The Jungle Book (2016)

Genres

Adventure, Fantasy

Director

Jon Favreau

Country

USA

Cast

Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Giancarlo Esposito, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Brighton Rose, Jon Favreau, Sam Raimi, Russell Peters, Madeleine Favreau, Sara Arrington

Storyline

The man-cub Mowgli (Neel Sethi) flees the jungle after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba). Guided by Bagheera the panther (Ben Kingsley) and the bear Baloo (Bill Murray), Mowgli embarks on a journey of self-discovery, though he also meets creatures who don't have his best interests at heart.

Opinion

I grew up watching Disney Classics, and the 1967 The Jungle Book was one of my favourites. I loved the film so much, I named my black cat Bagheera. Therefore you understand how much excited I was for this film that also features the voice of the talented Lupita Nyong'o - if you read my piece about her, you know how much I love her -, and I can't wait to tell you how good this film turned out.

Based on Kipling's novel The Jungle Book - and he deserves to be mentioned because unlike most British, instead of taking advantage of other populations, he came to know and appreciate them -, the film once again tells the story of Mowgli, an orphaned human boy raised by animals, and his journey of self-discovery.

Jon Favreau's approach is quite serious, and you can feel the weight of the situations as it is treated more seriously, which brings at something some people have complained about: the violence. The brutal law of the jungle is involved, and, unlike the cartoon version, it is portrayed in a very realistic manner, therefore it is not suitable for a younger audience. Right, because the videogames most kids play nowadays aren't violent at all. And anyway, the film is not that violent.

The screenplay, written by Justin Marks, features great dramatic dialogue, and moments that capture the true essence of the novel, and humour and some catchy songs that makes the film more family friendly.

And now the reason most people watched this film: the live-action/CGI. I haven't seen it in 3D because I wanted to watch it in original language, and you can't have both in my country, but the visuals effects were still stunning. Everything looks so real, it's hard to tell where the CGI ends and where the real world begins. It was astonishing.

The animals are all visually stunning, but what brings them to the next level is the voice cast. They all were perfectly cast. Especially Idris Elba as Shere Khan, as he truly captures the terrifying nature of the character. Bill Murray as Baloo and Ben Kingsley as Bagheera provide natural and fitting voices. Lupita Nyong'o unfortunately doesn't have a lot of screen time, but she does well as Raksha. However, Scarlett Johansson and Kaa and Christopher Walken as King Louie steal the show with their cameo.

In a nutshell, The Jungle Book is a different, but amazing remake of a classic.