Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

(spoiler free)

Thanks to his impressive work in some of Hollywood’s most beloved film franchises Andy Serkis is easily the most well known motion capture performer in the industry. So what more capable hands for this latest adaptation of ‘The Jungle Book’ to be left in? Jon Favreau’s apparently. Promising to be a much darker version of the story we all know so well ‘Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle’ is specifically based on ‘All the Mowgli Stories’ by Rudyard Kipling, a collection of short stories about the jungle dwelling man-cub.

With an insanely talented voice cast including Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jack Reynor assembled to portray the array of animals residing within this narrative there was definite reason to be excited even after the release of Disney’s own recent Jungle Book adaptation. However, it’s unfortunate that their final performances just don’t live up to the standard that these stars have previously set themselves. Of the voice cast, Christian Bale and Naomie Harris who play Bagherra and Nisha respectively are the only performers to make their mark delivering apt and enjoyable performances. The rest contribute to a bizarre amalgamation of voices that don’t fit the visual aesthetic of their characters often feeling misplaced or over the top, a disappointing squandering of some brilliant talent. Rohan Chand is the young actor tasked with portraying the titular character here and like his fellow voice cast at times he struggles to be compelling. It should be noted that due to the large amount of motion capture it’s impressive for the young actor to play Mowgli considering the amount of acting required of him against characters who aren’t actually there. He definitely shows promise but more work is needed with the dramatic side of his acting.

A lot of why the voice performances don’t really work is to do with the look of the characters. There is an odd appearance to many of the visuals here contributing to an overall muddled aesthetic. Some of the animals have a very cartoonish look to them, while others are more convincing and then in some moments real animals are used! It’s a strange collection of visuals that don’t combine together well. Furthermore, a lot of the action is set at night and the use of lighting isn’t good making it quite a struggle to see what is actually happening. It’s not just the visuals that come across as messy, but the storytelling too. It delivers on its promise to be a darker version of the story but it tries to tick too many boxes from the original story, rushing through the familiar narrative in order for it to introduce a new, and actually more interesting, plot which sees a lot of this darkness arise. There’s potential in this less well known story, as it boasts several thought provoking plot threads, but sadly the execution of it leaves audiences with a lack of desire to engage with or invest in what they are watching.

‘Mowgli: The Legend of the Jungle’ simply tries to do too much, attempting to retell the classic Jungle Book story whilst also shedding light on lesser known elements. In trying to do both it fails to succeed with either sections of its narrative. What you might expect would be for the voice cast to be the saving grace but even a collection of names as talented as we have here can’t save it from its unfocused narrative and unconvincing appearance. It’s admirable to imagine what has been attempted here but it misses the mark quite drastically, proving even more obvious with Favreau’s triumph so fresh in our memories.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 4/10

Question: What is your favourite Andy Serkis film?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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