Adaptation misses the mark
MOWGLI: LEGEND OF THE JUNGLE
Classification: 13 PG
Director: Andy Serkis Cast: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Andy Serkis and Rohan Chand
Rating: ★★
ANDY Serkis’s adaptation of All the
Mowgli Stories aims for a dark tone but falls in an awkward middle ground. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
follows a child who is raised by wolves and struggles with his duality as a human and a member of the pack.
The king of performance capture, Andy Serkis, flexes his directorial skills, and while the film is visually appealing, the tonal confusion and slow pacing doesn’t offer much.
The story is well known thanks to the Disney adaptation, and with this film Serkis aims to have a more Mowgli-focused angle.
However, the film never finds a good rhythm and feels like it goes on forever.
The motion-capture performances are stellar, with a cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Serkis. And Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Shere Khan is terrifyingly amazing. However, since the film rests on the shoulders of Mowgli, played by Rohan Chand, it suffers greatly from his limited acting skills.
Child actors in general range from okay to cringeworthy.
Chand falls on the cringeworthy side and is really wooden and misses small nuances that Neel Sethi had in The Jungle Book. Chand seems lost most of the time and lacks the charisma to carry a film.
The script doesn’t help either. Mowgli is unaware for the first third of the film that he is different from the other wolves, which is strange since he can clearly see a difference in his reflection in the water.
The animals are also far better written and more complex.
The visual effects are stunning, especially the chase scenes with Mowgli.
Overall, Mowgli: Legend of the
Jungle lacks tonal consistency, which makes it too dark for kids and not dark enough for adults.
Falling into this weird middle ground makes it unclear as to whom this film was made for.
■ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is
streaming on Netflix