Directed by Jon Favreau
Starring: Neel Sethi, Ben Kingsley, Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken
With The Jungle Book, director Jon Favreau delivers a beautifully crafted and thrilling adaptation of the classic story of the same name. Like the 1967 animated classic and the stories before it, The Jungle Book follows Mowgli (Neel Sethi) and his animal friends in their effort to evade and eventually kill Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba), the ruthless and vengeful Bengal tiger living in the jungle.
The movie begins by establishing that Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley) found Mowgli several years earlier and delivered him to a wolf pack to be raised as one of their own. Feeling like an outcast, Mowgli questions his place in the pack but is reassured that he belongs by his wolf mother Raksha (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o). Shere Khan eventually discovers that Mowgli lives in the jungle and publicly warns of the threat that grown men pose to the survival of the jungle and the animals that live there. He then issues a demand that Mowgli disband from the pack and leave the jungle.
Image Courtesy of Disney
After the leaders of the wolf pack discuss internally what to make of Shere Khan’s threat, Mowgli decides to leave the pack in search of a nearby human village where he will be safe. On his journey, Mowgli finds a friend in Baloo (voiced by Bill Murray), a carefree and lazy bear in search of honey, and enemies in Kaa (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), a massive python, and King Louie (voiced by Christopher Walken), an even more massive orangutan. All the while, Shere Khan follows with the intent to kill.
The plot is familiar but the visuals feel fresh. The jungle is lush and alive. The CGI work, while not perfect, is beautifully done. The animals look convincing and move realistically. Visual high points include the wolf and bear fur, Shere Khan, and King Louie; all beautifully done. The scenes with Kaa were the only times the CGI was noticeably not incredible. The movie also succeeds more during daylight scenes. The distance shots can be truly spectacular and give the lighting team a chance to show off.
Image Courtesy of Disney
The performances shine bright here, though. Sethi is a charismatic and capable lead. His delivery can stutter at times, but I can forgive it when I consider that he was acting in front of a green screen and opposite people covered in motion capture technology. To supplement his performance, the voice actors delivered incredible work all around. Walken’s King Louie is as memorable a performance as I can recall. It is truly spectacular work. Kingsley, Elba, Nyong’o and Murray all lend their voices brilliantly and really bring these characters alive. Elba is impressively terrifying and Murray successfully brings levity to offset that. Shockingly, Johansson, lauded for her voice work in Her, comes off as the least impressive voice actor.
The score does a good job of shaping the movie’s tone. It ranges from lighthearted and upbeat to tense and menacing. The chase scenes are particularly intense and occasionally become scary. “Bare Necessities,” thankfully, made the cut. It’s a nice, memorable scene that cuts through the tension caused by Shere Khan’s impending reappearance. King Louie’s “I Wan’na Be Like You” is pleasant and nostalgic, but feels improperly placed and forced. It doesn’t feel like it fits in the scene or in the movie as a whole.
I didn’t expect any queer representation in the movie and that expectation was met, but I was surprised that Disney excluded any reference to heterosexual relationships as well. While Akela (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito), the alpha male in the wolf pack, is presumably the father of Raksha’s cubs, there is no confirmation of this or that he and Raksha are together. The scene from the animated adaptation where Mowgli is attracted to a village girl is also excluded. Favreau focused on the struggle to survive and omitted any relationships. I can appreciate that, but hope to see a confirmed queer character in a Disney production soon. If any character in this story is queer, though, it’s most definitely Bagheera.
I’d recommend The Jungle Book for anyone looking for an exciting, well-crafted, sometimes frightening adventure. It stands among the best live action Disney has put out this century and among Favreau’s best work. Hopefully, Disney’s upcoming projects follow suit.
Quality: 4/5
Queerness: 0/6
Image Courtesy of Disney
