Random Movie Review - Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

 

There are loads of us that have fond memories of watching The Jungle Book. There's even some people that enjoyed the other adaptations that Disney have made (well, not all of them exactly) and even the live action one that Jon Favreau did (which is still widely regarded as the best of the live action remakes Disney have done recently). But much like with Tarzan, that film doesn't belong to Disney, despite them having made the most well known version. Nope, the rights belong to the Rudyard Kipling estate, who created the series of books that all those films and this film are based on. In other words, other companies are allowed to have a go at it and considering Warner Brothers keeps trying to make live action films before Disney could even think about doing so themselves, it comes as no surprise that they would go ahead with this film. Having Andy Serkis at the helm, who unsurprisingly implements motion capture into this film, I think it's time we have a new perspective on the great story that some of us grew up watching when our parents showed us the film. So let's venture into the jungle and see what awaits us in this Netflix original film done by Warner Brothers:

In a jungle based in India, an Indian python called Kaa (voiced and mo-capped by Cate Blanchett) bears witness to the treacherous Bengal tiger Shere Khan (voiced and mo-capped by Benedict Cumberbatch) who breaks "jungle law" when he kills a family of humans. One human survives, and the panther Bagheera (voiced and mo-capped by Christian Bale) takes him to the Indian wolves led by Akela (voiced and mo-capped by Peter Mullan) to determine his fate. Upon summoning a council to discuss the matter, it's then agreed that the boy would be protected by the wolf pack, much to the annoyance of Khan who threatens to come back for the boy if Akela misses his prey. The boy would become known as Mowgli (played by Rohan Chand) and gets adopted by Nisha (voiced and mo-capped by Naomie Harris), Vihaan (voiced and mo-capped by Eddie Marsan) and their wolf family. Years later, Mowgli is getting ready for "the Running" so that he can be a full time member of his pack. But when he finds out about his heritage, he is forced to make a decision between living with humans or with his pack. Either way, danger awaits around every corner, and not just by Khan.

Now, I haven't seen enough films where Andy Serkis has directed them to be able to say what I feel about this film compared to them. But on the other hand, I have seen his acting ability in lots of things, and to bring motion capture into a film like this was a pretty wise move. The animals do look a bit off compared to how they actually look and react in real life, but I like how their unusual looks gives them some personality and distinction. It's definitely a much darker portrayal of the book series and does what it sets out to do. But it's not something that I would watch again. It's fine and serviceable, and I did enjoy it for what it is. But it's nothing special, though nice to see more of the human side of things, which is a minor thing in some of Disney's takes on the story. 7/10