‘Mowgli’ takes dark turn in the jungle
Andy Serkis’ version of Kipling for Netflix takes foreboding path
“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” is a cold and bleak awakening for any “The Jungle Book” fans in the audience.
Baloo the bear doesn’t break into song. Instead he’s constantly buzzing with flies, like a week-old deli platter left out in the sun. There’s a moment late in the film that rivals the severed horse head in “The Godfather” in terms of darkness and brutality.
And yet — as long as you front-load the warnings — the long-delayed adaptation is a good one. Director Andy Serkis channels the sensitivity seen in his “Lord of the Rings” and “Planet of the Apes” motion-capture portrayals into the entire production, offering a pained and beautiful PG-13 look at a well-traveled story.
“Mowgli” was developed by Warner Bros. for Netflix and is based directly on the Rudyard Kipling “All the Mowgli Stories” collection. The only connection to the Disney adaptations of Kipling’s work was the decision to delay Serkis’ movie for two years to create some distance from Jon Favreau’s superb 2016 “The Jungle Book” live-action remake.
(“Mowgli” gets a theatrical release on Thursday, Nov. 29, followed by a digital Netflix release on Dec. 7.)
There’s definitely room in the world for both versions, which differ drastically in tone. If “The Jungle Book” is like taking a trip to Disneyland, then “Mowgli” is a hike straight into unknown
woods with nothing but some duct tape and a Bowie knife.
Serkis sets the tone early, introducing young Mowgli (Rohan Chand) as a baby covered in his mother’s blood, a fact made clear by mother-eating tiger Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). A pack of wolves, panther and bear offer protection to the man-cub. But the weakening of the pack, and fear of encroaching enemies, tempt Mowgli’s protectors to throw him to the tiger or (arguably worse) to the nearby village of men.
There are no Sherman brothers songs, rousing speeches to stand up to evil, or stress-free romps through the jungle of any sort. Serkis portrays Mowgli as a modern-day immigrant — constantly reminded of his differences and always one regime change from life-changing disaster.
But Serkis does make a strong case for self-sufficiency and the importance of a good teacher. He collects some of the best living A-list voice actors, including Christian Bale as Bagheera the panther and his “Lord of the Rings” buddy Cate Blanchett as Kaa the python.
Cumberbatch is particularly good, making up for his nasal voice-acting misfire in the “Grinch” movie still in theaters. As he growls lines like “The man-cub’s blood will run down my chin,” the other evil Khan that Cumberbatch played, from “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” looks like a social worker by comparison. Although the quality of visual effects doesn’t come close to Favreau’s soaring and groundbreaking “The Jungle Book,” the Serkis version offers compelling character design and sound design. Shere Khan drags a wounded paw, his sharp claws clicking on the rocks to announce his arrival. An Indian elephant is covered with so much lichens and moss, it’s hard to tell where the jungle ends and the beast begins.
Visually, Serkis frames his shots from low on the ground even more than the air, adding to the sense of vulnerability. In a particularly memorable scene, Mowgli holds his breath underwater, watching as Shere Khan laps his bloody tongue in the surface of the creek above him. In this movie, the circle of life always seems about to end.
But there are moments of grace throughout. And after testing the audience, Serkis allows his heroes some reward for their self-sufficiency. “Mowgli” confirms that hard work and cunning, not good songwriting skills, are the best assets for survival in an increasingly cruel world.