Director: Jon Favreau

Running Time: 106 Minutes

Release date: Friday April 15th 2016

If I cited in my recent review of Zootropolis that Disney’s animation wing continue to go from strength to strength, basking in the glow of a second renaissance of late, it has to be conceded that the same level of praise can’t really be heaped upon their live action counterparts. Pitching their tent firmly into the resurgence of remakes, reboots and other unnatural forms of cinematic resurrection of late, the past decade has seen a wobbly (at best) filmography churned out from Camp Mickey, ranging from the uninspired (the latter two Pirates sequels), the messy (Tim Burton’s CG-ridden flatulence of Alice in Wonderland) to the downright abysmal (Maleficent). Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book, then, had all the ingredients to simply follow suit - a live action / CG remake of one of the House of Mouse’s most cherished classics, brand recognition to likely secure a respectable Box Office and an A-list cast lending themselves to all manner of creatures; all of the trappings to be just as uninspired a Frankenstein of old and new.

It also, however, has Favreau. 

How wonderful then, to see The Jungle Book leap from the pages of Kipling and the mind of it’s inspired, indie-darling director to claw its way effortlessly to the top of the blockbuster food chain. It has been a long time since Disney had a live action release this confident, joyous and absorbing, and is one of the most welcome and unexpected surprises of the past 12 months.

"It has been a long time since Disney had a

live action release this confident, joyous and

absorbing... one of the most welcome and

unexpected surprises of the past 12 months."

Everything about The Jungle Book is pitched pretty much perfectly. It roughly follows the same story as the 1967 animated classic, depicting the story of young ‘Mancub’ Mowgli (the talented young Neel Sethi in an impressive debut) who is raised by a clan of Wolves in the jungle after being orphaned as a toddler. Despite being something of the elephant in the room (no pun intended) when it comes to the wildlife around him, Mowgli lives in relative harmony with his adoptive pack, until vengeful, man-hating tiger Shere Khan (voice of Idris Elba) returns to his old hunting grounds, with a bent for something distinctly mancub-shaped.

Favreua has his finger pitched firmly on everything Disney does best; his vision for Jungle Book is instantly opulent and audacious, frequently breathtaking in both vision and excitement, warm-hearted without being gooey, and, perhaps most surprisingly, routinely intense. Characters die, Mowgli bleeds, jump scares abound aplenty, and the peril never feels falsified or empty. From a terrifying yet stunningly well-realised mud landslide which dunks the audience in and out of a raging torrent, a suspenseful game of hide and seek in a dimly lit, crumbling ruin as Mowgli finds himself stalked by a truly enormous foe, to practically any sequence featuring Idris Elba’s menacing Shere Khan, if anything, Jungle Book may prove itself a touch too intense for the youngest of audiences weened on the hand-holding family releases of late. It's makes for a terrific viewing experience, though - one aided tremendously by Favreau’s signature sense of pacing and rhythm.

And it's not to say this is a menagerie that lacks levity - on the contrary, characters such as Bill Murray’s inspired take on the iconic Baloo - all laid-back wise cracks and super smooth dry wit - along with a host of decidedly Disney-esque supporting critters all keep things buoyant, whilst noble and majestic turns from Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Giancarlo Esposito as Alpha wolf Akela and Lupita Nyong’o as Mowgli’s adoptive mother Raksha all lend the film a sense of gravitas and, in the case of Nyong’o especially, an underlying heart. And whilst Murray may at times threaten to steal the whole show, and will no doubt be lapped up by kids and parents alike, it’s a testimony to screenwriter Justin Marks that this remains Mowgli’s film.

Unlike the animated musical that came before it, Marks and Favreau bring real weight and purpose to the character of the young man-cub; his very humanity, his innate wit and ability to fashion tools and improvise with his problem-solving ‘tricks’ forming an important focal point of the plot, and a divisive element amongst its cast of characters. It’s a savvy choice - indeed, whereas in the original Mowgli far too often played second fiddle to animal friends or simply bounced from one sequence to another in need of rescuing or finding, here he is the engine and catalyst that truly drives the whole film forward. As mentioned, young Neel Sethi is brilliant in the role, demonstrating a maturity and confidence beyond his years.

