Directed by:
Jon FavreauScreenplay:
Justin MarksCinematography:
Bill PopeComposer:
John DebneyCast:
Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Emjay Anthony (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Based on Rudyard Kipling's timeless stories and inspired by Disney's classic animated film, "The Jungle Book" is an all-new live-action epic adventure about Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a man-cub who's been raised by a family of wolves. But Mowgli finds he is no longer welcome in the jungle when fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba), who bears the scars of Man, promises to eliminate what he sees as a threat. Urged to abandon the only home he's ever known, Mowgli embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery, guided by panther-turned-stern mentor Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley), and the freespirited bear Baloo (Bill Murray). Along the way, Mowgli encounters jungle creatures who don't exactly have his best interests at heart, including Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), a python whose seductive voice and gaze hypnotizes the man-cub, and the smooth-talking King Louie (Christopher Walken), who tries to coerce Mowgli into giving up the secret to the elusive and deadly red flower: fire. (Walt Disney US)
(more)Reviews (14)
The Jungle Book is a spectacular demonstration of Hollywood’s technical capabilities with CGI that are so amazing that the live-action Mowgli is the least interesting creature in the film. And there are loads of CGI creatures in the film.
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You watch this technological marvel and the thought flies through your mind that "The future is now" and the reassurance of the significance of the giant leap forward filmmakers have made in the development of CGI animation and effects of the last two decades, something that filmmakers in the "pre-Jurassic" period could only dream of. This is undoubtedly the pinnacle of contemporary Hollywood's technical capabilities, and I can smell some technical Oscars. And please, I write this as a viewer who’s not at all fond of the digital coloring books that abound in movies today and prefers practical effects. But here there are no digital orgies that would look out of place, everything looks very believable and alive. When I realize that all the natural surroundings were created in a computer, it just blows my mind. The experience is enhanced by the wonderful book, and if its story teaches at least a few child viewers to love animals, this film is worthwhile.
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Jon Favreau never really appealed to me as a director. Iron Man is a retrospectively weaker Marvel movie that stands and falls mostly on Robert Downey Jr. (and don’t get me started on the second one), Cowboys & Aliens is awful and Zathura is pretty good. Nothing more. So when he took a swipe at The Jungle Book, which everyone knows, I didn't particularly care for it. Which makes the result all the more enjoyable. It's not that it's a perfect film, at times it's quite choppy in terms of story (the part with monkeys could have been shorter), but as a film with ambitions to entertain young and old viewers alike, this journey among digital animals simply works. Favreau handles the action scenes, the suspenseful moments and the humour, and he also keeps an eye on the visuals. The Jungle Book is gorgeous, and the wilderness can even bear comparison to Avatar's Pandora. There's plenty to look at and I imagine the little ones will stare at the screen with utter delight, whether it's Baloo cackling, Sher Khan terrifying or Scarlett Johansson hissing. This is not a cinematic revolution or a film that will go down in history, but it’s a very proper genre film where almost everything works as it should. Well done. And I wouldn't mind seeing it a second time.
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I do admit that at first I didn’t really feel like watching this flick. It was somehow getting under my skin that animals in a real, non-animated world could speak and that they spoke English. But after about ten minutes and several nice shots, I decided to bear with the film to see what would come out of it. I mean the book itself, written by Rudyard Kipling, had a very clever plot. And well, what eventually came out of it was one of the most beautiful digital films that I have ever seen. I don’t think you will be able to see such beautiful shots of the jungle anywhere else. It might be because of the digital effects. But it is a treat to watch it and once you’ve watched it, you will realize that you will never see a better adaptation of Kipling’s book in your lifetime.
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Nostalgic escapism to the max. Two thirds pure pleasure from the creation of the world and a return to the values that defined me as a child, the last third a bit inevitable recognition that Favreau is not a magician, and if his cards are shuffled well, he simply plays a dignified game. Technically, it is without debate amazing, whilst the construction and gradation are slightly uncertain. But a few moments are not worthy of true emotion.
