Review: The Jungle Book IMAX 3D, or 5 Reasons to Watch The Jungle Book On the Big Screen

Comic Book Resources

You can almost see Bill Murray in that bear's face.

As I've said countless times before, reboots and remakes are the bane of Hollywood. And Disney seems to be on the warpath, hell-bent on remaking all their classic animated flicks into live-action adaptations for a younger audience.

True, they've done well with Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty. But how will they fare with a story involving talking animals and a single lone human character? Pretty well, it seems, according to box office returns. And here are five reasons you shouldn't miss The Jungle Book.

5. The closing credits
The animation in the closing credits is a joy to behold, first because of the lovely animation (a small-scale version of how awesome the animation in this entire movie is), and second because of its surrealism. A miniature gigantopithecus and humongous mice? And artwork from the original Rudyard Kipling novel? More, please.

4. Groundbreaking filmmaking
As mentioned in the end credits, "This film was shot in downtown Los Angeles". Wait, a fully-realised photo-realistic jungle in LA? How? CGI, of course–the groundbreaking, trailblazing, game-changing kind. Director Jon Favreau has scored a jackpot with this technology coming into fruition at just the right time for this movie. I don't think the photorealism – especially with animal hairs – would have cut it even just a couple of years ago.

3. Newcomer Neel Sethi
Of course, we all have to give props to Neel Sethi, being the lone human in this sea of animals. It's no easy feat acting in front of stand-ins, and he actually did quite well for a first acting gig. Let's just hope he doesn't get disillusioned about the craft of acting, and that he actually does well in the company of real flesh-and-blood actors.

2. Great voice cast
Idris Elba as Shere Khan: Yes, please. Bill Murray as Baloo: Can't think of anyone better. Ben Kingsley as Bagheera: As expected. Lupita Nyong'o as Raksha: Brilliant, like she was in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Christopher Walken as King Louie: Annoying at first, but you'd get used to it. Scarlett Johanssen as Kaa: What a waste.

Disney.ph

Stringer Bell as Tigger Bell.

1. It's shot in 3D
Very few films today opt to shoot in native 3D. Primarily because a full stereoscopic 3D rig is bulkier (with two cameras involved in every shot), and secondarily because it's cheaper to convert 2D into 3D, and no one notices, anyway (except sharp-eyed cinephiles such as myself). So if you'd like to treat yourself to a visual spectacle of the most realistic stereo you'll ever see on screen in a while (I don't know what the next shot-in-3D flick will be), don't hesitate to pay the extra bucks for the 3D.



The Jungle Book. USA. 2016.



Rating: 8.1 / 10