Movie Review: “The Jungle Book” is a must-see!

MOVIE REVIEW: THE JUNGLE BOOK (PG)

Family films don’t get much better than “The Jungle Book.” Furthermore,  it should be noted that this latest effort from director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “Chef”) is the kind of  spectacular cinematic adventure that was born to play in Imax 3D. In fact, this is perhaps the best use of the big-screen format and 3D since Alfonso Cuaron’s stunning 2013 hit, “Gravity.”

This wonderful big-screen adaptation of “The Jungle Book” is inspired by the Rudyard Kipling book, but it’s mostly derived from Walt Disney’s 1967 classic animated take on the material. This version stars an appealing Neel Sethi as Mowgli, a young boy who’s orphaned in the jungle and befriended by panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley). Bagheera leads Mowgli to mother wolf Raksha (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), and ultimately, this orphan is raised by her and her pack. As the youngster grows older, however, Mowgli finds himself targeted by fierce tiger Shere Khan (a dynamic Idris Elba), and eventually, he decides it’s in the best interest of the pack to leave. What follows is an episodic adventure that brings Mowgli face to face with a host of colorful jungle creatures, including a lovable bear called Baloo (voiced by the incomparable Bill Murray.)

Favreau has fashioned a dazzling spectacle of a film in “The Jungle Book,” and it’s mind boggling to consider that nearly this entire movie was shot in a Los Angeles-based warehouse. The landscapes are breathtaking, and the visual effects (including a doozy of a landslide sequence) are positively astonishing, but it’s the animals that truly blow the mind. Even when these stunningly crafted jungle dwelling creatures are talking, they look photo-real, even surpassing the lifelike CG animal creations in Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi.”

For all it’s technical majesty, though, there is more to “The Jungle Book” than visual bravado. While the film is awe-inspiring and thrilling in a big way, Favreau brings a ton of heart to the proceedings as well. This movie retains a lot of the magic that made the animated Disney feature so endearing and even goes so far as to keep two of that picture’s most iconic songs intact: “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wanna Be Like You” are as memorable as ever, and both are given a fresh spin by way of spirited vocal work from Murray (doing Phil Harris justice) and the great Christopher Walken.

Speaking of performances, “The Jungle Book” is cast to absolute perfection. Sethi is terrific as the film’s lone human character. With his seemingly effortless ability to perform in front of a green screen, you’d think Sethi was a seasoned pro, but this is actually his feature-length debut. He’s undeniably likable and brings an obvious youthful vitality to the role. This is to say nothing of his ability to perform opposite characters that weren’t even on the set. He is a terrific young actor, and it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing more of him.

Sethi is complemented by a fantastic roster of spot-on vocal talent. Nyong’o (Raksha), Kingsley (Bagheera), Giancarlo Esposito (Akela), and a slightly underused Scarlett Johansson (Kaa) are all sensational, but it’s Murray’s playful and lovable Baloo, Walken’s colorfully eccentric King Louie, and Elba’s magnetic (and terrifying) Shere Khan (he gives an entirely new meaning to the phrase “The Wrath of Khan”) who are most worth singling out.

I positively adore this take on “The Jungle Book,” and while a great movie is a great movie no matter how you experience it, you’d be well advised to experience this one in Imax 3D if given the option. Walt Disney Pictures, director Jon Favreau, and the crew have done good by this beloved tale, property fashioning a movie that is every bit as wonderful as the animated film (and the book) that inspired it. Quite frankly, I can’t wait to see “The Jungle Book” again!