Many of us grew up with The Jungle Book. Throughout the late ’80s, we watched Walt Disney’s 1967 animated film religiously. Everything, from Mowgli’s mannerisms, to the jovial Baloo’s songs and his role as a father figure, to the noble Bagheera’s hilarious chemistry with Baloo and his role as a guardian, to the nasty and quite evil villain Shere Khan, made a mark on our childhood. Needless to say, I went into this 2016 live-action/CGI remake by Disney with tall expectations, and I am pleased to say that they were met for the most part.

Certainly, The Jungle Book (2016) offers its moments of nostalgia. From the aesthetics of the visualisation to the soundtrack, director Jon Favreau’s film pays homage regularly to the original. So much so, that a couple of scenes even left my eyes a little moist.

The Jungle Book is a wild ride and the best popcorn film of 2016 so far

The cinematography is spectacular. Bill Pope captures a bewitching jungle with his lens, which is as haunting as it is breathtaking to behold. Adding to its majestic beauty are the excellent special effects. Yes, after watching this film, you’ll believe animals can talk, for their lips are in perfect sync with their dialog, while their mannerisms are painstakingly rendered by the artists. Every complex and subtle emotion is eerily registered on their faces, and is especially recognizable for those with furry friends at home.

Some of the most impressive-looking creatures on offer are the tiger Shere Khan, wonderfully voiced in a sinister performance by Idris Elba, the black panther Bagheera, who is lent quiet nobility by the regal tones of Ben Kingsley, and the massive Gigantopithecus ape King Louie. The latter in particular is an awesome sight to behold, and is hilariously voiced by everyone’s favourite eccentric actor, Christopher Walken.

The Jungle Book offers excellent 3D effects, designed to surprise audiences when they least expect. Like those sitting around me in the cinema, I regularly jumped in surprise when I found Shere Khan leaping towards the screen out of nowhere during the many pulsating action scenes the film had to offer.

The Jungle Book follows a familiar story. Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a man-cub left alone in the jungle after his father is killed by Shere Khan in a fight that leaves the vicious tiger visually scarred. After being rescued by Bagheera as a baby, our hero is raised by a pack of wolves, led by Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and Akela (Giancarlo Esposito). Here, he is treasuring his life amongst the animals when Shere Khan finally catches his smell. In order to protect the wolf pack, which is no match for the powerful big cat, Mowgli decides to leave with Bagheera for his village, meeting Baloo along the way.

The characterization here is sharp. As I’ve said before, Shere Khan is an absolute monster; one scene where he comes out of nowhere is unnerving to say the least. Other characters of note include Mowgli’s loving wolf mother Raksha. Slightly disappointing is Baloo, voiced by Bill Murray, who while lovable, isn’t quite as endearing as he could have been. Similarly, the film’s narrative, though good, doesn’t quite capture the magic of the original. These flaws aside, The Jungle Book is certainly a wild ride and the best popcorn film of 2016 so far.

Rated PG for some sequences of scary action and peril

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 24th, 2016