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Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle

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Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
Promotional poster
Directed byAndy Serkis
Screenplay byCallie Kloves
Based onAll the Mowgli Stories
by Rudyard Kipling
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichael Seresin
Edited by
Music byNitin Sawhney
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • 25 November 2018 (2018-11-25) (Mumbai)
  • 29 November 2018 (2018-11-29) (United Kingdom and United States)
Running time
104 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (also known and stylized on screen simply as Mowgli) is a 2018 adventure drama film directed by Andy Serkis with a screenplay by Callie Kloves, based on stories collected in All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling. The film stars Rohan Chand, Matthew Rhys, and Freida Pinto, along with voice and motion-capture performances from Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, and Serkis. In the film, an orphaned human boy who was raised by wolves, sets out on a journey to find a human village while evading Shere Khan.

Talks of a new Jungle Book film from Warner Bros. Pictures began in 2012 and various directors, including Steve Kloves, Ron Howard, and Alejandro González Iñárritu, were approached before Serkis was confirmed in March 2014. Much of the cast signed on that August and principal photography began in March 2015. Filming took place in South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England.

Originally scheduled to be released in October 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film was delayed numerous times to work on the visual effects and to create space between itself and the April 2016 release of Walt Disney Pictures's live-action adaptation of The Jungle Book. In July 2018, Warner Bros. Pictures sold the rights for the film to Netflix. The film was released in select theaters on 29 November, followed by its subsequent digital Netflix release on 7 December of the same year. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast, visual effects, and Serkis's direction, but many compared it unfavorably to the Disney film and criticized the uneven tone, calling it a "messy—if ambitious—misfire".[2]

Plot

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In the jungles of India, the gigantic Indian python seer Kaa watches as Shere Khan, a sadistic Bengal tiger, breaks "jungle law" by killing a family of humans. The panther Bagheera finds a surviving infant boy and takes him to Nisha and Vihaan's family of Indian wolves, but the child is spotted by Tabaqui, Shere Khan's hyena lackey.

The "man-cub" is brought before the wolf council, where Bagheera strong-arms Baloo, a Himalayan brown bear, into serving as his fellow guardian. Shere Khan arrives to kill the child, but Akela, leader of the wolves, declares that the boy is under the pack's protection. Shere Khan warns that when Akela misses his prey, he will return to kill the boy.

The child, now known as Mowgli, is adopted by Nisha and raised with the wolves. Years pass, and Mowgli encounters Shere Khan, who has antagonized the nearby "man-village" by killing their cattle. Mowgli falls into a tiger trap set by the villagers, but is saved by Hathi, an Indian elephant missing half a tusk.

Bagheera reveals to Mowgli that he is human, but Mowgli is determined to complete "the Running" – the trial to earn full membership in the pack. Bagheera urges Mowgli to leave the jungle for the village, where he will be safe from Shere Khan; watching the village from afar, Mowgli learns of the existence of fire.

During the Running, as Bagheera chases the young wolves to prove their skill, Mowgli uses his ability to climb and run upright to gain the lead. Desperate to keep him safe, Bagheera unfairly foils Mowgli and is confronted by an infuriated Baloo. Mowgli is kidnapped by the Bandar-log tribe of monkeys and brought to Shere Khan, but Baloo and Bagheera arrive to save him. They are overwhelmed by the monkeys, and Mowgli is rescued by Kaa. Having failed the Running, an angry Mowgli rejects the friendship of Bhoot, the albino runt of the wolf cubs, and visits Kaa, who believes he can restore harmony to the jungle.

While hunting, the aging Akela fails to bring down his prey, leading Shere Khan to remind the pack they must now challenge him for the role of leader. As the wolves fight, Mowgli steals a burning branch from the village and repels Shere Khan and the challengers, but shames Akela and is exiled from the pack. A feral Mowgli is captured by the villagers and John Lockwood, a British hunter. Bagheera tells Mowgli that he must stay with the villagers and gain their trust, as he once did to escape captivity himself.

