonishing confidence rarely seen in young actors of his ilk. Every time he is onscreen, you cannot take your eyes off him and he brings great depth and intensity to a role that could have very easily been written off in the hands of a less capable actor. The CGI characters are flawless and the actors who voice them seem to be having great fun, especially Idris Elba, who snarls and growls every chance he gets.
Composer John Debney delivers a thunderous, rousing, and rip-roaring soundtrack, and in the process, pays homage to the late John Barry and borrows several awe-inspiring notes from his Oscar-winning score for “Dances with Wolves.” The movie is thrillingly photographed by cinematographer Bill Pope as he captures perfectly, every nuance onscreen, from Mowgli’s facial expressions right down to large chases that span jungles and inhospitable terrain, nothing is left to the imagination. Director Jon Favreau, who helmed “Iron Man 1 & 2” and “Cowboys & Aliens,” turns the wow factor up all the way and grabs you from the very beginning and does not let go. “The Jungle Book” is the first real film of the summer so I suggest you grab the kiddies, and some handkerchiefs, and be prepared to be blown away.
In theaters April 15th
