Disney is known to stray heavily from the source material when making their animated films and 1967's The Jungle Book was no exception. Hell, when making the movie, Walt went to the writers, gave them the book and said "The first thing I want you to do is not to read it". However, what we ended up getting was a fun memorable feature that is seen as a classic. In 1994, Disney made a live-action Jungle Book movie which is pretty much the 1999 Tarzan animated film except the animals don't talk, there's no songs, it's not as good, and it features a young Lena Headey.
Cut to 2010 where Disney struck a billion dollars with the success of Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland. As a result, they announced that they were making live-action versions of Sleepy Beauty (done in the form of Maleficent), Cinderella, and about every other animated film they did. Even Pete's Dragon, which isn't even animated. Now these movies have done well so far, but as of right now, The Jungle Book might be the closest one to make Alice-style money. It just has a $103 million opening weekend, which pisses me off. But only because I predicted $65 million, and further proves that I can't get these predictions right. But does The Jungle Book deserve its $103 million, or is it like the '94 Jungle Book (which wasn't very good).
CONS
Now, I only have two real problems with this movie. Or one. YOU DECIDE!!! Disney's other live-action fairy tales usually stray a lot from their original animated film. Alice in Wonderland was a sequel to the original tale. Maleficent was a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. And Cinderella was based more on the fairy tale than the 1950 animated film. As for The Jungle Book, it's pretty much a remake of the '67 film, with one or two changes made. Which at first, doesn't sound too bad. But as it goes on, you know beat-by-beat what's going to happen and there's a lack of surprises. For the most part.
My other problem with the movie is that Kaa is pointless and underused. If you have seen the trailers, clips,and the IMAX featurette, you've pretty much seen all of Kaa. She just shows up, explains the backstory, tries to eat Mowgli, gets defeated, and that's about it. She's just there to explain the backstory. Which could have just explained in the beginning and then cut to "ten years later" or something.
There's one thing I feel mixed on, and that's the way they included the songs from the original. I liked the way they brought in Bare Necessities. They way they bring it in isn't a musical number but more like two friends singing their favorite song out loud in a car. Except not as annoying. However, when King Louie sings "I Wanna Be Like You", it suddenly becomes a musical. On one hand, it's jarring and out-of-place. On the other hand, it's enjoyable because it's being done by Christopher Walken and it's awesome.
PROS
The voice acting is amazing. Each actor is perfect for their role. Bill Murray was destined to play Baloo. Idris Elba is great as Shere Kahn. Ben Kingsley and Christopher Walken are great as Bagheera and Louie. Giancarlo Esposito gives a stern, yet likeable performace as the wolf leader Akela. Lupita N'yongo gives an emotional performance as Mowgli's wolf mother, Raksha. Even if Kaa doesn't really have a reason to be here, Scarlett Johansson gives a haunting performance. Also, those who are fans of the late Garry Shandling will enjoy hearing him in the opening.
Also, Neel Sethi is pretty good as Mowgli. Well, he's "pretty good" until you realize that he's talking to nothing, but he seems like he's actually interacting with something. I've seen actors like Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson be bad at that, and this kid is really good at that. He's got a bright career ahead of them.
The characters are great. Bagheera is great as Mowgli's surrogate father. They managed to make King Louie threataning. The wolf leader, Akela, is stern, but you can tell he cares for his pack. However, there are two characters who really stand out. The first is Baloo. He is really likable and funny and you can tell he cares for Mowgli. The second is Shere Kahn. He may be one of the best villains of 2016. He's just menacing, scart, and he doesn't care if kids are watching. He does some stuff that could scar some young veiwers for life.
The action scenes also prove to be very intense and exciting. From the stampede scene to the chase scenes, they all leave you on the edge of your seat. The stand out is the climax fight. Which is beautifully shot and makes Shere Kahn an even bigger threat than before, which is saying something.
The visuals are also amazing. The animals look incredibly realistic and the effects people put incredible detail on the animals. Plus, everything, except the humans, is CGI. Even the backgrounds, which are so amazing and well-detailed, that they could fool people into being real. It sure fooled me for a bit.
VERDICT:
The Jungle Book may be a bit too similar to the '67 film and one or two things may seem out of place, but it has great visuals, voice acting, action scenes, characters, and a damn good child actor. A few days ago, Disney confirmed a sequel to the Jungle Book, which makes sense seeing as they're making Alice Through the Looking Glass and Maleficent 2. However, after watching Jungle Book, I want more. I want to return to this jungle and see these characters again. Kids will love it, although the younger ones might want their parents nearby. Adults will love it. If you enjoyed Alice, Maleficent, and Cinderella, you will adore this. I even recommend this to fans of the '67 film. Just forget about your worries and your strife and enjoy the great movie.
9/10