Ashdoc's movie review---The jungle book

ashdoc

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
2,980
Likes
3,679
Country flag
Sigh....years of watching Discovery channel and National geographic have really taken it's toll on me....
That is , taken it's toll as far as watching 'Jungle book' movie is concerned....

In 1985 , I watched the animated version of 'Jungle book' that had been released in India that year....and I enjoyed it with gusto....
The sights and sounds of animals of the jungle were new to me at that time and that's what made watching the animated movie so special....

Or maybe I enjoyed because at that time I was just a little kid....
But now after years of watching channels like Animal planet etc , watching the new version of 'Jungle book' is like watching the wildlife centred TV channels again....

At least the animated version looked different....
But the fact that the animals have been made so life like in the latest version of 'Jungle book' makes it appear more like a episode of National geographic and Discovery channel....

The only difference from the TV channels is the presence of Mowgli , and he does make a lot of difference....
He is the kid whose father was killed by the tiger Sher Khan and was rescued by a black panther and raised by a group of wolves....

And Sher Khan wants him killed too....
At the pond where all animals gather to drink water he declares his intentions to kill....

But Mowgli has protectors too---a loving female wolf mother who looks tenderly at him with such expressions that only Disney can create on an animal's face
....and a stern but kind wolf father who takes charge of him with fatherly concern....

To save him from Sher Khan they decide to send Mowgli back to where he came from---the humans of course....
But the journey to that destination takes up Mowgli on many adventures....adventures that Rudyard Kipling cleverly imagined in his book....Of coming close to death in the knots of a giant python , of stealing honey from bees for his bear friend , of bowing before tusked elephants and saving their little one , of being kidnapped by monkeys and brought before a giant monkey , of swinging from tree to tree....

But instead of reaching his destination , Mowgli is called upon to complete a mission of revenge....
So what is that mission ??
And is he able to elude the mighty Sher khan ?
Watch the movie for that....

The special effects are undoubtedly great---of rivers flowing with speed , of waterfalls gushing with ferocity , of fires raging to destroy the forest....
The animals seem human , with real feelings....almost .
And Mowgli is all too comfortable with them .

But the whole thing is for kids ; and indeed many children had flooded the cinema hall....
I for one , was out of place---for I am not a kid nor am I the father of one....

Mowgli is the only real actor in the film , and he is played by Neel Sethi . The rest are just voices behind special effects created characters of animals . But the voices have done their job with aplomb , and so has Neel .
So if you have a kid , go take him or her to the nearest theatre to watch this movie...it will be a treat for the children...

Verdict---Good .
Three stars .
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top