Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
Directed by Andy Serkis
Produced by
Steve Kloves
Jonathan Cavendish
David Barron
Screenplay by Callie Kloves
Based on All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Rohan Chand as Mowgli
Matthew Rhys as John Lockwood
Freida Pinto as Messua
Voice and motion-capture cast
Christian Bale as Bagheera the black panther
Benedict Cumberbatch as Shere Khan the Bengal tiger
Cate Blanchett as Kaa the Indian rock python
Tom Hollander as Tabaqui the striped hyena
Andy Serkis as Baloo the sloth bear
Peter Mullan as Akela the Indian wolf
Naomie Harris as Nisha the Indian wolf
Eddie Marsan as Vihaan the Indian wolf
Jack Reynor as Brother Wolf
Louis Ashbourne Serkis as Bhoot the albino Indian wolf cub
Word is this was something of an orphan flick. Warner Brothers made it with the idea of a wide theatrical release, but then Disney came along with a motion-capture remake of “The Jungle Book” putting the motion-capture “Mowgli” very definitely in the category of runner up. So WB cut their losses and sold it to Netflix, who didn’t mind a bit.
It’s a shame because it’s probably a better film than the Disney version. It’s closer to the tone of Rudyard Kipling’s original works, a man who gloried in the Empire where the sun never set, but was very much aware of the arrogance and racism that formed the moral rot at the core of Her Majesty’s Empire.
The motion-capture is damned near perfect—aside from the oddity of human expressions on the faces of animals, particularly Kaa, the rock python. Animals have facial expressions, to be sure, but they aren’t OUR expressions. If a chimpanzee grins at you, run.
Emotionally, the film provides a potent punch, in large measure because Rohan Chand brings an astonishingly authentic performance to the fore. Remember, this 12 year old kid is having heart-to-hearts with pieces of paper dangled to show where the eyes of Bagheera or Shere Khan will be. He is complemented by some fine voice acting (Ok, Cate Blanchett isn’t a particularly convincing snake) and, despite the oddity of being on animal faces, the rendered expressions were authentically human enough to convey emotion and intent quite well. Would it surprise anyone to mention that Cumberbatch makes a fine insane tiger?
The settings, both real and rendered, are breath-taking, and it’s very hard to tell which is which. The film is a rarity—a technological tour de force that has compassion and humanity built in.
Bad timing gave WB cold feet, but there’s nothing wrong with Mowgli itself; its a fine movie,
Now on Netflix.
