SHOULD I TAKE THE KIDS? The Jungle Book
Editor’s Note: The following movie review is a new type of feature article for us. On occasion we will be publishing reviews of this type, which are meant to go beyond MPAA ratings and be an additional resource for parents who are deciding whether or not a current release is an appropriate one for their kids to see.
THE DETAILS:
Rated PG for some sequences of scary action and peril
Running Time: 105 minutes
Genre: Adventure
In Theaters: April 15, 2016
Starring: Neel Sethi, the voices of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito and Christopher Walken
Writer: Justin Marks
Director: Jon Favreau
THE PLOT:
A family of wolves adopts a young boy named Mowgli after he is found alone in the jungle. When the fearsome tiger Shere Khan threatens the entire pack, the “man cub” must undertake a perilous journey to escape. Along the way he meets animals both friend and foe, but must decide for himself where his true destiny lies.
CONTENT:
Like most Disney family features, The Jungle Book contains no drugs, profanity or sex to speak of. It does, however, have several fervid action sequences. Very little blood is shown, but many animals use their teeth and claws to dangerous effect. Well-crafted and suspenseful chase scenes may simply be too intense for the youngest of viewers. Despite most of the film being computer generated, this is not the animated Jungle that many grew up with.
SHOULD I TAKE THE KIDS:
MAYBE: 6 and Under
Some exciting chases and (mostly) animal fight scenes are enough to thrill most adults, but small children may want to run for cover. If your child is a veteran of nature documentaries or had no trouble handling the sled dog survival tale Eight Below, you might consider taking them.
YES: 7 and Up
The rare non-cartoon adventure movie that is both rated PG and of high quality, The Jungle Book is an ideal family film.
REVIEW:
It’s taken 122 years, but someone has finally adapted Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale into a feature film. To be sure, this is hardly the first attempt; Disney alone has made four previous versions. The opening credits in these movies tend to use phrases like, “inspired by” or “based on the characters in,” before cramming in a love interest for a boy still trying to figure out what species he is.
This fancy new take courtesy of director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) isn’t perfect, but it’s the most faithful adaptation to date. It still maintains plenty of reverence for the animated 1967 musical familiar to most. It’s two most well known songs (courtesy of Bill Murray’s Baloo and Christopher Walken’s King Louie) make welcome reprises here. Themes of friendship and family are central to the story in both pictures.
Calling this version live-action is a bit misleading. An army of visual effects artists headed up by Robert Legato (Avatar) has created a vast, photo-realistic jungle full of life. Almost everything you see is rendered via computer, except for our flesh and blood protagonist.
It’s too early to tell whether newcomer Neel Sethi is much of an actor, but he’s full of energy and easy to root for. It is his down-to-earth performance, along with the aforementioned vivid effects, that lend this picture a depth of feeling missing from previous incarnations.
Meanwhile Ben Kingsley’s earnest panther, Bagheera, provides the straight man for Murray’s carefree brown bear. Idris Elba’s malevolent Bengal tiger is given some actual motivation, as he was literally burned before by man’s “red flower.” Scarlett Johansson’s python, Kaa, manages to be both seductive and sinister simultaneously. Here is an A-list cast with a purpose.
Favreau has an acting background, and as with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, has developed the ability to keep his human characters from being buried by the special effects surrounding them. By pouring all these resources and talent into a truly family-friendly motion picture, Disney has uncovered a lost treasure worth seeking.
OVERALL:
An unusual combination of craft and capital, along with a unified vision for both, has resulted in a mass-market spectacle that, much like Mowgli, shouldn’t be underestimated.
GRADE: B+
COMPANION FILMS (for viewing with the kids at home):
We trust you don’t need any help finding Disney’s charming 1967 version, or Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Life of Pi (for a different sort of Indian boy and tiger tale). For another PG-rated children’s adventure centering on family relationships, check out Director Jon Favreau’s 2005 film, Zathura: A Space Adventure.
Benjamin Spacek has written about film for numerous publications, most notably for the Las Vegas Weekly, where he was a reviewer from 2003-2009. He currently lives in Olympia, Washington with his wife and three children.
