I’m back. And with another bold claim. Calling anything perfect, especially art, is definitely a bold choice. But as always, I can back up my claims.
A while back, I made a list ranking all the live action Disney movies, you can read it here. During that endeavor, I put The Jungle Book (2016) at no. 1, and now I’m here to explain why it is not only the best live-action Disney movie, but a perfect movie.
First up, let’s start with the score. John Debney’s score for the movie isn’t gonna win any Oscars anytime soon, and to be honest, it doesn’t need to. The score does what good film scores are supposed to. They make you feel the movie. Sometimes, scores end up as a sort of accompaniment to the film that sounds really good, but doesn’t enhance the emotion of the film (looking at you, The Social Network). But when a score can enhance and elevate the emotion in scenes, and even make you feel that emotion just by listening to it, without the movie, that’s how you know you have a good score. And by God, does John Debney make you feel the movie. The use of the Bare Necessities melody from the original 1967 movie as a motif in the score both satisfies the unspoken homage rule for remake and doesn’t feel like a cheap nostalgia grab. I can’t listen to “The Man Village” without getting goosebumps, it’s that good. Even “Wolves - Law of the Jungle” evokes the same vibe as Edvard Grieg’s “Morning Mood”, making Bagheera’s narration just melt into your ears.
Next up, we’ve gotta talk about just how beautiful the film is. This movie, besides being a technological masterpiece with the expert use of CGI, is also just beautifully shot. Scenes that are just gorgeous to look at. From one scene to the next, this whole film is just a treat for the eyes, even the final battle sequence with Shere Khan that was shot at night, with just the burning jungle to illuminate them still has some insane shots. I shouldn’t be surprised considering the fact that Bill Pope, the cinematographer, is also responsible for Spider-Man 2 & 3, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and Baby Driver among others.
Third on the list, is the story. Now because it’s a remake of a movie based on a book, the story has been relatively unchanged since 1894. But where this movie elevates that story is in the characters. Mowgli, the little kid forced to leave the only home he’s ever known and thrust into an accidental journey of self-discovery. Mowgli is a protagonist you want to do well, you wanna see him win in the end because he’s just too good a kid. The relationships between the characters feel real and tangible, like Mowgli’s vibe with the wolf pups. The relationship between Mowgli and Raksha is too pure, which is what makes the scene where leaves feel 50 times heavier than any such scene has the right to feel.
Shere Khan, the big bad, one-eyed tiger is (in my opinion) one of the most terrifying villains of the 2010s, if not the 21st Century. Any sequence involving him has you on the edge, waiting in terror to see what he’ll do. His introduction at the Peace Rock is one of my favorite scenes of all time.
Of course, all this is only achievable thanks to the brilliant cast. Casting a project such as this can be a daunting task, and celebrity voice actors come with its own set of downsides. But this cast was just phenomenal. Ben Kingsley and Bill Murray play well off each other and make the tenuous relationship between the strict Bagheera and the aloof, easy-going Baloo just a joy to watch unfold. All the actors embody their roles almost perfectly, from Idris Elba as the imposing, intimidating, and almost majestic Shere Khan, to Scarlett Johansson as Kaa. It all works, which isn’t always a given. But the piece that ties it all together is Mowgli. Neel Sethi is masterful in this, bringing believability to everything, not only with his words, but the little mannerisms that really draw you in, and make you believe that you really are watching a little boy in a jungle.
Very few movies can truly lay a claim to being perfect, but I genuinely believe that Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book is one of those movies.
