The Jungle Book

Score:  ****1/2 out of ***** (A)

Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, et. al.
Running time:  105 minutes
Rated PG

Long Story Short:  Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) directed this new adaptation of a favorite children's story.  This is no gimmick release: the visual effects are amazing and put to excellent use with all the animal characters involved.  Bill Murray, Idris Elba, and others prove great voice actors, but so does young Sethi as Mowgli.  Add in a strong, straightforward script, and you have a must-see family film.  Highly recommended.


Deep in the jungles of India, there is a strange wolf pack.  One of the "pups" being raised is a human boy named Mowgli (Sethi).  The orphan boy learns the ways of the pack, frolicking about with the wolf pups under the watchful eyes of mother wolf Raksha (Nyong'o) and the elusive black panther Bagheera (Kingsley).  The boy's place does not seem to hinder anything or anyone in the natural cycle of life in the jungle, until a long and brutal drought comes.  As all the animals are drawn in to the last remaining water source, a fearsome, man-hating Bengal tiger, Shere Khan (Elba), finds Mowgli and promises to kill the boy once the drought ends.  Although Mowgli's friends hope to protect him, the boy decides he can't put anyone else at risk and leaves for the nearest human village, with Bagheera as his guide.

Furious at being denied his victim, Shere Khan hunts down Mowgli.  Soon, the boy is lost and alone, facing dangers he's never encountered before.  Yet new friends arrive, too, and Mowgli begins to discover the usefulness of his human abilities or "tricks", as the wolves called them.  The boy would be happy to live in peace in the jungle - but a final reckoning with Shere Khan the tiger is inevitable.

The cast of The Jungle Book is exceptional, though, with the exception of Mowgli, entirely computer animated.  Leading the way is Neel Sethi as the "man cub".  Child actors are hit or miss, but fortunately Sethi is very impressive in the role.  His character, Mowgli, has been raised by animals, and Sethi does a very good job of giving that impression.  He clearly comes across as a strong, brave, compassionate boy, making Mowgli a vivid, interesting character, but also doesn't go overboard (a common weakness for child actors).  While not the most spectacular part of the film, Sethi's rock solid,  compelling performance lays the foundation for all the rest.

The voice acting is also very good, with a few particularly good fits.  Serving as Mowgli's animated co-star is Baloo the bear, voiced by Bill Murray.  Murray does a great job, though the part certainly fit him well, anyway: a rather lazy, self-serving and sarcastic bear, he is nevertheless loyal and, when it comes down to it, compassionate.  He is largely responsible for making the film's middle section, often the least interesting, meandering part of a film, great fun.  Idris Elba is also a bit typecast here as Shere Khan the tiger, but he is plenty menacing, in a unique way that shifts from blunt to unsettlingly subtle.  The main members of Mowgli's jungle family are Bagheera the panther, voiced by Ben Kingsley, and Raksha, by Lupita Nyong'o.  They aren't standouts like Murray and Elba, but they still do very good work in portraying their weary wisdom and motherly love and fierceness, respectively.

While The Jungle Book is not a fancy new tale in the world of cinema, this latest film version both makes it fresh again and is as strong, traditional filmmaking as I've seen in some time.  This is due to good writing, the performances just described, and the absolutely incredible visual effects work.  Many films rely on at least a few good effects shots, but The Jungle Book relies on them almost entirely - not only are the animal characters (obviously) CGI, but so is all of the scenery.  Fortunately, the technicians for this film created exquisitely detailed, incredibly realistic work throughout.  More credit again goes to Sethi for working in such an environment, and the effects blend seamlessly with him.  To be honest, one of the most impressive specific examples of the visual work is the sunlight - strikingly bright and real (more so than many live action films').  The visual effects provide a considerable "wow" factor, but they also don't distract from the original (though modified) story.  And thank goodness, the writers did not attempt to dumb things down or convert the dialogue to modern vernacular.  Yes, this is a story for children with some basic, important life lessons - but adults are well served, too, by the earnest, non-pandering writing.

***

The Jungle Book is almost certainly destined to become a family film classic, taking its place among other outstanding adaptations.  Frankly, I didn't have much interest in seeing this at first, and saw it mostly due to its phenomenal Rotten Tomatoes score.  I thought it would use a few fancy visuals and a modernized tone to "update" the classic and grab some cash.  Well, the visuals are more than fancy, they're groundbreaking and breathtaking, and the storytelling atmosphere is old fashioned at its best.  I will warn prospective family viewers that this isn't for the very youngest as there are some scenes that could be pretty frightening (heck, I jumped once or twice).  I don't pretend to know what the threshold is, but this is not exactly Bambi we're talking about.  At any rate, above that threshold this is a film for all ages, whether you are taking in the astounding visual effects, enjoying a familiar and well-retold tale, or laughing and singing along with Bill Murray and co.  Highly recommended (and see it in the theater!).




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