The Jungle Book

Favreau's Jungle Book is a marvel. With a Spielbergian sense of magical awe and reverent fear, it's a children's epic that not only stands-up to its legacy, but surpasses it. Giant snakeskins, intense animal battles, and daring escapes from ape kingdoms give the film a scope beyond the animated musical, all while keeping intact its persistent joy. Funny, jaw-dropping, thrilling, grand, and fun, it's an all-cylinders-go cinematic experience on every level. The story of a young man-cub raised by wolves and living amongst the animals of the jungle hasn't changed much, down to the talking beasts. Much like last year's Cinderella, they utilize nostalgia of the beloved product to dive deeper into the story without cynically dismissing it. On top of immersing us into the wilderness through meticulous attention to the smallest of details, the characters are drawn with much more depth. The bratty and paper-thin Mowgli of yesteryear is replaced by a boy with brains and motivation. Played with wide-eyed confidence by newcomer Sethi, we emotionally engage with his adventure. And he's not alone; all characters are given loving attention, specifically the foreboding presence of scary-cool bruiser Sheer Khan. The technical feat of creating photo-realistic animals that convincingly speak and emote is so impressive it feels like a benchmark in CGI. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say this is as groundbreaking and beautiful as any visual effects in years. Favreau and co. manage intense attention to accuracy without shoving it down our throats or overshadowing the story. At the end of the day, under all the computer data, there is a soulful and entertaining tale about life's bare necessity: individuality within community.

The Jungle Book is a live-action/CGI fantasy film that retells the story of Mowgli, an orphaned human boy who, guided by his animal guardians, sets out on a journey of self-discovery while evading the threatening Shere Khan. Neel Sethi plays the main character, Mowgli in the movie. He is the only human being on screen and as his first ever role, this kid actor is truly magnificent. He is as good as any kid actor has ever been, even favorably compared to Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. The computer generated imagery is brilliant all throughout, definitely some of the best ever and the 3D is just mind blowing. In every single scene I kept getting surprised and thrilled at just how amazing the CGI and 3D were. I think the main reason as to why this movie worked it's because it also has a very good story line that's mixed in with the amazing visuals. Also, the voice actors are all perfectly cast. Especially Idris Elba as Shere Khan, who is truly haunting in every scene he's in. That was one well made and scary villain that Mowgli had to face. Jon Favreau did a fantastic work with this movie, cause really this story has been told many times before, and yet this movie feels fresh and interesting nonetheless. I'm glad that it's doing so well in Box Office because it completely deserves it. Movies like this must be appreciated so that they can inspire more great work, and maybe one day, even erase movies like Transformers.

I've never been a fan of the original Jungle Book movie, but I did grow up watching it, and I did like it. This remake is (in my opinion) Disney's best remake so far.

The animation and the scenery is basically a new age in CGI. Not only are there CGI characters and creatures now, but locations too. The entire jungle looks absolutely real, yet it's not, and that's the great thing about it.

The characters themselves were pretty cool. I didn't care for Mowgli in the original movie, but this movie got me liking him. He's brave, not as bratty, and he's pretty inventive. Bagheera is as stern and careful as ever except that he's also got the action his book counterpart had had. And I like Baloo's character here, having a bit more of a self-serving trait his older counterparts never had but eventually becoming a nice guy. And that's the main characters. The wolves got more screen time, Kaa got a lot more dangerous (though she doesn't have as much screen time, which is my only complaint in this movie), King Louie is more sinister and less comical, and Shere Khan is a flat-out beast.

I'm also glad that they brought back three songs I enjoyed as a kid. I really liked Bare Necessities, and I've also started singing this version of I Wanna Be Like You. Trust In Me made me feel like Kaa was in a spy movie.

So on a scale from one to ten, I'd give it a perfect score: 10/10. It's an epic movie, and I highly recommend seeing this movie.

The Jungle Book, a live-action adaptation of the classic tale, presents a mixed cinematic experience. While the film's CGI-enhanced visuals and cinematography beautifully immerse the audience in the lush jungle setting, and young Neel Sethi's performance as Mowgli is commendable, the movie falters in delivering a truly captivating narrative. The attempt to bring the animals to life with realistic visuals, while technically impressive, leaves some emotional depth lacking, and the music, despite its memorable tunes from the animated classic, doesn't quite hit the same notes. Consequently, The Jungle Book receives a 6/10 rating from me, as it falls short of recapturing the magic of its source material and struggles to leave a lasting impression.

The Jungle Book is a live-action adaptation of Disney's famous animated film, The Jungle Book(1967). It is also based on Rudyard Kipling's novel of the same name. Mowgli(Neel Sethi) has lived in the jungle, for as long as he can remember. In the jungle, he is raised by a pack of wolves, led by Akela(Giancarlo Esposito). A wolf named Raksha(Lupita Nyong'o), is the only mother he has ever known. He has an ally & a friend, in a panther named Bagheera(Ben Kingsley). When the treacherous tiger Shere Khan(Idris Elba), opposes to Mowgli staying in the jungle, Bagheera has to return the man-cub to the man village. While on their journey, Mowgli & Bagheera receive help from a grizzly bear, named Baloo(Bill Murray). Now, it is up to Bagheera & Baloo to take Mowgli to the man village, safe & sound.

The Jungle Book is a mind blowing film. It is the most gorgeous movie, I have ever seen. What's extremely fascinating is that, the whole environment in the film is CGI. The animals are also CGI & yet, they look extremely lifelike. The forest the movie is set in, looks breathtaking. Director Jon Favreau & the rest of the crew, have maintained the soul of the 1967 animated movie of the same name. Kudos to the visual effects team, for making a live-action adaptation of a movie like The Jungle Book. Don't worry. This film is not a carbon copy of the Disney animated original. Favreau adds many new elements to the film, that will keep you guessing right till the end. The set pieces of the movie, are its highlight. The 3D provides immersion & there are quite a few scenes, that will make you duck in your seats. The casting is flawless. Newcomer Neel Sethi is outstanding as Mowgli. Sethi doesn't just play Mowgli, he embodies the character. Bill Murray is hilarious & adorable as Baloo. Murray & Sethi's rendition of The Bare Necessities, is as good as the 1967 version of the same song. Ben Kingsley is awesome as Bagheera. Idris Elba is spectacular as Shere Khan. Elba's voice-over of the predatory antagonist, is menacing & flawless. Lupita Nyong'o is amazing as Raksha. Nyong'o gives an emotional & layered performance, as the voice of Mowgli's adoptive mother. Scarlett Johansson is excellent as Kaa. I liked Johansson's version of Kaa, much better than the '67 incarnation of the sneaky snake. Giancarlo Esposito is great as Akela. Christopher Walken is superb as King Louie. The Jungle Book is a must watch on the big screen, with your entire family. Go, relive this timeless tale.