Synopsis
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther, Bagheera, and free spirited bear, Baloo. (Via IMDB)
Director Jon Favreau took the story of The Jungle Book and brought it to life in a half live-action and half CGI experience. I usually do not enjoy anything that has half or more CGI in it, mainly because George Lucas shoved it down moviegoer throats in the early to mid 2000s, as it generally isn’t done correctly. So, color me surprised when The Jungle Book exceeded expectations on that technical achievement and actually used CGI perfectly to bring the audience into the Mowgli’s jungle experience. For example, when you see Shere Khan breathe and angrily snarl his facial expressions to show his dissatisfaction for Mowgli’s presence/existence, then it really settles in how perfectly planned and executed the effects truly were. If Favreau and crew hadn’t gotten that portion of the film right, we would have another Alice in Wonderland scenario where it’s either oversaturated or poorly done — or both.
In short, you’re getting a good product when it comes to bringing to life the jungle and its animal players.
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As for the story, it fits the bill just as the animated version did, while bringing a more adult sense of urgency to Mowgli’s (Neel Sethi – he did a fantastic job) situation. The movie doesn’t pull its punches on the brutality of the Jungle, nor does it try to hide that Shere Khan (Idris Elba) is a cold killer that has external and internal scars from his encounter with Mowgli’s family. You’ll get a wonderful balance of kid and adult themes through the characters and storylines that will make sure to satisfy all who see it. That’s difficult to get done correctly, but Favreau and crew pulled it off.
Anyway, onto the actual story!
The first act of the film simply sets up Mowgli’s situation and quickly shows his existence within the Jungle’s ecosystem. Packed in with a family of wolves, he does his best to fit into his pseudo-family, while struggling to fight off his human tendencies. You get to see those tendencies first hand when the group arrives at the only watering hole they have during a drought. When we first see him and his family go to Peace Rock to drink among the other animals, Mowgli stands out with how he acquires water and how he moves around (on two feet is not a normal jungle animal thing). Mowgli’s glaring differences from the rest are only magnified when Khan enters the scene. In a way, Khan sets up Mowgli’s journey by threatening to eat him when the rains make it back to the Jungle, thus drowning the Peace Rock in water and voiding the current treaty between the animals. It’s amazingly symbolic, while at the same time showing that Mowgli has always had limited time with his pack and how he can’t fight off who he is inside. Before the first act ends, his life guide, Bagheera (Sir Ben Kingsley), literally leads him out of the current jungle and on his way out towards man. Sadly, before he can properly go the direction he needs, Khan enters the scene and tries to kill him. That’s how act one ends. Exciting, huh?
The second act is mostly Mowgli on the run from Khan. Favreau has brilliant moments of suspense, terror and humor in this second act journey. Along the way, we also get introduced to all the fan favorites from the book and cartoon. Mowgli has a run in with Kaa the snake (Scarlett Johansson), who isn’t on screen long enough to truly appreciate. She does act as a bridge between Mowgli and Baloo (Bill Murray), but honestly nothing more. She does a great frightful seductive talking sequence to provide the audience, as well as Mowgli, with his backstory, while achieving her agenda of wanting to kill him. Sadly, her scene is incredibly short. With that said, from this point on it’s a Baloo and Mowgli journey filled with humor, music and where we see additional characters, such as King Louie (Christopher Walken), who isn’t as playful as Louis Prima’s 1967 version. Staying with Louis, this version of the character is uncomfortably menacing, huge, as well as verbally frightening — so goes Christopher Walken onscreen almost always more than not. Louie’s scene is wonderful to experience and creates a sense of urgency and unsafeness for Mowgli, as well as propels him to head straight to Shere Khan to finish the game that seems to continually go on, regardless of what Mowgli does. Khan makes sure that return trip to him is sealed through the death of Mowgli’s wolf family members. The second act finishes like it starts – strong. Favreau and his writers made this second act journey fast-paced, filled with good substance and spiraling towards a third act showdown between Mowgli and Khan.
The third act ties everything together, as Mowgli realizes he is human, but also that he can choose to be whomever he wants because he holds that power. I won’t get into how the movie resolves, but I will say that the final fight is certainly as intense as you would want it to be.
Overall, Director Jon Favreau has made a better movie than any other Jungle Book renditions up to this point. You might think that’s a bold statement considering how classic the 1967 cartoon is, but honestly it holds more suspense, terror and playfulness than the previous attempts at this book. Having said that, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, make it a priority. It’s that good in almost every aspect of its production.
On the special features side of things, here’s what to expect:
– “The Jungle Book” Reimagined
– I Am Mowgli
– King Louie’s Temple: Layer by Layer
– Audio Commentary
In the scheme of its success, it looks like there isn’t a lot here. BUT! What you do get is interesting material, especially the Reimagined feature and the King Louie feature. Both will capture your production interest and put some perspective behind what went into bringing this movie to life. The audio commentary is great as well.
