The Jungle Book (2016)

Cast: Bill Murray, Sir Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Neel Sethi, Scarlett Johanson, Christopher Walken and Emjay Anthony.

Director: Jon Faverou

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 1hr 46 minutes

Genre: Family

Rating: PG

Synopsis:

Live action adaptation of one of Walt Disney's most beloved classics The Jungle Book! 

Based on the children's book of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. Iron Man director Jon Favreau delivers one of the most stunning live action adaptations to date. Mowgli (Sethi) is forced to flee the jungle when fierce tiger Shere Khan threatens to kill him and the wolf pack that took him in as a baby. On his journey through the jungle he is guided by stubborn black panther Bagheera (Kingsley) and bear Baloo (Murray), however it doesn't take long for other creatures of the jungle to stop him in his path. Was it really necessary to change the storyline just because it is a live action adaptation? Screenwriter Justin Marks has changed a great deal of the storyline. Characters that were originally voiced by male actors are now voiced by female actors and the ending has been adjusted slightly.

Starring newcomer Neel Sethi as fearless man cub Mowgli, Sethi delivers, really quite a remarkable performance considering the special effects he had to work with at the time, in order to convince audiences he was in the jungle. Sethi really used his imagination to his advantage, his performance was fantastically genuine and heartfelt. Scarlett Johansson's performance as Kaa was a little bit disappointing. Kaa was originally quite a humorous character, although Johansson sounds hypnotising in her voice, she sadly doesn't bring any of that humour with her, leaving her no real room for characterisation or character development. Bill Murray is excellent as the funny and charming black bear Baloo. Murray suits the personality of Baloo brilliantly, really bringing the character to life.

Talented actor Idris Elba was beautifully cast as the bone chilling tiger Shere Khan. Elba offers a terrifying performance. It's very easy to forget how dark the story really is. Elba really emphasises that in his voicework for the character. Unfortunately not all actors were fantastically cast. Christopher Walken is a truly talented actor, however he was not right for the role of King Louis, Walken's singing performance really lets the character down. Is King Louis supposed to sound like a gangster, or have I misinterpreted something? Walt Disney made quite an impact on his audience when he produced the original in 1967. King Louis was seen as more of a mischievous character that unfortunately we didn't get to see in the live adaptation.

The CGI is absolutely outstanding. It's clear a lot of hard work went into the cinematography and the special effects. The animals were not only motion captured but live on set puppeteers from the Jim Henson company performed live on set too. The animals look remarkably real. The animals were created with key frame computer animation. The use of special effects and animations are what really make this film stand out from other Disney film adaptations. Original songs from Walt Disney's "The Jungle Book" were recycled for this adaptation, including the opening theme. It's a shame the soundtrack isn't as enchanting as the original animation. Director Jon Favreau proved he wanted to make it his own, creating more of a dark atmosphere on screen. Stunning and entertaining.

3/5 stars