REVIEW: Live action 'Jungle Book' could use a little cartoon magic - East Idaho News
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REVIEW: Live action ‘Jungle Book’ could use a little cartoon magic

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There’s a saying in the movie biz that says you only do things in animation that you can’t accomplish in live action. After seeing Disney’s new live-action “Jungle Book” flick, I’m convinced the opposite should be true as well. Just because you can do something in live action, doesn’t mean you should.

”Jungle Book” tells the tale of Mowgli (Neel Sethi), a boy abandoned in the jungle and raised by wolves. When his wolf pack is threatened by the tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba, the baddest dude in movies today), Mowgli departs with panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley) in search of the man village.

Along the way, Mowgli encounters Baloo the bear (voiced by Bill Murray), who tries to get him to embrace his human side. As Mowgli learns what makes him special, he decides to return and face Shere Khan, hoping to get rid of him once and for all.

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There are a lot of things that “Jungle Book” does well. It’s gorgeous to look at, with lush jungle backgrounds and incredible-looking creatures. The voice work is top-notch, with Murray and Elba really crushing it in their roles. And Sethi’s performance is impressive, especially when you consider that the kid is acting to nothing on a green screen stage most of the time.

Director John Favreau brings what he learned from directing the first to “Iron Man” movies and applies it here. The action scenes feel epic and are well-composed. He and director of photography Bill Pope paint use light to paint some very pretty frames. Ultimately, though, it feels like something is missing.

What’s missing is the magic of a completely animated movie. In animated films, where characters are obviously not real, anthropomorphic qualities like speech are charming. When your animals are photo-realistic, however, talking animals is a little off putting.

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And in “Jungle Book”, it creates logical issues that pop you out of the story. For instance, why is King Louie the only ape in the movie that can speak English? How come some species can’t speak at all? Do the different species that can communicate one with another all have little translator chips, like in “The Last Starfighter”?

One last thing: This movie is a film that seems to be searching for an audience. It’s obviously aimed at children, but some scenes are frightening enough to scare the pants off young kids. I don’t see teens getting into this, and most adults who see this movie will likely just find themselves getting nostalgic for the old Disney cartoon.

”The Jungle Book” is visually impressive, but ultimately feel hollow and lacking. It’s a little too scary for little children, but I’m not sure older audiences will be able to suspend their disbelief enough to get into it.

2 1/5 Indy Fedoras out of 5

MPAA Rating: PG

Thanks to Fat Cats in Rexburg for providing screenings for movie reviews on EastIdahoNews.com.

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