What a way to transition a classic story from our pasts into the next generation of children. Disney has absolutely smacked this one out of the park – The Jungle Book is touching, entertaining, mesmerising and all-round a pleasant and eye-boggling cinema experience.
The lines are blurred between reality and computer effects to the point where I’m convinced the only real thing was star leading man Neel Sithi as Mowgli, who helps bridge the gap with his captivating performance; making it look seamless when we must remember those aren’t actual bears and panthers he’s interacting with, it’d be a guy in a green suit with some nodes on him in a studio.
Masterful effects are also a highlight, plus a stellar voice cast comprising of Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray and Idris Alba definitely help bolster an already strong film and make their respective animals look and feel alive. The textures of the jungle, hairs on the animals, their movements, the weather affects, light particles… I could go on all day – Jon Favreau take a bow mate, this is a modern day kids classic.
The story sees Mowgli, a child raised in the jungle by wolves coming under threat from the vicious Shere Khan, a tiger with a score to settle with humans. In order to spare the lives of the animals he loves, Mowgli leaves the pack with Bagheera, a black panther, to return to his kind. However the path to civilisation is paved with mystery, intrigue and, most of all, danger.
Sure it’s a remake, but do we really care? The audience that I sat with was a group of kids on school holiday care and I didn’t hear a peep from them for the whole run-time. The pacing and energy rolls the plot along and, yeah, I could nit pick the approach to a few scenes (in terms of story structure) but who wants to read that?
This is a tight, beautiful family film exploring some deep themes of belonging, friendship and coming of age. Plus it’s funny, action-packed and often bittersweet, with an accompanying score that’d leave any kid big or small choking back a tear or two.
The Jungle Book goes beyond nostalgia, it is a reboot that works, hits close to the heart and is the best thing at the movies right now; ideal for something to do with the kiddies during the two-week break.
Rating – 9/10
