Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) | Film Review

You have to sympathize with director and motion capture savant Andy Serkis in a way. Originally slotted for late 2016, his stomach had to plummet when Disney announced their own version of The Jungle Book for earlier that same year. Though Serkis was kicking the cuteness to the curb and plotting a much deeper, darker take on Rudyard Kipling’s classic anthology in his passion project (hence the distinguishable difference in title with Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle), it nonetheless wreaked of a cash-grab to an uninformed public. Therefore, Serkis and his team wisely bought some distance, while Netflix picked up the check. And now, over two years later, Mowgli finally arrives in our homes.

You can forget any chance of a Bare Necessities-style jingle in this iteration, because Serkis is lashing at the proverbial throat for his grim take. Leaping into this Jungle, we open with Shere Khan’s mauling of Mowgli’s parents, leaving the child orphaned. Thankfully, salvation arrives when the man-cub is rescued by Bagheera (voiced by Christian Bale). Branded an outcast, Mowgli (Rohan Chand) is raised as part of a wolf pack lead by Akila and Nisha (Peter Mullan and Naomie Harrie). In the meantime, Shere Khan (a menacing Benedict Cumberbatch) awaits Akila’s passing, for once leadership transfers to him, Khan can finally murder the child. As the film unfurls, we are also treated to appearances from Baloo and Kaa, to name a few.

Wouldn’t a Christopher Walken song liven this place up a bit? Possibly, but I personally welcomed this harsher take on the material. The Jungle Book was never a property that, once adapted to live-action, should ever have been light and bouncy. The jungle is a stark counter to our world, where animals and creatures in the dark rule, and mankind should be thankful simply to survive. This is the world Andy Serkis and his team have created, and this is a brilliant concept in which to reimagine a series that has been watered down for far too long.

If only the narrative had been crafted to tell this seedier version more fluidly. For the first half of Mowgli, it feels as though scenes are being tossed around to cobble together a coherent story. While aesthetically more faithful to Kipling’s work, it nonetheless forms a difficult progression to get behind as it is simply too jumbled in the early goings. Mowgli is here and there, everywhere, but his story lacks focus. Then the second half kicks in, and that’s when the film comes alive.

While it is definitely unfair to Serkis and company, Mowgli will undoubtedly be forever compared to Disney’s take from two years ago. And in all honesty, it is difficult to separate when the storyline so closely resembles that film. Once you wrap your head around the fact that this is a more adult version, and gain some distance from the Bill Murrays of the world, Mowgli and Chand’s performance comes into its own.

Andy Serkis – renowned for his motion-capture effects work in the Planet of the Apes series and Lord of the Rings – brings his experience and talent to this project with one goal in mind: make these creatures live and breathe. I know many in my film circles who have struggled with the very human-esque expressions the animals wear in the film. I will agree that there are distinct moments where Mowgli seems to confuse its own identity – is it live-action, or a Pixar flick? And yes, there are a handful of moments where the distinct lack of finished effects or technology overwhelmed a scene. Yet overall, I came to adore and appreciate these animals as living creatures. This is the one aspect that worked for me a bit more than Disney’s take, as the longer I spent with Kaa or Bagheera, the greater my emotional impact with those animals became.

While Chand’s performance is serviceable (the young actor delivers when it counts), it is the voice actors who kick the tires on this beast when it really gets going. Bale’s Bagheera carries a sense of hearty wisdom we all need in our lives, proving a noble leader for both Mowgli and the audience as the young boy brawls his way to the head of the pack. Cumberbatch’s dastardly baritone take on Khan is going to haunt my dreams for weeks. And though Serkis is the master, no one is more seductive nor terrifying than Cate Blanchett’s Kaa. That voice, coupled with the constantly snaking animation in the background, could talk me into snuggling with a python in zero time flat.

In the end, Mowgli and its stellar voice cast overcomes a clunky first half to deliver the darker iteration of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book as planned. While fleeting moments of CGI roughness arise, overall this is a solid take with bold aspirations any film fanatic will appreciate to varying degrees. Andy Serkis has a distinct eye for CGI and epic filmmaking. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of his career in this facet.

Fun trivia to explode your mind: Benedict Cumberbatch voices Shere Khan in Mowgli. He also portrayed the infamous Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Khan you believe that?!