Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle review – A masterful reimagining

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle brings to mind that quote from that famous bestselling book: “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.”

That’s because the movie, currently streaming on Netflix, is a masterful and mature reimagining of the classic Jungle Book tale and will amaze adult and young viewers alike.

Directed by Andy Serkis (who also plays Baloo the bear) and boasting a notable cast such as Cate Blanchet (Kaa), Christian Bale (Bagheera), Naomi Harris (Raksha) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sheer Khan) – the movie uses the latest cutting-edge live action animation and CGI to bring the jungle and its inhabitants to life.

Serkis is undeniably well-versed in motion-capture that he confidently pushes the limits of the technology used in the film, to the point that viewers will barely be able to differentiate between what’s real and what’s animated.

But how is this version different to the other adaptations, and could it have stood up to the Jon Favreau $1 billion box-office-grossing hit from just one and a half years ago? I certainly think so.

What sets this film apart from its predecessors is that it bravely and successfully turns Rudyard Kipling’s classic children’s tale into a coming of age story, and it does not shy away from the grim and harsh realities of what it really would have been like to be raised in the jungles of India.

While there are no singing animals like in Disney’s 1967 animations or Favreau’s 2016 version, the voice-overs, dialogue and social themes of Legend of the Jungle are just as memorable.

You will gasp, laugh, cringe and cry as you grow attached to and then have to let go of some of the key characters.

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