The Jungle Book (2016)

Written by Gimly on September 2, 2016

I had only one true issue with Jon Favreau's Jungle Book, and while it does seem like sort of an unfair one, it's also a pretty huge one.

For months before I got the chance to see this remake, I heard non-stop about what a great actor the kid playing Mowgli was, how photorealistic all the animals were, and how you would never be able to guess that the backgrounds were all actually sound stages that had been animated over. Well I just watched The Jungle Book, and I found all three of those compliments to be patently untrue. That might sound like three issues, but in reality they all boil down to the same one thing, suspension of disbelief. Or more accurately, the lack of it. From the word go, there wasn't s moment that I found myself being continuously drawn out of the story because of one of those reasons (usually the look of the creatures). I was not once able to fully engage, and though I recognise that from a plot point of view, this version was even better than the 1967 one, I still found myself constantly aggravated by the harsh meshing of Mowgli against the world around him.

Final rating:★★½ - Not quite for me, but I definitely get the appeal.