Film Review: Jungle Book (2016) - 8/10

Every time I hear that Disney is making a live-action adaptation of a beloved cartoon, I cringe. Cringing as though you have milk in your mouth and you realize it’s been bad for a month, yet you don’t know whether to spit or swallow. That kind of cringing… and for good reasons too. Sometimes, if not most of the time, animated films should remain what they are – cartoons. Alice in Wonderland (2010) and 101 Dalmatians (1996), for example, are tainted with blood and tears, I presume. None of Disney's adaptations even came close to capturing the magic of their classic counterparts. That is why you would, and SHOULD forgive me if I approached the Jungle Book (2016) with much deserved skepticism. Nobody likes to have their beloved childhood films ruined and forever tainted by mediocrity. Yes, I’m looking at you, Michael Bay.

People will most likely start by comparing this movie with The Jungle Book (1967), but the truth is there WAS a live-adaption of this movie already done in 1994. It was a decent, more mature version not following much of the original story, but it was well received. My first fear coming into this film was how much of the original story would be added, removed or changed. Most of the time, if a film tries too hard to adopt every chapter and detail from the book or cartoon, it tends to seem rushed, choppy, and worst of all, FORCED. The Last Airbender (2010) is a good example. Much to my relief, Disney managed to bring the complete story together seamlessly, with great sequencing and flow. Maybe some parts were much shorter than others, but instead of that “Scene to Scene” feeling, I really felt as though I was part of Mowgli’s adventure, in spite of it all being predictable.

Another fear I had was the “kid on set” effect. Most movies are shot behind green screens today, sadly, but no matter how great child-actors are, very few can make it believable that they are where they aren’t. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) comes to mind. The whole time the kid was on scene, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief, and kept thinking the poor boy was just acting on set. Even though he is now in his late 20s, Jake Lloyd should take acting lessons from Neel Sethi as Mowgli. He might have been a bit off, but Neel Sethi embraced the character of Mowgli and did everything the role demanded of him. I really believed the kid was in a jungle and that his personal conflict was real.

Another thing that impressed me was how accurate and realistic all the animals looked and moved. Even though I knew they were just computer generated graphics, they were "unbelievably believable". Credit to all the motion-capture teams for making the illusion look so real. From the way they walked, ate, fought, growled, heck even the facial animations were convincing. With all this realism, I easily forgot that this was actually a Disney Film. The world they created was so believable that some audiences thought they had really put a baby in front of a Black Panther. This is one of the better looking live-action movies I’ve seen so far.

The only thing I felt torn by in the end was the voice actors. I understand you need big name celebrities to sell the film, but there shouldn’t be a trade-off. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera and Idris Elba as Shere Khan were flawless and commanded their roles. I loved every second of them on scene with their voices, but mostly because I wasn't thinking about the actors but the characters. However, when Bill Murray, Scarlet Johansson and Christopher Walken played their parts, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were just jabbering in front of a microphone, forcing comic relief in scenes that didn’t need it. Maybe it was their accents, or the fact that their voices are too recognizable, but if you listen to Ben Kingsley and Idris Elba, their voice-acting performances were just on another level. I felt as though the producers had picked individual voice actors rather than fitting them into a theme. It’s a wasted opportunity to give those REAL voice actors a chance.


It’s easy to forget this was a Disney movie. For a while there, I thought Mowgli’s conflict with Sheer Kahn would turn into a Tarzan face-off. And this is where the movie shines. It keeps you guessing and, because the flow and the sequences were so good, it keeps you on the edge of you seat. Definitely a good way of introducing such a timeless classic to the new generation.  Walking out of the cinema, I felt more relief than happiness. I am relieved that this film didn’t ruin the classic cartoon and stood out on its own. Disney plans to do even more live adaptations of classics such as The Sword and the Stone, Dumbo, and The Little Mermaid, which will continue to make me cringe as though I have bad milk in my mouth. Nevertheless, if they are anything as good as the new Jungle Book movie, even bad milk can turn into really good cheese.

I could have pushed to my score to a 9/10 but I personally thought the climax fell short. This movie is a good example of smart sequencing, managing to cover the complete story of Mowgli without making it feel forced or rushed. The sequencing is so good moving from one scene to the next that it keeps you at the edge of your seat the whole time.

By Sutai Katima