Mowgli comes to enjoy life in the village, cared for by the kindly Messua and learning hunting skills from Lockwood, who is tracking Shere Khan. Mowgli's wolf-sibling Gray Brother informs him that the tiger has driven away the wolves loyal to Akela and continues to kill cattle, endangering all the jungle's animals, but Mowgli refuses to help.

While the villagers celebrate Holi, Mowgli learns that it was Lockwood who shot off Hathi's tusk and discovers his hunting trophies, including the head of Bhoot. Returning the tusk to Hathi, Mowgli offers him the hunter in exchange for ridding the jungle of Shere Khan.

Mowgli meets with Baloo, Bagheera, and the wolf pack, who refuse to go against jungle law to help him defeat Shere Khan. Undeterred, he lures Shere Khan to the edge of the village, where the tiger is surrounded by Hathi's elephant herd. Lockwood shoots at Shere Khan but wounds Mowgli instead, and Akela sacrifices himself to save the boy, while Lockwood is killed by Hathi.

The other animals come to Mowgli's aid, forcing Shere Khan to retreat, and the dying Akela names Mowgli as his successor. With Messua and the village watching, Mowgli returns to the jungle and slays the mortally wounded Shere Khan. Kaa explains that with Shere Khan and Lockwood gone, Mowgli has given the animals a voice and brought peace to the jungle.

Cast

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Main article: List of The Jungle Book characters

Voice and motion-capture

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Production

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A number of writers, directors, and producers were connected with the film during its development. By April 2012, Warner Bros. Pictures was developing the film with Steve Kloves in talks to write, direct, and produce it.[3] By December 2013 Kloves was attached to produce and Alejandro González Iñárritu was in talks to direct, from a screenplay by Kloves's daughter Callie.[4] Iñárritu left the project in the following month due to scheduling conflicts with Birdman and The Revenant.[5][6] By February 2014, Ron Howard was in talks to direct, with Brian Grazer as producer through their Imagine Entertainment company.[6] The next month Andy Serkis was hired to direct and produce the film with collaborator Jonathan Cavendish of The Imaginarium, and Serkis was also cast in the role of Baloo.[7] Production designer Gary Freeman, editor Mark Sanger, and costume designer Alexandra Byrne were hired.[8]

In August 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch joined the film to voice the villain role of Shere Khan.[9] Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Naomie Harris, Tom Hollander, Eddie Marsan, Peter Mullan, and Rohan Chand were announced during that month.[10] Jack Reynor was added to the cast in March 2015 as Mowgli's Brother Wolf,[8] followed by Matthew Rhys in the role of John Lockwood in April.[11] Freida Pinto was cast as Mowgli's adoptive mother.[12][13]

Principal photography began on 9 March 2015.[8] It was filmed in Durban, South Africa and at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England.[14]

Music

[edit]
Main article: Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (soundtrack)

Release

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The film, originally titled Jungle Book: Origins, was initially set for an October 2016 release by Warner Bros.[1] Warner Bros. later shifted the date to October 2017, allowing more time for further work on the visual effects.[15] In April 2016, just before the wide release of Disney's The Jungle Book, the film's release date was moved to 19 October 2018.[16] The working title of the film was Mowgli: Tales from the Jungle Book,[17] which was later changed to Mowgli.[18] Serkis stated that the film is "darker" and more "serious" in tone than previous Jungle Book adaptations, thus closer to that of Kipling's original works.[19][20] The first trailer and a behind-the-scenes featurette premiered on 21 May 2018.[21][22]

By July 2018, Netflix purchased the worldwide distribution rights of the film from Warner Bros., who originally set the film for a 2019 release date, including a theatrical 3D release.[23] At the time of the announcement, Deadline Hollywood described the film as "over-baked and over-budget" and said it allowed Warner Bros. to avoid "Pan-like box office bomb headlines" and saved them millions of dollars for not needing to promote the film.[24] Speaking of the move, Serkis commented:

