Review of The Jungle Book (2016) by Pipec — 14 Apr 2016

Favreau is the director of the umpteenth installment of the classic, this time with CGI special effects and an unusual vocal group.

Once more, the adventures of Mowgli in Indian jungles written by the young Rudyard Kipling are adapted by Disney under leadership of Favreau with a significantly attractive result. Together with visual quality, the vocal team is exceptional, these qualities can overshadow the theme background and development of the plot without purpose that accompanies the film during its progress. Summarizing the results of previous deliveries of the "The Jungle Book" around the world, it can be affirmed the support of audience with animals of the jungle, and it seems that this will not be the exception, because its previous evidence.

It's important to remember that this will not be a of the last times we listen to Kipling animals in the cinematography, since the production company Warner Bros will finance "Jungle Book: Origins" under the direction of Serkis and will be full of stars like Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch and Serkis himself as Baloo the bear ( itself delayed lately by the producer until 2018, apparently due to lack of time for proper development by the "ambition" of the project).

From the unforgettable opening scene of the old style of the castle of Disney where then the camera opens road between branches of fruitful trees of the jungle, start something that seems to be a chase human against animal, from that moment ,the realism (excellently illustrated 3D) pervades to perfection in an image that appears in pure manner. It is characteristic of Disney products resume in the form of remake or remastering classics already enshrined in the minds of adults. This strategy, beyond of reborn a memorable story, its second intention is to generate more money, due to which stimulate both the minds of adults and infants who are anxious to be dazzled with the film itself.

I think if the film was dumb would be spectacular, but the eccentric accompanied by Ben Kingsley or Scarlett Johansson is converted in which could be a more masterpiece for its financier. Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is an Indian boy who grew up in the jungle pleasures along with a pack of wolves. After an unexpected enemy re-appeared in animal life, the boy must embark on a sea of adventures and dangers, where he will find a spiteful tiger (I.Elba), a betray snake (Scarlett Johansson) or an unconditional "lazy" bear (Bill Murray) to discover his true family (he ultimately finds it).

Justin Marks' script tends to stumble and ago decline the continuous progress that the film presents. The dialogues are well executed, what it feels like to loose and inconsistent is the intent of the story, (spoiler) the guy is fired from the herd to go to where he truly belongs, but suddenly he's fighting with a tiger face to face for save the animals of the jungle, summarize the aspects of the plot are feel superfluous.

Disney never ceases to die one of its characteristic hallmarks, humor. Each film should have its load identifiable humor. After a slightly dark and dramatic tone in the opening, at the time that Baloo (Bill Murray) appears everything changes. Remarkable is the effort of each line written to the bear, where half of that dialogue has a load of humor. And speaking of Baloo, the homage made by Murray to recreate the 1967 song is really emotional.

Even more admirable is the delicate and precise design of the grotesquely beautiful animals, it is a disproportionate beauty, it's a beauty that stands out, it's a natural beauty, this is truly an animal beauty.

A tiger majestically managed and drawn that looks real. An extremely large snake, where each flake has a pinch real. A giant orangutan in a forgotten temple , accompanied by several monkeys shows the fear and respect for the King of the jungle. A Black Panther give fear or a bear that has no words of description. All this is highlighted and praised as with a magnifying glass with IMAX 3D.

All this cinematic perfection is weakened once more by an end of fairy tales. I think that for be a product of Disney must not have a happy ending or at least repetitive end of death of the villain in all of its films. But well, we all knew it was going to be, after all this is an adaptation.

As well as his script and plot are increasingly more monotonous, the audio-visual quality of the project is very promising and exceeds limits of what has been done so far in this type of real action products.

Favreau and Pope produce a sumptuous and delicate visual experience that brings the best of CGI technology in a movie where the animals are the main feature. Interesting and realistic, Jon's work exceeds the requirements of the tape, but the tape itself is carried to the monotonous and incomprehensible. Again, Disney takes advantage of this move, while Warner Bros. and Andy Serkis are adjusting pants to try to overcome its main competitor. Warner'll let us dumbfounded. I'm sure.