Before seeing this movie I had not seen the 1967 animated version of the story nor had I read any of Kipling's books. This allowed me the unique opportunity to experience the film with fresh eyes. The best thing about the film is the fully realized world it creates. There is a sense of a deeper mythology in this world. There is also a theme running through the film that Mowgli and, by extension, other humans are in some way superior to the jungle animals despite him being raised by them. All of this made me really want to read the book and watch the original animated movie, both to compare them and to further explore this world.
Neel Sethi does a great job as Mowgli in incredibly difficult circumstances. His onscreen counterparts are all CGI as are most of his surroundings but, for the most part you, can't tell at all and this is jut as much a testament to his performance as it is to the effects team.
The movie does have some problems. The songs lifted from the original feel somewhat out of place and some of the celebrity voice actors (Bill Murray, Scarlet Johansson, Christopher Walken) are distracting and take me out of the movie at times. It's not that there is anything wrong with their performances I just immediately identify the voices with the actors. A bigger problem is that Mowgli makes a decision during the climax that has some pretty dire consequences, but it doesn't ultimately carry the weight it should.
Neel Sethi does a great job as Mowgli in incredibly difficult circumstances. His onscreen counterparts are all CGI as are most of his surroundings but, for the most part you, can't tell at all and this is jut as much a testament to his performance as it is to the effects team.
The movie does have some problems. The songs lifted from the original feel somewhat out of place and some of the celebrity voice actors (Bill Murray, Scarlet Johansson, Christopher Walken) are distracting and take me out of the movie at times. It's not that there is anything wrong with their performances I just immediately identify the voices with the actors. A bigger problem is that Mowgli makes a decision during the climax that has some pretty dire consequences, but it doesn't ultimately carry the weight it should.
I liked this movie so much that I decided to read the original Kipling books, which I'm enjoying quite a bit. If that doesn't speak to the quality of this movie I don't know what does.
Score: 9/10
Score: 9/10
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