Friday, June 3, 2016

Film Review: The Jungle Book

Directed by: John Favreau
Starring: Neel Sethi, Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min.

Lush with gorgeous, breathtakingly realistic animation, The Jungle Book is certainly a sight to behold. Sadly, I was unable to fully appreciate its scenery until about the final third of the film, since my theater was accidentally showing us the 3D version of the film in 2D. Either way, what I was able to witness in that final sequence was certainly worth revisiting.

The voice cast is stupendous with a particular nod to Idris Alba as the ominous Shere Khan. The story was a bit lacking and follows the original film almost exactly, so there's not too much in the way of surprises for those who have seen Disney's original animated classic (though, again, that final act sequence certainly delivers).

On top of this, Mowgli never really comes off as a character in his own; always being talked at and about rather than really having a voice of his own. Even his final act proclamation is half-hearted in earnestness. This is partly the responsibility of the screenwriters, and also an issue with casting a child role. Neel Sethi seems to give it his all, but never believably exists in the same reality as the animals; always staring and speaking in the direction of a character rather than directly at it. Acting in a totally CG film is no easy feat and it's commendable that Sethi is as convincing as he is, but it seems with a little more direction Mowgli could have been more powerful in certain scenes.

Overall, John Favreau has delivered a solid entry in Disney's live-action canon with The Jungle Book, and one that provides hope for future Disney adaptations. 3.5/5

- The Catalyst



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