"I'm really excited about Netflix for Mowgli. Now, we avoid comparisons to the other movie and it's a relief not to have the pressure. I've seen the 3D version, and it's exceptional, a different view from the 2D version, really lush and with great depth, and there will be some kind of theatrical component for that. What excites me most is the forward thinking at Netflix in how to present this, and the message of the movie. They understand this is a darker telling that doesn't fit it into a four quadrant slot. It's really not meant for young kids, though I think it's possible that 10 or above can watch it. It was always meant to be PG-13, and this allows us to go deeper, with darker themes, to be scary and frightening in moments. The violence between animals is not gratuitous, but it's definitely there. This way of going allows us to get the film out without compromise".[23]

The title was changed to Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, and the film had limited theatrical release on 29 November 2018, followed by its subsequent streaming release on 7 December.[25] The film had its world premiere in Mumbai on 25 November of the same year, the first time a Hollywood film premiered in India.[26]

Reception

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On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle brings impressive special effects to bear on the darker side of its classic source material, but loses track of the story's heart along the way".[27] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28]

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "C+" and wrote: "Too dark for kids, too tame for adults. Stunning effects, occasionally wretched motion-capture. The technology may be there, but that doesn't mean it's been utilized to its full, feeling powers. It's a coming-of-age story unable to push forward in all the ways that really matter".[29] Similarly, The Atlantic's reviewer David Sims claimed the film suffers from weak visual effects and bland story.[30]

Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com awarded Mowgli two stars, criticizing the film's motion capture effects and comparing the film unfavorably to Favreau's The Jungle Book.[31] Olly Richards of Empire gave the film 2/5 stars, writing that "for all his ambition, Serkis can't find the right tone for Mowgli and it becomes a very confused beast, neither fun enough for all ages to enjoy nor complex enough to be the visceral, grown-up thriller he nudges at".[32] The Observer's reviewer Wendy Ide awarded the film 3/5 stars, praising the film's visual and technical effects but opining that there was too much trauma and animal violence to attract family audiences.[33]

David Fear of Rolling Stone gave the film 3/5 stars, describing Mowgli as "a harsher, darker, more CGI-heavy look at 'The Jungle Book'". While criticizing the film's CGI effects, Fear praised Christian Bale, Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Cate Blanchett for their voicework as Bagheera, Baloo, Shere Khan, and Kaa.[34] Michael Sullivan of The Washington Post awarded the film 4/5 stars, praising Andy Serkis for combining motion capture animation with live action footage while cautioning parents not to watch it with their kids due to its adult themes and violence.[35] Additionally, Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times praised Mowgli for incorporating the darker and more mature elements of Kipling's The Jungle Book, also favorably comparing the film to Disney's two family friendly Jungle Book iterations and describing Mowgli as "the movie equivalent of a whiskey chaser after a sugary shake".[36]

Rohan Naahar of the Hindustan Times awarded Mowgli 4/5 stars, praising Serkis for delivering "a nuanced, visually dazzling update of the Jungle Book for Netflix". While praising the film for its technical effects and mature themes, Naahar expressed disappointment with the under-representation of Indians in the main cast apart from Freida Pinto.[37] Collider's Matt Goldberg described the film as a "blood-soak" version of the Jungle Book, and criticized the film's level of violence and unsatisfactory CGI effects, giving the film a D rating.[38]

