“The Jungle Book” is Disney’s latest live action film, and is adapted from the 1967 animated Disney movie and Rudyard Kipling’s famous book of the same name. The story follows Mowgli, played by Neel Sethi, a boy raised by wolves in the jungle. After the villainous tiger Shere Khan, played by Idris Elba, who has a personal vendetta against humans, demands that Mowgli leaves the jungle, Mowgli must leave his wolf pack and his previous life in the jungle. Led by the panther Bagheera, played by Ben Kingsley, Mowgli embarks on a journey back to the human world, when inevitably he reaches obstacles and encounters other characters, including the bear Baloo (Bill Murray), King Louie of the apes (Christopher Walken), and the snake Kaa (Scarlett Johansson).

The story generally follows that of the 1967 original, but it largely improves the various story points and provides a much more coherent narrative. While the animated film sometimes feels like a group of scenes and characters strung together somewhat carelessly, this new iteration provides a much stronger narrative and better structured story. It also removes some of the strange sequences that weaken the original, such as the vultures, and it improves some of those scenes, in particular those with the elephants. In this adaptation, the characters are all very well utilized.

One of the drawing points of this movie are its effects; there were no real sets used in the filming of this movie, it was completely shot in front of green screens in Hollywood. So can you tell that in the movie? No, not at all. After five minutes, you will be convinced that you’re watching a movie taking place in the real jungle. All of the animal characters, who were all also rendered using CGI, look amazing. Everything looks real; this movie easily has some of the best special effects of all time. The only real thing that was shot was the boy who played Mowgli, who for the entire movie is really just talking to nothing in front of a green screen. Keeping this in mind, Sethi did a great job, however there are a few moments where he seems unsure where to look or how to act and it is slightly distracting.

Although the animal characters were made with CGI, the voice acting in this movie is terrific. Ben Kingsley is very convincing as the mentor Bagheera, and Idris Elba is chilling and menacing as the villain Shere Khan. Bill Murray as Baloo is quite possibly one of the best casting decisions of all time. He perfectly plays the lazy, funny and honey-loving bear, and is sure to be a fan favorite. For me though, the one who really steals the show is Christopher Walken as King Louie. His instantly recognizable voice blends perfectly with the giant ape, and the sequence with his character was one of my favorites in the movie.

All of these characters are great too; they don’t just have great voices. Shere Khan’s motivations are clear and believable, where in the animated movie they are much less so. Bagheera and Baloo’s conflicting ideas are both convincing and relatable, as is Mowgli’s struggle throughout the movie. The only really weak character was Kaa the snake. Scarlett Johansson voiced her very well, but the character was more of a plot device, and the sequence with her was very exposition-heavy and didn’t advance the story. In its defense though, that was also one of the flaws of the original, which it did improve on comparatively.

One of the best parts of the original Jungle Book was the music, and that is represented very well in this remake. While it doesn’t include every song, it includes the best ones, and finds ways to incorporate them pretty well. One of the songs feels very natural, while the transition into another feels somewhat awkward and unwarranted, although the song was great.

Overall, “The Jungle Book” remains faithful to the 1967 original animated movie, while also putting its own twists on the story and improving on some of its weaker points. It is a beautiful, amazing achievement with great acting, effects and characters that is sure to excite and be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Runtime: 108 minutes

Rated: PG

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5