The Film
Not all remakes are bad. No -- it's true. I wasn't much of a believer either, especially when the news broke that Jon Favreau was planning to direct a live-action version of The Jungle Book.
Why would he need to do that? Disney knows that you've watched the cartoon classic a million times before. However, the studio seems to be on a roll with remakes. Recently, audiences have seen live-action interpretations of Cinderella and Pete's Dragon, with several more planned for the future. Some will work better than others, but The Jungle Book sets the bar pretty high.
The story focuses on Mowgli (Neel Sethi, making a wonderful debut), a man-cub who has been raised by wolves. One day, the scarred tiger Shere Khan (voice by Idris Elba) promises to rid the jungle of what he considers to be its biggest threat. Instead of endangering the pack, Mowgli leaves to be with his own kind. En route, he encounters elephants, Kaa the python (Scarlett Johansson), Baloo the bear (Bill Murray), an ape named King Louie (Christopher Walken), and much more.
Although it does pick up a few of the songs from Disney's animated version, this take on The Jungle Book is much darker. It's sort of a hearty mixture of the 1967 film and Rudyard Kipling's original tale. In other words, be advised that some smaller viewers may be better off watching the cartoon. However, 2016's The Jungle Book should delight pretty much everyone else. It's an exciting, entertaining, and welcome remake.
The Picture
The Jungle Book continues Disney's awesome track record with Blu-ray releases. Between the characters and the backdrop, there's a lot going on here. However, the 1.85:1 image manages to deliver all of the wonders of the jungle, including lush greens, specks of dirt, flowing waterfalls, and more. Even the scratches on Mowgli are detailed. Of course, the main attraction here is the bevy of on-screen animals, so you can expect tons of fur, feathers, quills, and other animal parts to ogle. Those CGI creatures come through beautifully throughout this sharp, engaging presentation. It's definitely one that you'll want to pull out repeatedly, just to see what you missed on the last viewing.
The Sound
I'm not going to knock Disney for not including a Dolby Atmos or DTS:X track. However, it would have been so wonderful. That's obvious, because the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is about as immersive as you can get without that type of audio format. The soundfield is filled with snarls, growls, chirps, and roars quite often. There are also all sorts of atmospheric effects, including a rainstorm, raging rivers, thunderous footsteps, and more. This is a really fun track and a perfect match for the on-screen image.
The Extras
For a Disney Blu-ray, The Jungle Book is pretty skimpy on special features. Jon Favreau sits down for a very comprehensive, very technical audio commentary, although he does share info about several characters and even gives a nice nod to the late Garry Shandling. Otherwise, there are three other featurettes. The shortest one covers the King Louie scene and another dedicates a little over 8 minutes to Neel Sethi, the film's lead. The lengthiest of the lot is "The Jungle Book Reimagined," which covers the original story, casting, music, and everything else about the production, all in 35 minutes.
Final Thoughts
The Jungle Book is one of those rare films. It's remake that actually makes remakes seem like a really good idea. It's presented beautifully, with an interesting story, awesome visuals, and an audio track that will keep you engaged in from start to finish. My one gripe is that there should have been more extras, but don't let that keep you from picking this one up. It's a real treat.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Movie | |
| Extras |
