MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (4/15/16): THE JUNGLE BOOK
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| "Please ... For the love of everything ... Don't make this a horror movie and eat me!" Mowgli (Neel Seethi) shares a moment with his adoptive wolf mother Raksha (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) in a scene from director Jon Favreau's live-action adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic THE JUNGLE BOOK. Credit: © 2015 Disney Enterprises. All rights reserved. |
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Neel Seethi, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Ben Kingsley, Lupita Nyong'o, Giancarlo Esposito, Garry Shandling, Brighton Rose, Scarlett Johansson, and Christopher Walken
WRITER(S): Justin Marks (screenplay); Rudyard Kipling (novel on which the movie is based)
60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Based on part of Joseph Rudyard Kipling's best-known collection of short stories, the live action version of The Jungle Book stars newcomer Neel Seethi as Mowgli. Mowgli is a "man-cub," a boy raised by wolves in the jungle after being discovered by Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley), a black panther who discovered him all alone in a cave. While serving as a mentor of sorts, Bagheera turned the young boy over to Raksha (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) and Akela (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito), a pair of wolves who in turn raised him as one of their own. And all is well.
That is until Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba), a tiger with burned face, lets Akela and Raksha that he wants Mowgli turned over to him at once – or face dire consequences.
Doing what they think is right, Akela and Raksha ask Bagheera to lead Mowgli out of the jungle, which is a tough moment for the young man-cub since he doesn't want to leave the only mother and father he's ever really known. But once he's out on his own, Mowgli will discover a side of the jungle he's never known, full of characters from the slithering Kaa (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) to the lazy but ingenuitive Baloo (voiced by Bill Murray) and the loquacious King Louie (voiced by Christopher Walken), all of which may make the man-cub have to face a decision he never anticipated:
Is he a man-cub or a man – and if so, what does that mean for him in regards to his place in the only home he's ever known.
That is until Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba), a tiger with burned face, lets Akela and Raksha that he wants Mowgli turned over to him at once – or face dire consequences.
Doing what they think is right, Akela and Raksha ask Bagheera to lead Mowgli out of the jungle, which is a tough moment for the young man-cub since he doesn't want to leave the only mother and father he's ever really known. But once he's out on his own, Mowgli will discover a side of the jungle he's never known, full of characters from the slithering Kaa (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) to the lazy but ingenuitive Baloo (voiced by Bill Murray) and the loquacious King Louie (voiced by Christopher Walken), all of which may make the man-cub have to face a decision he never anticipated:
Is he a man-cub or a man – and if so, what does that mean for him in regards to his place in the only home he's ever known.
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? People who enjoy films with gorgeous visuals; those who enjoy live action films where the the story moves at a snappy pace; those who felt that the animated version of The Jungle Book is a bit too over-the-top happy/sappy; people who want some realistic "edge" to a tale that should, by its very nature, inherently have some.
WHO WON'T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People that find animals talking creepy and/or weird; anyone who believes older, revered films shouldn't be remade for any reason; those who find the action scenes a bit too intense for young children (or his or her self); anyone who feels a more "hard-edged" Jungle Book is not needed
WHO WON'T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People that find animals talking creepy and/or weird; anyone who believes older, revered films shouldn't be remade for any reason; those who find the action scenes a bit too intense for young children (or his or her self); anyone who feels a more "hard-edged" Jungle Book is not needed
SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? A film that brings a maturity to a coming of age tale that by its very nature needs to embrace its animalistic nature, The Jungle Book is a very well done tale that brings its subject matter to life in a way where the call of the wild is answered loudly and vividly.
Child actors are a very mixed lot; while some make a breakthrough performance in their debut film (see Osment, Haley Joe), others often go on to fail to live up to and/or embrace the talent they show in that role thereafter (see Osment, Haley Joe) or worse (see Lloyd, Jake for a recent example). Newcomer Neel Seethi doesn't do anything remarkable to show superstar potential as the man-cub of the jungle, but he does a very competent job in bringing the essence of Mowgli – a young boy in a world that is clearly not his by birth but becomes his by his actions and spirit – to life.
What really makes the movie, however, is the synchronicity between the vocal performances of the film's animal stars and the animation under director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf, the big guy from Swingers and Chef – don't get mad at me; he was heavy in both movies!) Whereas Nyong'o brings heart, depth and a mother's love to her role as Raksha and Kingsley adds a stern, old world father sensibility, Murray brings a terrific sense of humor to Baloo that makes the character lovable at each turn while Walken brings a fantastic balance of blowhard and boyish enthusiasm to his role.
Still, what brings everything together so well is the coordination of the action, emotion and humor under Favreau's watch, all of which makes for a wonderfully entertaining package enjoyable for adults and children alike. The intense scenes are truly intense, the heartfelt ones are touching without being sappy and the humor comes at the right times without ever being insulting to your intelligence, no matter your age.
And as far as remakes of films you never thought you'd ever want to see go, The Jungle Book delivers a wild and wonderful romp through the jungle with moralistic undertones of which Kipling himself would likely be proud.
Child actors are a very mixed lot; while some make a breakthrough performance in their debut film (see Osment, Haley Joe), others often go on to fail to live up to and/or embrace the talent they show in that role thereafter (see Osment, Haley Joe) or worse (see Lloyd, Jake for a recent example). Newcomer Neel Seethi doesn't do anything remarkable to show superstar potential as the man-cub of the jungle, but he does a very competent job in bringing the essence of Mowgli – a young boy in a world that is clearly not his by birth but becomes his by his actions and spirit – to life.
What really makes the movie, however, is the synchronicity between the vocal performances of the film's animal stars and the animation under director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf, the big guy from Swingers and Chef – don't get mad at me; he was heavy in both movies!) Whereas Nyong'o brings heart, depth and a mother's love to her role as Raksha and Kingsley adds a stern, old world father sensibility, Murray brings a terrific sense of humor to Baloo that makes the character lovable at each turn while Walken brings a fantastic balance of blowhard and boyish enthusiasm to his role.
Still, what brings everything together so well is the coordination of the action, emotion and humor under Favreau's watch, all of which makes for a wonderfully entertaining package enjoyable for adults and children alike. The intense scenes are truly intense, the heartfelt ones are touching without being sappy and the humor comes at the right times without ever being insulting to your intelligence, no matter your age.
And as far as remakes of films you never thought you'd ever want to see go, The Jungle Book delivers a wild and wonderful romp through the jungle with moralistic undertones of which Kipling himself would likely be proud.
OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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