Review: THE JUNGLE BOOK

                                                      GO. SEE. THE JUNGLE BOOK!       

             So far the whole execution of the “classic Disney live-action remake” project gradually represents an increasing slope in terms of quality. MALEFICENT tries and fails to balance both the mythological aspects of the original source material and a sub textually darker KILL BILL storyline; CINDERELLA proved to expand the broadest elements of its kin, albeit a little shoddy at times. Their challenge this time: "how do we create a sprawling, effects-pushing adventure based on an old, virtually weird, and jazz-laden cartoon based on a dark imperialistic commentary and appeal to both source materials? And the payoff: Personally, even considering some clumsy moments and frequent shifts in tone, I was pretty impressed. Out of all their movies in this live-action experiment, THE JUNGLE BOOK is easily the third-strike home run I’ve been anticipating for all this time and easily the biggest, narratively complex adaptation of this story since… well, ever!

MINOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON!!

              The story, almost verbatim of the original movie, centers on Mowgli who lives with a pack of wolves under the supervision of Ben Kingsley’s Bagheera and his wolf parents (one of them voiced by Gus Fring – really). After a confrontation of Sheer Khan (Idris Elba [EEEP!!]) with the intent of killing Mowgli just because, the wolves decided to send the man cub back to his hometown with Bagheera’s assistance. Along the way the film detours into the same scenes we expect but with different yet oddly boasting tweaks and revisions. Scarlett Johansson as a man-hungry snake Ka, Christopher Walken as a massive Gigantopithecus, Bill Murray as Garfield as Baloo, etc.

              This movie, to put it bluntly, is one hell of a bizarre movie, and yet it works! When he isn’t held back by shoddy scripts or no clear sense of purpose, director Jon Favreau is easily the best at implementing comedic quirks, unintentional or not, to deceptively lean films, the kind of aesthetic that elevates his movies like Iron Man and the underappreciated ZATHURA. Any questions that might be raised by the weirdness of this film like “why is a giant Christopher Walken monkey singing “I want to be like you” in a giant cave” or “how can a tiger actually throw a wolf off a cliff with his jaws” could easily be answered with “because it’s freaking hilarious!” And… yeah! I can agree, it is freaking hilarious! Elements like these would not work anywhere else, but somehow fits the peculiar charm of the source material brilliantly, and I could not find any director like Favreau gelling it together.

              But that is what I already expect to enjoy, but what I never expected is how much is implemented in the actual narrative. For a rather simple tale, the film provides quite a lot of complexities to the arched aspects of the original movie as well as paying a few lip service to the actual Jungle book. For example, Mowgli easily becomes more creatively independent in this films as he crafts MacGyver-style gadgetry in order to comply with his wildlife and, during a typical misunderstanding third-act segway, actually mans up and faces the tiger head-on. Baloo acts like the more self-aware version of his character; instead of a cool, upbeat, obliviously selfish Baloo, we get an actually selfish, lazy, slightly competent Baloo (Bill Murray, as always, is the master of this routine) who gets a huge arc in his story as his friendship with Mowgli actually means something, even at the verge of risking his life. But the biggest one is probably the book's controversial aspect, which is the concept of Imperialism. In the climax, Sheer Khan taunts a revenge-stricken Mowgli, as Khan claims that he came to virtually terrorize the society he once inhabited. Even though that last part doesn’t get too dark (I mean, it is a kids films after all), it is about as shocking as a typical Kipling adaptation can go. 

              The cast is terrific as expected, and that is to say nothing of the faultless animal renditions that manages to succeed in the ever-troubling issue of having their lips move. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera gives a shockingly resemblance to the original voice, while the cast of the wolves give great comfort. Bill Murray as Baloo – Its Bill Murray. C’mon! Christopher Walken as King Louie is about as ridiculously cool as you expect it to be. Scarlett Johansson is barely in the movie, but her voice of Ka fits the seducing aspect of both the character and her masculine-drawing pop-culture image. However, if there is a weak performance, it might be Mowgli himself. He’s fine as the film continues, but I can clearly see a fine line of what a good-for-an-kid-actor performance can manage while acting with empty space portraying CGI animals.

              But if that is the weak point, Idris Elba as Shere Khan easily tips to the other spectrum, and HOLY CRAP is he a riot! To say that he steals the show would discredit for how much he devours and conquers it! In addition to the filmmakers clearly having fun with the reincarnation of one of Disney's charismatic "bad for bad sakes" villains, they also reinforce a tangible backstory to this feline, where he encounters men once and the mere thought of Mowgli clenches his fangs. Believe my guys, HE. DOES. NOT. MESS. AROUND! Seriously, he intimidates baby wolves, throws a wolf off a cliff with his bare teeth, takes on a freaking HORDE of animals during the third act, and even haunts the proceedings even when he's not onscreen. Better yet, his ultimate demise is quite fittingly the most ludicrously awesome death scene ever! For such a broad, cartoonishly evil feline, Elba clearly hams it up in one of the most over-the-top Disney villains since probably Glenn Close as Cruella de Ville.

             If there is a legit problem, it's the film's tone. In a noble effort to both the nostalgic whimsy of the classic movie and the rich, dark concepts of Kipling's original novel, the film occasionally stumbles to find the right balance. In scenes where we have the titular song numbers and child-friendly adventure, they sometimes cut directly by either dark animal killings or Sheer Khan's semi-Imperialistic philosophising. Not that it is not unfitting, but a better execution would've gloss these issues over easily.

            As a effects showcase, I am still shocked that this turned out the way it is. This film checks off the list as being the best visual experience since AVATAR, with the best CG animals since LIFE OF PIE, and easily the best source material adaptation out of a billion of them since LORD OF THE RINGS. As a movie, I am still not sure whether or not it works, what with the odd blending in tone, but I'm glad I watched it. Go see it!

RATING: 8/10 (GREAT)