The Jungle Book review

I was totally amazed by this young talent – Neel Sethi playing the role of Mowgli

Jungle Book. It was just reported that the producers are working on the sequel already. To my surprise, Jungle Book has yet to be released in Singapore while Brunei and Malaysia enjoyed advanced release last weekend. All of us (Sandy, Pranika, Amran and Julius) caught the night show last Thursday at Golden Screen Cinema at Suria Sabah and we gave it a thumbs up for The Jungle Book.

Synopsis: Raised by a family of wolves since birth, Mowgli (Neel Sethi) must leave the only home he’s ever known when the fearsome tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) unleashes his mighty roar. Guided by a no-nonsense panther (Ben Kingsley) and a free-spirited bear (Bill Murray), the young boy meets an array of jungle animals, including a slithery python and a smooth-talking ape. Along the way, Mowgli learns valuable life lessons as his epic journey of self-discovery leads to fun and adventure.

The trailer TV Spot for The Jungle Book

I don’t remember the story from my childhood days. Sometimes it better when you don’t prior knowledge of the plot and enjoy as it is. Now what’s so great about The Jungle Book? One’s thing for sure that it’s way better than the overhyped Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The 12-year old Neel Sethi stars as Mowgli and wow, for such a young age, this boy can act. Apparently they had to screen past 2,000 child actors and Sethi was the chosen one. The boy character stole the show with amazing supporting cast… eeeer, animals, I mean, played by Bagheera the panther (voiced by Ben Kingsley) and Baloo the slacker bear (voiced by Bill Murray). These combo of characters (when on screen) showed some interesting chemistry and hence this movie has a heart but I wished it could have gone deeper to make it more impactful.

None of the scenes were unnecessary as compared the recent DC movie (what’s with the dream, yooo?) and it was nicely paced. The only setback for me is the soundtrack and the movie score. Yes, there are one or two songs but too short or little to create an already-awesome movie. Nonetheless Jon Favreau the director (also for Iron Man I and II)  hit the mark in delivering a live action movie with great CGI (almost flawless) and he also made sure that the storyline and dialogue were engaging and heart warming.

Definitely not a 5 star movie but you will leave the movie feeling satisfied and entertained. It’s pure fun and engaging and you will feel immersed into the storyline. Disney got it right again in the live-action remake of The Jungle Book. Last year’s Cinderella was more than crowd pleaser. So keep it up, Disney. The Jungle Book is now showing in your local cinemas. Verdict: 8.5/10