REVIEW | Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)
Not quite a wolf, not quite a man — but definitely untamed.
In the jungles of Kipling’s classic, no one can hear you sing.
Abandoned after the murder of his parents in the jungles of India, Mowgli is taken in by the wilderness and raised by a family of wolves as the jungle’s man-cub. After learning the ways and the laws of nature from his panther guardian, Bagheera, and his grizzly bear mentor, Baloo. Mowgli soon realises that he isn’t truly from the jungle he grew up in, and is forced to find a home where he truly belongs — all while the ferocious and bloodthirsty tiger, Shere Khan, hunts him.
*Minor spoilers for Mowgli ahead*
But wait — didn’t we already have one of these not long ago?
No, not that ape-man movie, The Legend of Tarzan (2016), I mean the other one of The Jungle Book that came out that same year. Y’know — the one directed by Jon Favreau, all-star cast, mostly a live-action animated update of the 1967 Disney classic [of the same name]?
Sooo.. what gives Hollywood?
After decades of revisions and dozens of renditions, the only thing the Kipling adventure could use is a fresh take under new light of the man-cub story. Which Mowgli does so admirably without smudging or smearing the ink of the Jungle Book texts.
This movie depicts the world of man and the laws of the animal kingdom brilliantly by balancing an incredibly human story, with unforgiving lessons of the wilderness, and the vines that bind those two together.
It explores the other side of the Jungle Book with a more developed direction to lead the plot. Unearthing brave new potential within the story and away from the conventional children-first approach. So imagine a jungle boy that talks to fully-fanged, carnivorously clawed, and proficiently performed animals — need I say more?
And if you’re salty about this being just another cash-grab project. Let’s face it — you’ll always have your reboots, your revivals, and revitalisation of movies from within franchises or under cookie-cutter themes. Whether it’s the endless rotation of James Bonds, the perpetuation of the Jurassic pictures, or even the era-polished classics like Creed following Rocky.
Cinema will always have room to remake great stories of old. Yet Mowgli is striking enough to leave a stronger impression than the entries that have come before — delivering a rare version of The Jungle Book stories.
Keeping well in mind that the feral-child of the jungle was immortalised decades (even centuries) ago. This movie does its own thing with a forgiving runtime that will have you wanting more of the beloved and hypnotic animal, without encouraging your familiarity-fatigue of the famous fable.
Speaking of unique features, you can often tell the quality of any movie from spotting a filmmaker’s signature on-screen. Whether it’s the subtlety of superb sequences like The Prestige (2006), or use of stunning yet superficial storytelling like King Kong (2005) — there’s an undeniable trait left behind in every film by its director.
And the profound pairing of the cinema-seasoned Andy Serkis, with the seminal saga of The Jungle Book promises a terrific tour of the fantastic Rudyard Kipling wilderness.
With a wealth of experience both in-front and behind the camera for the Lord of the Rings franchise (including the Hobbit trilogy), combined with countless hours of performance-capture mastery for several other movies. Director Andy Serkis and Co. has left an amazing and lasting pawprint in the age-old man-cub story.
Despite Mowgli being the driving force for the themes and parabolic ideas of the overall narrative — the man-cub has always been our primary channel to connect with the mystifying animal kingdom of The Jungle Book, and the wondrous characters that cover and coexist in the pages of the timeless novel.
Which is why — having a motion-capture maestro look after the process and portrayal of those characters is more than enough to rock the jungle.
If you’re unfamiliar with motion-capture, it’s a technique that has animators prepare and pull from recorded performances of actors (using their figures and even faces) to render their characters as close to the real-deal possible. Instead of having them create from vocal cues and references alone.
A technique commonly used in video games to bring fictional and fantastically interactive worlds ever closer to reality and believability. Which Mowgli successfully achieves with your favourite Kipling characters — making it infinitely more unique than most movies that feature talking animals.
With so much to draw from the collection of books and library of adaptations. Mowgli plucks from the evergreen tree of the legend and presents a raw, blunt, and untamed experience — thrusting you into the heart of the jungle from the horrors of humanity, to the gritty notes of nature and nurture.
It further solidifies the legend with modern ideas, mature overtones, and moments that open up a new dimension to The Jungle Book —
— and they didn’t even need to break out into song.
