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| photo courtesy of denofgeek.com |
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is the latest big-screen retelling of Rudyard
Kipling’s classic Jungle Book
stories. Although they have a lot in common, this version, directed by Andy
Serkis, is distinct from the original Disney animated feature and the 2016 CGI update
(and its forthcoming sequel). Like the other adaptations of the story, Mowgli features animal characters like
Bagheera (Christian Bale), Baloo (Serkis), Kaa (Cate Blanchett), Shere Khan
(Benedict Cumberbatch) and others alongside the titular man-cub (Rohan Chand). But
unlike the Disney versions, Mowgli
takes a slightly darker approach—as Mowgli
encounters not only Shere Khan, but also the evil deeds of his fellow humans.
The fundamental story
in any of the Jungle Book adaptations
has been and continues to be interesting, and combined with some impressive CGI
work, it makes Mowgli an absorbing
movie. Kids will get a kick out of the animals—both soft and scary—and the
characters are likeable enough to entertain adults, too. Mowgli’s real problem is timing: coming on the heels of Disney’s incredibly
successful 2016 film, it suffers from the unfavorable comparison.
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| photo courtesy of netflix.com |
Mowgli
has billed itself—even back in 2016, when both projects were still in different
stages of development—as a darker version of the Jungle Book story. Basically the same product, with top notch CGI
and an all-star cast, but with a more mature mindset. But Mowgli only veers into darker territory in a couple of places (one
rather jolting scene sticks out). The rest of the time, Mowgli doesn’t feel all that dissimilar from The Jungle Book. Both have scary villains and intense sequences, so
Mowgli is only darker in that it
doesn’t go so far out of its way to be charming (as in Bill Murray’s Baloo in
the Disney film).
Where Mowgli really does distinguish itself is its exploration of Mowgli’s human identity.
Unlike The Jungle Book, this movie
sees Mowgli spend time among his own people, learn their ways, and reckon with
their actions (as seen briefly in the trailer). This emphasis gives Mowgli a different edge and a different
theme, perhaps, but because it doesn’t translate into much screen-time (it only
makes up part of the second act), it can
only do so much. Most of the story and its major component pieces are
essentially the same.
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| photo courtesy of animationmagazine.net |
Given the level of
similarity between Mowgli and Disney’s
2016 The Jungle Book, the question
is: which movie does it better? Mowgli
is hardly a failure on its own terms, but it’s never as memorable or meaningful
as The Jungle Book. And Disney’s film
handles its plot and characters with a dexterity that mostly escapes Mowgli, which limits Mowgli’s emotional impact. Considering
the amount of retreaded material and the difference in quality, it’s not hard
to see why the filmmakers sold it to Netflix rather than risking a wide release
in theaters.
FINAL VERDICT: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle isn’t as quite
good as The Jungle Book, but only one
of them (ahem) is on Netflix.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is rated PG-13.
TRAILER
Watch the trailer here.
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| photo courtesy of posteraddiction.com |
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