The Jungle Book, film review: Adult cinema-goers will be thrilled

The jungle's got some new VIPs, says Charlotte O'Sullivan

It’s been described as a “Heart of Darkness for kids”. Which is only a bit of a stretch. Disney’s live-action/CGI reboot of their own, Kipling-inspired animated classic sees orphan hero Mowgli (Neel Sethi) menaced by a series of carnivorous CGI animals — namely a tiger, orangutan and snake. And, thanks to computer wizardry, the threat of extermination feels realer than real.

I once took my daughter to a movie that was so terrifying it made her vomit. The group of 11-year-olds I took to this screening leapt around as if attached to electrodes but emerged just the right side of hysterical. “The tiger was mental!” said one, reverently. Another wanted to know if pythons can really swallow children whole and, on hearing the answer, gulped. The most nervous member of the group whispered, with only a hint of reproach: “Even the monkey was scary.”

Jon Favreau’s offering won’t win over Kipling purists (it borrows Kipling’s term for fire, “red flower”, but not much else). Adult cinema-goers, however, will be thrilled, partly because of the visuals, partly because of the spry script, but mostly thanks to the vocal cast: Idris Elba as Shere Khan; Christopher Walken as King Louis; Scarlett Johansson as a female Kaa. Every word delivered by these knowing actors sounds fecund. The villains shoot out tendrils of humour that all but curl round your limbs and tug you closer to the screen.

The same goes for the good guys. Bill Murray, as energy-efficient bear, Baloo, is cute enough to kiss. Talking of which, is it healthy or creepy that a decade and a half into the 21st century we’re still encouraged to adore tactile bachelors with a penchant for the young — Winnie the Pooh; Monsters Inc’s Sulley; Big Hero 6’s Baymax.

These big-bellied guys all indulge in what you might call emotional eating. One day postgraduate essays will be written on the semiotics of the sublimated sexual appetite. For now, though, you’ll just want to follow the bear.

True, by recycling two superlative tunes from the cartoon (Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You), the film-makers could be accused of a lack of ambition. That puts The Jungle Book in a different category to Disney’s most recent hit, the rigorous, provocative Zootropolis.

This new Jungle Book, upon closer inspection, may not have what it takes to survive. Still, right now, it looks wonderfully fit.

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