A bolder and visually stunning re-telling.
This $175 million dollar fantasy adventure film from accomplished director Jon Favreau
was released nationwide on April 15, 2016 - and grossed $730 million in its first three
weeks.
If my count is correct, this is the seventh film adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's collection
of India-inspired stories from the late 1800s.
But perhaps more importantly, it's also Disney's fourth attempt at the story; with this live-action/CGI-blend
being a direct remake of their animated classic from 1967 - which we reviewed here on the
show two years ago.
The familiar 106-minute film shares the story of a man-cub named Mowgli who goes on a journey
of self-discovery after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him out of the jungle.
The young Neel Sethi makes his feature-film debut as this small Indian boy - and he does
a commendable job considering his co-stars are all computer-generated.
They are however voiced by some excellent talent; Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba,
Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, and the late Garry Shandling in his
final role.
All of them slide into their animal personas with ease...
well, except for Walken, who portrays a giant monkey that sounds exactly like Christopher
Walken.
My experience of this film was undoubtedly improved since I saw it in crystal clear IMAX
laser 3D... but holy cow - it looks absolutely phenomenal.
The motion-capture, computer-created imagery seamlessly brings these majestic animals to
life in a strikingly believable way.
Their movements, speech, and appearance are all flawless.
Reportedly, the Baloo character was so large and furry, he took almost five hours of rendering
time per frame.
A pioneering achievement by the magicians at Moving Picture Company and Weta Digital,
"The Jungle Book" features the best visual effects since "Avatar" - and is worth seeing
on the big screen for that reason alone.
Perhaps the biggest testament to this is the last line at the end of the credits which
reads, "Filmed in downtown Los Angeles".
Wow.
One highlight is during Mowgli's initial trek through the jungle as he happens across a
herd of elephants.
The sight of these giant creatures slowly emerging from a blanket of fog is breathtaking
- and rendered with incredible realism.
Another sequence, where our man-cub protagonist is caught up in a charging stampede of buffalo
is intense and frightening.
It captures the same wonder of a similar sequence in "Dances With Wolves".
Although this isn't a true 'musical', there are still a few songs incorporated in the
PG-rated story, including the unforgettable "Bare Necessities" number, which Murray clearly
has a lot of fun with, explaining, "That's a song about the good life."
Keeping with its playful nature, the movie concludes with some very inventive pop-up
book style credits - which re-visualize scenes from the movie in miniature form.
A slightly more serious iteration of what came before, but no-less family friend - Favreau
has done a remarkable job bringing to life such a vibrant and authentic world - filled
with fun and memorable characters.
While it's impossible to call this picture "original", it's a must-see for all Disney
fans.
"The Jungle Book"'s flawless visuals beautifully recreate a classic story.
And here's what you thought about it.
We were in agreement for "The Jungle Book", with everyone praising its visuals - and scoring
this an AWESOME.
That does it for this quick excerpt - but if you'd like to watch full episodes of "Movie
Night", and submit your own reviews to be included on the show, please visit the Jogwheel
YouTube channel.
My name is Jonathan Paula, thanks for watching and have a good Movie Night!