A visual knockout from the first frame to the last, Jon Favreau’s re-imagining of The Jungle Book owes as much to Rudyard Kipling’s original stories as it does to the 1967 Disney animated adaptation. While I’d hoped the song “The Bare Necessities” would have been left in peace in the cartoon version, it’s a bit hard to resist it being played out in live action with Bill Murray voicing the bear Baloo. Shows what I know.
Though nearly everything about this version of the adventures of the jungle-boy Mowgli was created on a computer (the production was made entirely on Los Angeles soundstages), there’s a lush, realistic quality to the film that’s simultaneously astounding and disturbing. The Indian jungle on display here may not be as the ecosystem is, as much as how it should be. Dense, florid and verdant, the environment, as well as its inhabitants, is a wonder to behold, the sort of production design the pause button on your home video system was made for – it simply begs to be analyzed, as it promises to yield further wonders upon further examination.
Thankfully Favreau’s film, sporting a script he co-wrote with Brigham Taylor, has more going for it than simply a dynamic palette. They somehow manage to make this familiar tale seem as if it’s being told for the first time, relaying the story of Mowgli (Neel Sethi), orphaned and raised by a wolf pack in the Indian jungle and watched over by the black panther Bagheera (voice by Ben Kingsley) and the sloth bear Baloo, with a sense of innocence and sincerity that belies the tale’s familiarity. That Favreau employs an unhurried but steady pace, rendering all of the story’s classic moments but never lingering upon them, also helps.
Mowgli’s story is one of a great journey as the leader of the wolf pack Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) decides that he must return to the land of the humans. The tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) has demanded the boy be turned over to him, as he has a grudge to settle. Bagheera escorts Mowgli through the jungle on what proves to be an arduous journey, as they encounter the seductive python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), who views Mowgli as a delectable treat, as well as the gigantic orangutan King Louis (Christopher Walken, channeling Marlon Brando from Apocalypse Now), who wants to boy to bring him fire for his own use.
The first part of the trek pushes the limits of just how dark a film aimed at a young audience can go. Favreau skillfully skirts the line here before things shift in tone with the entrance of Baloo. Murray brings his trademark irreverence to the role, and while his wry delivery will please his fans, unlike the voice-work of the other cast members, which is done in service of the characters, his presence calls attention to itself, breaking the film’s spell.
As for Sethi, he proves to be an enthusiastic performer, if not a totally convincing young actor. There are moments when Favreau seems content to have simply captured his attention for a given moment. That being said, the fact that Sethi was acting in front of green screens for the entire production and is convincing in any way is impressive.
With a sequel already in the works, Disney is confident of the film’s success, and they have every right to be. The Jungle Book is an impressive technical achievement that, in spite of its artificial nature, never forgets that at its core is a story of love, loyalty and friendship as we witness one brave boy’s first steps towards becoming a man.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at ckoplinski@usd116.org.
