THE JUNGLE BOOK

“The strength of the pack is the wolf. The strength of the wolf is the pack.”

The problem with a film like this is that you can’t really judge it on it’s story. You know the story of the Jungle Book. This is that. Yes, it’s got a few new bits thrown in to keep it fresh, but on the whole, it’s the same story you know. Whether you like the story or not is your own business, but don’t expect much to change, no matter what your viewpoint is.

The good thing about this film is that with story aside, you get to look at things like the performances and visuals in more detail, and in Jungle Book’s case, rightly so. Visually, this film is nothing short of stunning. The CGI, whether it’s the animals, the forest or whatever, is incredible. Not Avatar incredible, but damn it looks good. The forest is vibrant, colourful, and as detailed as it could possibly be. It makes it feel real. Actually, it looks better than real. Like, a lot better. And seeing as every shot of the movie is about 90% CGI, that’s quite a feat.

Couldn't find a good enough looking real forest? Don't worry, we'll make our own...

While the forest looks great for the entire movie, the CGI on the animals definitely shares that spotlight. I’d say it’s Life of Pi level good, but that might be pushing it just a tad too far. Bloody close though.

Ok, so maybe side by side you can see the difference, but when you’re watching the movie, you’ll be nothing but impressed.

As for the performances, with a cast as star studded as this one, it would be hard to go wrong. You’ve got Bill Murray as Baloo, Ben Kingsley as Bagheera, Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, Lupita Nyong’o as Raksha, Mowgli’s adoptive Wolf mother, Christopher Walken as King Louie and Idris Elba as Shere Khan. That’s one of the best casts assembled for a very, very long time. Every actor really brings their character to life, whether they’re featured throughout the film or just in a single scene. And, because it’s full of so many incredibly talented actors and actresses, it’s really damn hard to pick who shines brightest in the film. Honestly, I don’t think it’s any of them. The real star of the film is Neel Sethi, who plays Mowgli. For any role, spending the entirety of film in front of a green screen with almost no physical props is a hard job. To make it even harder for him, this was his first role. And while I was expecting an averagely good performance, I was actually quite surprised. Sethi brings his absolute A game and, yes, whilst a couple of lines may have let him down, there’s no denying that he does a stellar job.

Very few people are that good at acting in front of nothing…

I think that’s all I can write. While the story does change and develop the original movie’s slightly, it’s nothing to rave about. In fact the only change which you’ll really notice is the changed ending, which, once you go back and watch the original/watch the Honest Trailer for the original, you’ll realise is definitely for the better. But make no mistake here, the main reason to watch this movie is the visuals. Whilst I do and will probably always prefer practical effects over CGI, like Avatar before it, Jungle Book is one of those films that really makes CGI shine. Accompany that with fantastic acting, both voice and physical, from all involved, and you’ve got yourself a damn good film, that while obviously isn’t the best film ever made, is definitely worth a watch. And yes, that watch should be on Blu Ray.

Yes, Christopher Walken sings King Louie’s song in the film, and yes, it is hilarious…