The Jungle Book Review

Starring: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Chrsitopher Walken, Neel Sethi

 I'm going to start with a confession. The Jungle Book is one of the last Disney films I would expect to be adapted into their live action fairytales series. Not because the 1960s original isn't a good film, but simply because it's not one that stands out as an immediate classic. Sure, "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You" have become staples of Disney music, but the film itself is largely underrated. It has iconic characters like Baloo and Kaa, and here we see famous actors interpreting these classic roles. Bill Murray embodies the hilarious bear Baloo. Ben Kingsley's stern voice makes him the perfect mentor for Mowgli. And Scarlett Johansson's seductive tones make her perfect for the hypnotizing python. It's not just the voice actors that captivate. The visuals are magical. Almost everything is digital aside from Mowgli. So while Neel Sethi needs to be lauded for acting with nothing, the visual effects team really creates the Indian jungle and every animal within. This is undoubtedly the best Disney live-action adaptation I've seen. It perfectly captures the whimsy of the original, while making it accessible for today's audience. The 1960s movie is full of clichés. Director Jon Favreau recognized that modern audiences aren't satisfied with that. With higher stakes and more poignant action and interaction, The Jungle Book succeeds across levels.

First I will address the actors. Now, they didn't really act. They just lent their voices to the roles. In some cases, the motion capture of their faces are used, as is the case with Murray and Walken. Obviously Bill Murray is the heart of this movie, just as Baloo is the heart of the story. The character has always been easygoing and fun, but Murray brought a kind of protectiveness I'd never seen in Baloo before. He's scared of losing Mowgli, and of being alone. While he covers this up with humor, he thinks of Mowgli as his son. Murray's version of "The Bare Necessities" was a nice surprise in a movie I didn't expect to be a musical. Ben Kingsley was also great as the panther Bagheera. Bagheera is the moral compass, and Kingsley is perfect for the role. His voice is guiding and soft, and an absolutely amazing casting choice. Then there's Idris Elba as Shere Khan the tiger. Shere Khan isn't very menacing in the animated film, but he's terrifying here. Elba's deep scratchy voice brings evil to the tiger, and he captivates the audience in every scene he's in. Small children be warned: Shere Khan is very scary and has some very jumpy scenes. Elba has many monologues as the tiger, and he executes each one like a Shakespearean actor. One about a cuckoo bird particularly gave me chills in the theater. Lupita Nyong'o also does a great job as Raksha, the mother wolf. Her emotional depth nearly brought me to tears in one scene, and you never doubt she is Mowgli's mother.

The best scene of the movie is Mowgli's encounter with Kaa the python, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Mowgli's discovery of the enormous snakeskin was such a cool and inventive way to introduce that character. Johansson's seductive tones hypnotize the audience as she's doing the same to her prey. She provides the backstory to Mowgli, with her eyes telling the story, literally! The story fits the shape of her eye as she tells of Mowgli's father and the fire that all the animals fear. What's great is that the fire is called the "Red Flower". This is in reference to the classic line from "I Wanna Be Like You", which says "Give me the power of man's red flower so I can be like you." It's a great nod to the original, and amazing world-building. It gives the film a little fantasy feeling that this visually captivating, talking animal film benefits from. Now, onto the worst. Sadly, I would have to give this to King Louie and the monkeys. I thought Walken did great with his lines. I enjoyed that King Louie was a Gigantopithecus (an extinct ape) instead of an orangutan, seeing as orangutans don't live in India and the prehistoric ape once did. I thought the use of "I Wanna Be Like You", one of the film's signature songs was misused, and the scene was incredibly slow until the fight started. Baloo really brought life to the dull scenery. Plus, let's face it. Those monkeys are a little too creepy. I think it's great that Baloo sings his song, King Louie's seemed out of place. However, it plays in its entirety over the fantastic end credits, and it was redeemed for me.

It's clear that The Jungle Book is a visual masterpiece. The attention to detail that Jon Favreau has exhibited is stunning. Not only do the classic characters come to life, the whole jungle moves and breathes as a character. Every leaf, every bird and every rock is animated with such depth and attention, it's incredible to imagine that the movie in front of you is completely animated aside from Mowgli. A heaping amount of praise needs to go to Neel Sethi. The amount of skill for him to be able to react so well to nothing, but still stay a "stupid jungle boy" for lack of a better word, is well beyond his years. Every scene is like a fantasy dream, and it's so well written. I really recommend everybody see this. It's easily for all ages. Small children may be scared by Shere Khan (my mother certainly was), but I think it will prove a great moviegoing experience for all.

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