"Where would we be without Christopher Walken's hilarious,

terrifying and utterly inspired 'Gigantopithecus' King Loue 

- a whole new wonderfully, ludicrously enormous take on

the character... he's a genuine force of nature"

And simply where would we be without Christopher Walken’s hilarious, terrifying and utterly inspired ‘gigantopithecus’ King Louie - a whole new wonderfully, ludicrously enormous take on the character. The character animation is perhaps at its apex here - Walken’s trademark tics and isms seeping through the wizened face of the colossal ape, played here more akin to an unhinged, distinctly Walken gangland boss than the raucous jazz stylings of Louis Prima in the original. He’s a genuine force of nature, aided by one of the film’s most entertaining set pieces, and doesn’t overstay his welcome any longer than necessary (though thankfully he gets more to do than Scarlett Johnasson’s disappointingly brief yet seductive cameo as python Kaa).

For all of its successes narratively and character-based, so too is Jungle Book a triumph technically. Perhaps expectedly, this is a truly sumptuous piece of film-making from Favreau, and few directors can utilise CG work for shot composition and construction this meaningfully and arresting. It helps, of course, that he and D.P Bill Pope litter the film with cinematography that is both unconventional and steeped in Favreau’s indie roots - see documentary-style whip zooms and time lapses - and that the animation work across-the-board is truly stunning, with it’s cast of animal characters registering as wholly convincing, tangible and emotive. Surely Shere Khan (arguably, along with Walken’s Louie, showcasing the best animation of the film) and co should be sniffing the early scent of an Oscar or two. 

On the subject of which, as further testimony to the calibre and quality of this reimagining, legendary, Academy Award-winning songwriter Richard Sherman returns to the Jungle Book universe here nearly 50 years since his first foray with Uncle Walt, re-penning some of his classic original songs and lyrics. For yes, whilst this may not be a conventional musical per se, here there are both Bare Necessities and singing great apes. The former is played naturally - two friends singing together in a relaxed scene as two friends might, with Murray and Seethi both diving into it with real relish - whilst the latter, a re-worded, re-jigged take on ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ is so gloriously off-the-wall and left of field that whilst it may momentarily jar, it ends up being so inspiredly bonkers when met with Walken's King Louie that it completely works, and actually proves to be a highlight of the whole film.

If The Jungle Book’s denouement may be a touch abrupt (though stay seated for one of the best credit sequences in recent memory), and arguably laying the foundations for the franchise to be milked further with inevitable sequels, there’s no such milking at work here yet. Even pushing aside all the brand and studio pedigree, this is taut, superbly judged filmmaking. It is a colourful, beautiful and gripping journey that isn’t afraid to turn up the heat and push an audience to the edge of their seat. It leans on what has come before, but only to refine it into a new and equally compelling beast. 

"Even pushing aside all the brand and studio pedigree,

this is taut, superbly judged filmmaking... a colourful, 

beautiful and gripping journey that isn't afraid to push

an audience to the edge of their seat."

It’s a perfect jungle of Disney animal magic, blockbuster moviemaking done right, and one of the year’s first mainstream must see’s (and, as a rare recommendation, catch it in 3D if you can). Simply put, for those similarly disenfranchised by the slew of recent reboots and remakes, you can forget about your worries and your strife; this is the best live action release from Disney since the first Pirates of the Caribbean film back in 2003. It serves up far more than just the contemporary blockbuster bare necessities, is everything you could have hoped for from a Jungle Book remake and then some, and deserves to leap straight into position as King of the Box Office jungle.

RATING - ★★★★★

 

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Press access to The Jungle Book was provided courtesy of Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios UK directly. The author gratefully acknowledges their generous invitation.

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Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here