Though I am sure I saw the animated version as a child, I have virtually no recollection of it. I have never read the book (is it a book or a short story?) but Mowgli and gang are iconic enough that I still have a working knowledge of the story. The movie followed my scant knowledge perfectly and was most entertaining.
Mowgli is a boy raised by wolves in the jungles of India. We meet him as he is running from a panther. It looks like he might escape when a branch snaps and he instead falls in the path of the mighty cat. And then they start chatting. Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) is an avuncular figure for Mowgli, the kind that usually scowls and scolds. He has Mowgli's best interests at heart though he often seems dissatisfied with Mowgli in practice. During a dry spell, Shere Khan (Idris Elba) the Tiger discovers a human among the animals and demands that he be handed over when the rains return. So it is that Mowgli must leave the wolves, which results in a number of adventures.
Baloo (Bill Murray) steals the show as a honey-loving bear with a soft spot for the clever human but also a keen interest in what the boy can do for him. Without question, he delivers the best lines and offers the most comic relief.
King Louie (Christopher Walken) was HUGE, an impossibly big orangutan. In fact, he is supposed to be an extinct and giant variant of the orangutan because they are not native to India (at least, that is what I read on IMDB). He is much more menacing than I expected. His song during the credits was lots of fun.
All in all, a very enjoyable movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment