dvd of the week
Disney’s live action remakes of its classic animated movies have all been good, and some great. Malificent was fun to look at, and featured a fantastic Angelina Jolie, but it was uneven in its retconning. Cinderella was remarkably beautiful and moving. But The Jungle Book is another thing altogether, an absolutely brilliant revision of the beloved 1967 adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s story of a boy adopted by jungle animals who goes on a journey of self-discovery with a bombastic bear. Mowgli is the boy, played in this version by the adorable, hammy Neel Sethi. Ben Kingsley is Mowgli’s panther mentor Bagheera. The voice acting is great, but Jon Favreau’s direction – of the voice and live acting, the gorgeous CGI, and the thrilling live action – is the reason the film works so well. One of 2016’s best films.
