This is so far shaping up to be a dominant year for the company. First, we got the best animated film ever since Toy Story 3, if not the greatest animated film of all time (I'm talking about Zootopia). Then, in the month of April, (which is a quiet month for the move industry) they release a remake of the Jungle Book. But keep in mind that I have actually never watched any other adaptations of the original book. Not the 1967 cartoon, not the 1994 live action version, or any other than this.
Storywise, there hasn't been much changes to the story when you compare it to the 1967 cartoon. It stays faithful to that film, but it isn't a bad thing. It is also very compelling. Having not seen the original 1967 cartoon, (But I however did hear that the story was almost the same after watching this film) I found it mostly unpredictable, and it, without a doubt, wasn't nap time for me unlike others that find it "Boring". There isn't a lot of humor, but the humor that was in it was simply hilarious, especially the dialogue. With this compelling story with great action scenes, and funny humor, it sure isn't time to hibernate.
The characters in the movie aren't as strong as the story. The characters I like in the movie the most are Baloo, (Who is funny and caring) Bagheera, (who is strict, but caring, and shows it) and Mowgli (who is very brave). As for the rest, the wolves play as the caring guardians of Mowgli, but for King Louie, I have thoughts to share. He's compelling and all, but compared to Shere Khan, he doesn't serve a really big purpose, which is disappointing. Shere Khan is insanely compelling, intimidating, and fierce, which makes him a great villain. But then there's Kaa, who serves a little purpose of telling Mowgli of his orgin, but feels just wasted, since she (yeah she, they got Scarlet Johansson to do the voice) appears just briefly only to do that and try to kill Mowgli. It was just a missed opportunity. But one concern is that the relationship between Mowgli and some of the other characters isn't strong. Like for between Mowgli and Baloo, they don't interact a lot, therefore not building up a big one.
The special effects are instantly known to be CGI, but they believable. Like the fur on Baloo is realistic, and the action scenes are intense, but a load of fun to watch. Also, all the actors (like Bill Murray) are well cast and perform well, except for Scarlet Johansson voicing Kaa. We should've gotten a talented voice actor do a unique voice like in the original cartoon, not a very bland black widow voice. Plus (not to be sexist) I find that the change of gender doesn't make any sense, I just don't.
So overall, this film is solid. It isn't as good as Zootopia, but I recommend it to Jungle Book fans and even those who haven't watched any adaptation made before this. By the way, there's "The Bare Neccesities" in it to, so it can even get nostalgic.
Storywise, there hasn't been much changes to the story when you compare it to the 1967 cartoon. It stays faithful to that film, but it isn't a bad thing. It is also very compelling. Having not seen the original 1967 cartoon, (But I however did hear that the story was almost the same after watching this film) I found it mostly unpredictable, and it, without a doubt, wasn't nap time for me unlike others that find it "Boring". There isn't a lot of humor, but the humor that was in it was simply hilarious, especially the dialogue. With this compelling story with great action scenes, and funny humor, it sure isn't time to hibernate.
The characters in the movie aren't as strong as the story. The characters I like in the movie the most are Baloo, (Who is funny and caring) Bagheera, (who is strict, but caring, and shows it) and Mowgli (who is very brave). As for the rest, the wolves play as the caring guardians of Mowgli, but for King Louie, I have thoughts to share. He's compelling and all, but compared to Shere Khan, he doesn't serve a really big purpose, which is disappointing. Shere Khan is insanely compelling, intimidating, and fierce, which makes him a great villain. But then there's Kaa, who serves a little purpose of telling Mowgli of his orgin, but feels just wasted, since she (yeah she, they got Scarlet Johansson to do the voice) appears just briefly only to do that and try to kill Mowgli. It was just a missed opportunity. But one concern is that the relationship between Mowgli and some of the other characters isn't strong. Like for between Mowgli and Baloo, they don't interact a lot, therefore not building up a big one.
The special effects are instantly known to be CGI, but they believable. Like the fur on Baloo is realistic, and the action scenes are intense, but a load of fun to watch. Also, all the actors (like Bill Murray) are well cast and perform well, except for Scarlet Johansson voicing Kaa. We should've gotten a talented voice actor do a unique voice like in the original cartoon, not a very bland black widow voice. Plus (not to be sexist) I find that the change of gender doesn't make any sense, I just don't.
So overall, this film is solid. It isn't as good as Zootopia, but I recommend it to Jungle Book fans and even those who haven't watched any adaptation made before this. By the way, there's "The Bare Neccesities" in it to, so it can even get nostalgic.