So in the spirit of Disney rereleasing their classics as live action movies, The Jungle Book has been out for 3...ish weeks and was a surprise success with both the critics and the box office. My primary thought is that it's better than the cartoon, but to be honest, I'm not sure how much there is to add beyond that.
I almost didn't recognize Christopher Walken as King Louie because while his voice made me wonder, there was almost none of the aloof tone Walken normally has in his performances.
I'm glad that the other jungle animals, especially the wolves, played a bigger role in this movie.
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Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
~~~~~
As far as Disney releases this year go, it's not as exquisite as Zootopia, but it's still very good. Neel Seethi is really impressive. The shooting is beautiful. Throughout the movie, there are so many wonderful little details that add life to the jungle -- even the bit-part animals have great character. (R.I.P. Gary Shandling.) And above all, it's worth it just for the new "Bear Necessities" scene with Bill Murray.
I'm not sure about the ending, where Mowgli rejects fire and decides to stay in the jungle. On the one hand, it means the old cartoon, which was overall a lot more light and silly, actually has the more mature and bittersweet conclusion. And I think that ultimately entering the world of Man is an essential part of Mowgli's character arc. So if this were a one-off movie, I'd be pretty annoyed. However, we already know there's going to be a sequel. And Neel Sethi is only 12. There's plenty of room to tell the full coming-of-age story as he actually comes of age. Furthermore, within the story's internal logic, it truly wouldn't make any sense for Mowgli to leave the jungle at the end of this movie -- why would he, now that Shere Khan is dead?
So right now, I can imagine a Jungle Book series, probably a trilogy, structured an awful lot like Disney's other great subtle coming-of-age saga, Toy Story. The first installment sets up the world, and at the end, everything is returned to a happy status quo, but it also points out fault lines that can be explored in greater detail in the follow-up films, until by the end, everything has to change.
Did not like the use of Kaa as Ms. Exposition, quickly disposed of by Baloo. Kaa is the far and away the most horrifying part of the book -- even though he's on Mowgli's side. Baloo and Bagheera can't rescue Mowgli from the Bandar-Log, so they are forced to go to Kaa for aid. I would really have loved to see Kaa take on the Bandar-Log in this movie, especially with King Louie in the mix. Python vs. Gigantopithecus in the ruined temple: wouldn't that have rocked? As for the casting, I really don't give a damn what gender a snake is, but I'm not sure Scarlett Johansson was the right choice -- she sounds too young. (As opposed to Lupita N'yongo, who is once again very impressive playing an elderly CGI character in spite of her own age.) I'd have leaned more towards an actress like Tilda Swinton or Eva Green.
I also thought they overexposed Shere Khan. Idris Elba is awesome as always, but he's playing a tiger, and tigers are scariest when you don't know where they are. For him to hang out at the wolf den waiting for Mowgli to come to him? Wrong call.
I watched this movie with my friends in theater. Its Great movie. Animation is getting so good. This flick makes me wanna live by the jungle, in a neat looking second/third world home with technology..
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I'm glad that the other jungle animals, especially the wolves, played a bigger role in this movie.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
~~~~~
So right now, I can imagine a Jungle Book series, probably a trilogy, structured an awful lot like Disney's other great subtle coming-of-age saga, Toy Story. The first installment sets up the world, and at the end, everything is returned to a happy status quo, but it also points out fault lines that can be explored in greater detail in the follow-up films, until by the end, everything has to change.
I also thought they overexposed Shere Khan. Idris Elba is awesome as always, but he's playing a tiger, and tigers are scariest when you don't know where they are. For him to hang out at the wolf den waiting for Mowgli to come to him? Wrong call.
King Louie has a fever, and the only cure...
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.