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This year the animals rule!! From the opening minutes, The Jungle Book took my breath away with intensity and nostalgia so much that if I hadn't swallowed all the pills on the table, I would probably be dead. This is literally and to the letter a fairytale orgasm! If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that the villain of the year would be a tiger, I would have laughed it off with gusto, and today I would be tapping my forehead because what Sher Khan did here for an animalistic, dominant and superior performance, hats off to him, my respect was as high as ever, and that's not even mentioning the other evil that can lurk in the Jungle, it's just never safe there. The Jungle Book is also very informative, visually breathtaking, at times you don't know if you are looking at the real world or the digital world even though you know it is all digital; the animals are look amazing, they have great characters and I believe that this is how it works in real life. I must also praise the very intense pace, the tension builds up by the minute and so do the emotions – I found myself in tears twice and after each scene with the elephants. I put the film in the top list and this year it will definitely defend the top positions, I haven't had such an experience from a film in a long time. The film has only one fault and that is that it is not an hour longer. 150%.
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A beautiful rendition of The Jungle Book. Probably the most successful one I've seen so far. The kid who played Mowgli was excellent, but the animals keep up with him nicely too. Always something to look at. The only thing I thought was a little unnecessary was the monkey segment. I could have done without the singing monkey in particular. And those few minutes are the reason why I’m not giving it full marks. Still, I recommend it and will gladly watch it again. 4.5 stars.
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The story is the good and never too old Kipling’s classic enriched with a couple of contemporary metaphors, but when it comes to special effects it is a fantastic joyride through the Indian jungle, almost identical to Avatar. The action in the temple is big and thrilling. Kids will dread monkeys. Which is good. Walken as Louis slightly copies Brando in Apocalypse Now. Even the classic songs and scenes work well and the scenes with Baloo are just overflowing with optimism.
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If they can’t do it through the comics, they will do it with visually impressive animal almost-animated adventures? No way. That's where the cool vibe of the book is. There's a lot of frolicking, and if it weren't for all the technical niceties and the incredibly elaborate digital animation of the animals, it would hardly be mediocre, because the few witty comments can't save the hugely short, desperately underwrought story and uneven pacing. Avatar remains unsurpassed in technical opulence and the effort here was felt all the way across the screen!
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It's relaxing entertainment with a fantastic production design and unfortunately a few reservations, some of which are the fault of the Czech version (the songs have almost no energy) and some of which are the fault of the original (again the song, this time King Louie's, which doesn't really fit the scene, the underused snake Ka and the ending, which is surprisingly more fairytale-like than in the original cartoon). Otherwise, I liked The Jungle Book and I'm glad that Jon Favreau got the money for it after the general dissatisfaction with Cowboys & Aliens and that he did a good job. John Debney's music was also successful, relying mainly on well-known motifs, but he also has a few ideas of his own, and the best character is, of course, Baloo with Bill Murray's facial expressions.
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The 1967 animated film was more entertaining, but this is such a visually bombastic and convincing adaptation of Kipling's novel that it has given it readership and an audience sheen for years to come. There are no emotional fireworks and Favreau orchestrates the narrative concept on the levels of a safe family flick, but the amazing CGI at times perhaps surpasses anything we've seen so far, the unconventionality and majesty of the setting and characters radiate from every frame, and the fantastic original voice acting is the cherry on top. It's been a long time since I was so sorry I missed a movie at the cinema.
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An unadulterated, magnificent adventurous family film that pays homage to its genre and has a great chance of becoming a children's classic, which in a few years may have a status similar to that which The NeverEnding Story has today. Breathtaking visual and tricks, a gripping, moving and emotional story and a number of excellent, dynamically directed passages.
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I love the Disney’s The Jungle Book from 1967, mostly because of the songs, the cute atmosphere and the character of Baloo. As for this new version by Jon Favreau, it, like Life of Pi or the new Planet of the Apes films, pushes the boundary on the realism of digital animals that look almost life-like (in my opinion, Ang Lee pushed that boundary the furthest so far). It’s a beautiful film indeed, with a nice soundtrack, beautiful visuals and lots of characters, each with something to offer, with Baloo the bear once again leading the way. In short, a pleasantly spent hundred minutes in the cinema with a film in which every generation will find something to enjoy, and which certainly doesn't put its animated predecessor to shame.
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I almost didn't get to see the movie, but we finally decided to go. And I have absolutely no regrets that we did. Jon Favreau has convinced me that he is a family filmmaker. He has beautifully managed to translate the Disney classic into a feature film that is absolutely visually enchanting. The movements and rendering of the animals are breathtaking. The form wins, but the story still gets me.
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