Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Neel Sethi, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Duration: 107 min
Rating: 8.5/10
Raised by a wolf couple since birth, the orphan boy Mowgli must leave the only home he has ever known when the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan unleashes his mighty roar. Guided by a no-nonsense panther and a free-spirited bear, Mowgli meets an array of jungle animals, including a slithery python and a smooth-talking ape and learns valuable life lessons on this epic journey of self-discover, fun and adventure.
Thumbs Up
The visual effects are so impressively done that they bring that ‘jungle’ in downtown Los Angeles to life. The CGI are so carefully rendered and turn out so successful that it will have you believing, even if for a split of a second that the animals can actually talk. The characters are truly believable with the intimidating King Louie being at the top of the believable chart. The story line is well paced and built to depict the jungle as a dangerous place with just the lightness of touch to prove that the director did not forget that he was making a movie for ten-year-olds. Although you have seen this story before, the extra side plots and deeper analysis of Mowgli’s pull between the worlds of man and the jungle are to be appreciated.
Thumbs Down
Although the movie gets it right in the singing, some of the musical staples like I Wanna Be Like You feel inorganically threaded in. Some scenes may feel too strong for kids like the sounds of Kaa the snake which are a little unnerving. Even with the sub-plots, there are no surprises.
Verdict
Some scenes may stop just short of something that would trouble children’s sleep, but there is no reason you should not sing along. Well, unless you are in the movie theatre.