Where to watch The Jungle Book
2 Stars
An adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tale of Mowgli the jungle boy who is raised by wild animals after being lost when a tiger attacked an encampment and killed his father. Years later he finds himself re-united with his childhood love Kitty and back in the “civilization” of Colonial India which he finds far less civilized then his jungle haunts. The search for a lost treasure shows who the truly civilized members of society are.
If you look with keen eyes, you can see the imprint of the future blockbuster The Mummy in director Stephen Sommers’ The Jungle Book, a film with only the vaguest resemblance to the Kipling story or Disney cartoon. This live-action feature is concerned with adventures and treasures (in the vein of Tarzan and Indiana Jones). The familiar ingredients that would later propel The Mummy series to global recognition are attempted here, but nothing gels cohesively. Perhaps that is because the movie seems to be in a constant battle of varying tone and identity. Is this a family movie for kids? or a rip-snorting adventure for teens and adults? The Jungle Book is a movie that wants to appeal to all audiences but ends up being a mixed bag, with some delights but more often dullness.
The Jungle Book stars the incomparable Jason Scott Lee. Here is an actor who delivers every time on screen. Yet, his low number of films made is truly baffling. With gymnast’s grace, Lee handles the action sequences, and his delicate facial features punctuate the inner desire for Kitty and the wild man’s apprehension for civilized society’s rituals. At 111 minutes, the movie runs on for too long, at which point director Sommers would battle for the rest of his career. Young children are sure to be fascinated by the first act, but the second act will be too slow and mature for them, while the last act is too violent for a PG rating. The Jungle Book is interesting to view as a precursor to The Mummy; it’s a cinematic experiment that doesn’t fully succeed, but as a portrait of a blockbuster helmer growing, it has a certain curio value.
Directed by: Stephen Sommers
Written by: Rudyard Kipling, Ron Yanover, Mark Geldman
Starring: Jason Scott Lee, Cary Elwes, Lena Headey