Written by: Justin Marks (screenplay), Rudyard Kipling (based on the books by)
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Starring: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling
Rated: PG
Plot:
Feral boy Mowgli is forced to leave his jungle home by the tiger Shere Khan. He then embarks on a journey with bear Baloo and panther Bagheera.
Verdict:
The CGI is undeniably impressive. The story has some really great moments despite being a typical hero must overcome trope. Humor and intensity are deftly balanced, and the voice actors really fit their parts. Still, this felt more like a tech demo than a movie. While Neel Sethi looked the part of Mowgli, he didn't have the charisma to carry the movie and he is the only actor on the screen for the bulk of the movie. Despite that, it's not just impressive technically, it's a pretty good movie. The scale of CGI is unparalleled.
Watch it.
Review:
The CGI is impressive. I'm very curious as to where CGI starts and stops, but I'm guessing everything but Mowgli is CGI as the entire movie was shot on a sound stage.
The CGI not only looks impressive, but the small movements the animals make really give this a sense of being real. From the way Shere Khan crosses his paws when he lays down to silly small moments like a frog wiping its eyes in the rain. This movie goes above and beyond to flaunt the superiority of its CGI and it earned that spotlight.
This isn't a kids movie. Shere Khan kills multiple animals, and while it isn't graphically violent, the implication is intense. Why imply it at all? It feels like a middle ground where this wants to be more adult, but doesn't want to exclude children. This is for everyone that grew up with the Disney animated version. This feels like an inspired by version, though this follows the original book more closely. While movies with talking animals can feel cheesy, this expertly subverts that trope.
Shere Khan sets up the plot when he demands the "man cub" kicked out of the jungle. Khan claims that all men turn violent towards animals. This starts Mowgli's journey as he encounters a bear, and ape, and more.
While this movie did include two of the most famous songs from the Disney cartoon, The Bare Necessities and I Wan'na Be Like You, these songs weren't in the book and they just feel strange in this movie. This is a serious movie. The songs feel like marketing just to pay homage to the Disney movie. While Bill Murray and Christopher Walken feel like actors cast just to grab headlines, they really did fit their characters. It's just difficult to consider them as anyone but who they are.
Shere Khan is ultimately undone by his own greed, and Mowgli uses what he learned in this movie to triumph. The film is cute in a way that only a talking wolf puppy can be.
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