References

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  1. ^ a b McNary, Dave (1 August 2014). "Andy Serkis' 'Jungle Book: Origins' Set for October 2016, A Year After Disney's 'Jungle Book'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  2. ^ Fujitani, Ryan (29 November 2018). "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle Is Ambitious but Uneven". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  3. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (27 April 2012). "Steve Kloves To Write-Direct 'The Jungle Book' For Warner Bros". Deadline. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  4. ^ Sneider, Jeff (4 December 2013). "Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu to Direct 'Jungle Book' Movie for Warner Bros". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (9 January 2014). "No 'Jungle Book' For Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu At Warner Bros". Deadline. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  6. ^ a b Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (14 February 2014). "Ron Howard in Talks to Direct Warner Bros.' 'The Jungle Book'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  7. ^ McNary, Dave (20 March 2014). "Andy Serkis to Direct 'Jungle Book' for Warner Bros.Dave McNary". Variety. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  8. ^ a b c Lesnick, Silas (9 March 2015). "Production Officially Begins on Warner Bros.' The Jungle Book". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  9. ^ Kit, Borys (19 August 2014). "Benedict Cumberbatch Joins 'Jungle Book' for Warner Bros". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (20 August 2014). "Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett Join 'Jungle Book: Origins'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  11. ^ Jaafar, Ali (1 April 2015). "Matthew Rhys In Talks To Join 'Jungle Book: Origins' For Warner Bros". Deadline. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  12. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (8 May 2015). "Freida Pinto Swings Into Andy Serkis' 'Jungle Book: Origins' At Warner Bros". Deadline. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  13. ^ Murphy, Desiree (3 March 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Freida Pinto Reveals the Role She's Playing in 'Jungle Book: Origins'". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  14. ^ "Andy Serkis' Jungle Book Gets A PG-13 Rating For Bloody Images". CulturedVultures.com. 23 February 2018. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  15. ^ Kit, Borys (11 December 2014). "Warner Bros. Pushes Release Date of 'Jungle Book: Origins'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  16. ^ Ford, Rebecca (6 April 2016). "Warner Bros. Pushes 'Jungle Book' to 2018, 'Wonder Woman' Gets New Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  17. ^ Houghton, Rianne (20 October 2017). "Andy Serkis reveals the working title of his Jungle Book movie". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  18. ^ Stauffer, Derek (19 December 2017). "Andy Serkis' Jungle Book Retitled Mowgli; Official Synopsis Released". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  19. ^ "Mowgli, Robin Hood Rated PG-13 by MPAA". Comingsoon.net. 22 February 2018. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  20. ^ "First Trailer For Andy Serkis' Mowgli Is Coming 'Very Soon'". Screenrant.com. 3 March 2018. Archived from the original on 10 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  21. ^ "Mowgli trailer: first look at Andy Serkis's dark Jungle Book film". The Daily Telegraph. 21 May 2018. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  22. ^ Pedersen, Erik (21 May 2018). "'Mowgli' Trailer: Andy Serkis' Dark 'Jungle Book' Tale With Big-Name Cast". Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  23. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (27 July 2018). "Netflix Acquires Andy Serkis-Directed 'Mowgli' From Warner Bros & Plans 2019 Global Streaming Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  24. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (29 July 2018). "'Mission' Accomplished: 'Fallout' $61M+ Opening Reps Record For Tom Cruise Franchise – Sunday". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  25. ^ Sinha-Roy, Piya (8 November 2018). "Watch Netflix's new trailer for Andy Serkis' dark twist on The Jungle Book tale, Mowgli". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  26. ^ Nyay Bhushan (26 November 2018). "Netflix Picks India for World Premiere of 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  27. ^ "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  29. ^ Erbland, Kate (28 November 2018). "Mowgli' Review: Andy Serkis' Impressive Effects Can't Mask Unappealing Remake". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  30. ^ Sims, David (29 November 2018). "It's No Wonder Netflix's Mowgli Took Forever to Be Released". The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  31. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller. "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  32. ^ Richards, Olly (29 November 2018). "Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle Review". Empire Online. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  33. ^ Ide, Wendy (30 November 2018). "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle review – a stunningly strange beast". The Observer. Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  34. ^ Fear, David (3 December 2018). "'Mowgli' Review: Welcome to the Jungle (Book)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  35. ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (4 December 2018). "This new 'Jungle Book' movie is just as stunning as the recent Disney one — just don't take your kids". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  36. ^ Adele, Robert (28 November 2018). "Review: Andy Serkis' 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle' is a walk on the wilder side". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  37. ^ Naahar, Rohan (7 December 2018). "Mowgli Legend of the Jungle movie review: Christian Bale brings Dark Knight darkness to Netflix's dazzling Jungle Book". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  38. ^ Goldberg, Matt (6 December 2018). "'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle' Review: A Blood-Soaked Version of 'The Jungle Book'". Collider. Archived from the original on 12 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
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