Directed by:
Jon FavreauScreenplay:
Justin MarksCinematography:
Bill PopeComposer:
John DebneyCast:
Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Emjay Anthony (more)VOD (4)
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In an epic adventure directed by Jon Favreau, Mowgli, a man-cub raised in the jungle by a family of wolves, embarks on a captivating journey of self-discovery when he's forced to abandon the only home he's ever known. Featuring Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley and Scarlett Johansson in a spectacular all-star voice cast. (Disney / Buena Vista)
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I do admit that at first I didn’t really feel like watching this flick. It was somehow getting under my skin that animals in a real, non-animated world could speak and that they spoke English. But after about ten minutes and several nice shots, I decided to bear with the film to see what would come out of it. I mean the book itself, written by Rudyard Kipling, had a very clever plot. And well, what eventually came out of it was one of the most beautiful digital films that I have ever seen. I don’t think you will be able to see such beautiful shots of the jungle anywhere else. It might be because of the digital effects. But it is a treat to watch it and once you’ve watched it, you will realize that you will never see a better adaptation of Kipling’s book in your lifetime.
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You watch this technological marvel and the thought flies through your mind that "The future is now" and the reassurance of the significance of the giant leap forward filmmakers have made in the development of CGI animation and effects of the last two decades, something that filmmakers in the "pre-Jurassic" period could only dream of. This is undoubtedly the pinnacle of contemporary Hollywood's technical capabilities, and I can smell some technical Oscars. And please, I write this as a viewer who’s not at all fond of the digital coloring books that abound in movies today and prefers practical effects. But here there are no digital orgies that would look out of place, everything looks very believable and alive. When I realize that all the natural surroundings were created in a computer, it just blows my mind. The experience is enhanced by the wonderful book, and if its story teaches at least a few child viewers to love animals, this film is worthwhile.
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Jon Favreau never really appealed to me as a director. Iron Man is a retrospectively weaker Marvel movie that stands and falls mostly on Robert Downey Jr. (and don’t get me started on the second one), Cowboys & Aliens is awful and Zathura is pretty good. Nothing more. So when he took a swipe at The Jungle Book, which everyone knows, I didn't particularly care for it. Which makes the result all the more enjoyable. It's not that it's a perfect film, at times it's quite choppy in terms of story (the part with monkeys could have been shorter), but as a film with ambitions to entertain young and old viewers alike, this journey among digital animals simply works. Favreau handles the action scenes, the suspenseful moments and the humour, and he also keeps an eye on the visuals. The Jungle Book is gorgeous, and the wilderness can even bear comparison to Avatar's Pandora. There's plenty to look at and I imagine the little ones will stare at the screen with utter delight, whether it's Baloo cackling, Sher Khan terrifying or Scarlett Johansson hissing. This is not a cinematic revolution or a film that will go down in history, but it’s a very proper genre film where almost everything works as it should. Well done. And I wouldn't mind seeing it a second time.
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It's relaxing entertainment with a fantastic production design and unfortunately a few reservations, some of which are the fault of the Czech version (the songs have almost no energy) and some of which are the fault of the original (again the song, this time King Louie's, which doesn't really fit the scene, the underused snake Ka and the ending, which is surprisingly more fairytale-like than in the original cartoon). Otherwise, I liked The Jungle Book and I'm glad that Jon Favreau got the money for it after the general dissatisfaction with Cowboys & Aliens and that he did a good job. John Debney's music was also successful, relying mainly on well-known motifs, but he also has a few ideas of his own, and the best character is, of course, Baloo with Bill Murray's facial expressions.
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The story is the good and never too old Kipling’s classic enriched with a couple of contemporary metaphors, but when it comes to special effects it is a fantastic joyride through the Indian jungle, almost identical to Avatar. The action in the temple is big and thrilling. Kids will dread monkeys. Which is good. Walken as Louis slightly copies Brando in Apocalypse Now. Even the classic songs and scenes work well and the scenes with Baloo are just overflowing with optimism.
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Photo © Walt Disney Studios
![The Jungle Book - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/160/819/160819271_f632a6.jpg)
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