The Jungle Book (2016) Movie Review

ScreenRant

Go see The Jungle Book, and see it on the big screen. If you don't,you may end up regretting your decision for a long time. Worry not, this isn't some once-famous Disney property remade in live-action just to be hampered by the need to appeal to children. Despite its PG rating, this movie is filled with violence, intensity, depth, and more beauty than you'll see in most films catered to an adult audience made in recent years. One might think after my animosity towards last year's Cinderella that I might be disinclined to enjoy this movie. One would be wrong.

The Jungle Book is a mystical adventure to a place distant in space and time. Our viewing experience is one of revolutionary and immersive visual effects, grounded to the real world only by "man-cub" Mowgli (portrayed by newcomer Neel Sethi). After being rescued by panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley), the boy is raised by the pack of wolves led by Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) and mother figure Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o).

The pack teaches Mowgli to be a wolf-like - aggressive, quick, and dominant. However, Mowgli enjoys using wit, trickery, and a clever mindset to tackle his problems. This riff escalates when tiger Shere Khan discovers Mowgli on his turf and vows to kill the child and any animal that stands in his way. Mowgli decides on his own volition to return to the nearby man village, but this doesn't stop Khan's drive to kill.

On the journey back to the land of his people, Mowgli encounters the enormous snake Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), the laid-back bear Baloo (Bill Murray), and a gathering of apes in a temple led by King Louie (Christopher Walken). With fascinating effects from a clearly dedicated visual team, Mowgli's adventures are enough to enthrall on their own from a visual standpoint, but this movie does more than just please your eyes.

For one thing, enough praise cannot be given to this cast. These voice performances are astoundingly unique, as they bring to the characters a level of recognition from a voice known universally. Yet their inclusions were not distracting in the slightest - these actors were cast perfectly and brought something to their characters that I can't picture being brought by anyone else. Highlights include the impending voice work by Idris Elba as the villainous Khan, the enchantingly treacherous tone of an underused Scarlett Johansson, and the lovable presence of Bill Murray's Baloo.

All of this, however, means nothing without the one who brought these effects to reality. Neel Sethi is outstanding as our main focal point for the film. Conveying the range of innocence, happiness, fear, anger, and love without any on-screen partners with no obvious effort, Sethi has delivered what I would argue to be one of the greatest child performances of all-time. Sitting in the director's chair is Jon Favreau, who delivered one of the most technically impressive movies of this decade so far. Seeing the performances he brought out of those on-screen and off, it would not surprise me if we saw this man's name on the Best Director oscar shortlist at the end of the year (after all, George Miller made it for Mad Max, which came out at a similar time).

As much as it pains me to say it, The Jungle Book was not flawless. My biggest complaint was the sudden attempt to cater to children with 30 minutes left in the film by including the King Louie "Be Like You" jam. It broke the tone of the film and didn't fit with the story being told, even though the inclusion of "Bear Necessities" felt not only seamless, but appropriate. I also noticed an abundance of bait-and-switch with my emotions. While this may have just been a personal problem, there seemed to be a bit too much of unwelcome tension-building. When warranted, the tension was genuine and paid off. Sadly, it bordered on excessive and occasionally felt uncalled for. Despite these flaws, The Jungle Book is easily the best film that I have seen so far in 2016.

The Jungle Book is a rare film that can somehow win you over for both its visuals and its story. Beautiful to look at and wonderful to experience, The Jungle Book is a tremendously-acted movie helmed by those who have a clear love for filmmaking. Fun, exciting, and intense, The Jungle Book deserves to be appreciated in the theater. I suggest you take advantage of this opportunity while you can.

Rating: 4.5/5