When I was a kid, "The Jungle Book" animated movie was never one of my favorite Disney films. The new masterpiece, starring Ben Kingsley, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Christopher Walken, is the complete opposite of the old film! This animal based movie was always boring to me. Even now, as an adult I think this movie is very uneven, sloppily paced, and is kind of confusing. Good thing that "The Jungle Book" (2016) directed by Jon Favreau, and starring Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, Ben Kingsley, and Idris Elba is the complete opposite of that!
Like I was saying before, this movie is a huge step up from the old animated movie (which I think is a boring, below-average Disney movie). Now, before you accuse me of blasphemy, hear me out. Just because something is an old, animated Disney movie doesn't make it automatically good, believe it or not. So if you love the old Jungle Book, take off your nostalgia glasses, and don't hate this movie right off the bat, just because it's new. With that out of the way, the first thing you're probably going to notice about this movie is that it is absolutely gorgeous! The jungle setting sucks you in and everything, from the trees, water, and even rocks, look amazing! While you may not have any trouble when I tell you that all the animals are CGI, wait for it...all the scenery is CGI, as well! Yes, this whole movie was made in a studio! Not a single thing, other than the kid, is real. At D23, director John Favreau said that this is the most technologically advanced movie ever made; he was not lying.
Another thing that I appreciated about this movie is the incredibly tight plot. I understood why Mowgli was in every situation, unlike the animated movie, where it felt like he was somewhere just to have a musical number. Speaking of Mowgli, Neel Sethi killed it in this role! I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't worried that this little kid was going to be able to carry this movie, but he did.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, and are wondering if they have any of the music from the original "Jungle Book," they do! This is a Disney movie after all, so they would be crazy not to take advantage of the classic tunes. However, this isn't filled to the brim with music; it only keeps about two of the most famous songs, and you can probably guess what those songs are!
I negative I had with this movie is that the scene with Kaa is sort of a sidetrack from the main story. Although Scarlett Johansson's voice is amazing as this giant snake, the scene itself felt like a lazy way to throw Mowgli's backstory into the movie. Moreover, when I saw that this movie was PG, it surprised me, because it felt like a PG-13 film. This movie may be very intense for younger children. Shere Khan struck fear and chills into me, and I'm a grown man! While this is a thumb up for me, and I loved Idris Elba's voice performance, it may freak out smaller kids, so just keep that in mind.
In conclusion, I loved this movie. This could very easily become the definitive "Jungle Book" movie, not only for kids nowadays, but for older generations as well. Jon Favreau knocked this movie right out of the park, and I'm hard-pressed to imagine a better telling of this story, even though Warner Brothers is working on this right now!
If you're new to my rating methods, I will now break down how "sick" this movie is, and if you have read one of my reviews before, I have tweaked my rating system a just bit.
1. "Healthy As A Horse" Never see this movie, even if your life depends on it!
2. "Common Cold" This movie is fun or entertaining but not necessarily a good movie.
3. "Stomach Bug" Good, but not worth spending money at the theaters.
4. "Called Out of Work" Really good movie and worth seeing in theaters if you get the chance!
5. "Projectile Vomiting" Watch this movie as soon as possible, get in line at the theater, or immediately buy it on Blu-ray or DVD. You have to see this movie!
So how "sick" is "The Jungle Book" (2016)?
This movie has "Called Out of Work." If you have the chance check this movie out, it's no doubt worth a trip to the theater!
