Review of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018) by Richard S — 17 Dec 2018

This is the 2nd live action version of The Jungle Book in the space of 3 years. Jon Favreau's version was the Disney story we all know and in my eyes was a near perfect version of the story that looked stunning with a great voice cast. Andy Serkis' version has ignored Disney and stuck closer to the original stories for his inspiration and as a result we find this version to be a whole lot darker, with more violence and a whole lot scarier and certainly not one you would show to small people. Baloo for instance is no longer the loveable bumbling bear who likes nothing better than to sing a catchy tune. Here Baloo is a grizzled, grumpy military style trainer who has been charged with training the wolves who wish to join the pack, one of the "wolves" being Mowgli. Kaa is no longer looking for a tasty snack in the boy, encouraging him to "trust in me" but instead looking to protect him because she sees the future of the jungle of all who inhabit which rely on the boy's future. It's an interesting story about survival and the encroachment of man on the jungle and the threat we pose but I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as the Disney version I'm afraid, plus the film was seriously lacking the presence of King Louis! I also felt that despite Andy Serkis being the king of motion capture, the creatures didn't look quite as good as Faverau's version.

Worth seeing for a different take on the story but it will be the Disney version that people keep going back to.