Gradebook: The Jungle Book
The Gradebook is the ratings of newly released films by the contributors and fans of We Live Film and We Live Entertainment. If you are interested in participating, join the We Live Film Fan Chat Page on Facebook and look for the weekly posts of new releases.
Bryan Sudfield: The Jungle Book: 9.5/10
When you have a director like Jon Favreau helming, you can tell the amount of passion he put into this incredible adaptation of the classic Disney animation. The voice acting and Neel Sethi’s performance as Mowgli are spot on. The visuals are like looking an incredible painting. This is a movie made by a true fan for everyone all ages. Go see it, check it out in IMAX 3D if possible.
Daniel Rester: The Jungle Book: 8.2/10
Jon Favreau’s update of The Jungle Book is a vibrant and entertaining feature for the whole family. The CGI designs are beautiful and are some of the most remarkable since Life of Pi. Neel Sethi is a real find as Mowgli, and the entire vocal cast of the animals is spot-on (with standout work from Idris Elba as Shere Khan). The pacing is a tad slow at the start and the ending didn’t have as much emotional heft as it should have, but the film overall is solid and sometimes excellent throughout. With Zootopia and now this, Disney is off to a wonderful start for 2016.
Austin Putnam: The Jungle Book: 9.5/10
This was my most anticipated film of 2016 and I gotta say…it lived up to the hype for me. The CGI is the best I’ve seen since Gravity came out in 2013. The acting from everyone is excellent. The soundtrack is amazing. Jon Favreau brings even more magic to this film that the original animation didn’t have. All in all the 2016 version of The Jungle Book is the definition of a cinematic magical adventure.
A magical and fresh live-action telling of the 1967 animated film that stays true to its source material but adds a little more to the story at the same time. Jon Favreau brings movie magic by creating a world that is entirely CGI yet it feels like you are in the jungle and the details on the animals are just so colorful and breathtaking. Voice performances from Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Scarlet Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Christopher Walken are absolutely great in their roles. Neel Sethi was the right choice to play Mowgli because he not only captures of the personality of the character so well but he also looks like how Mowgli should look in live-action form. The Jungle Book is a solid Disney live-action film that understands and respects its source material but also adds a little more to the story bringing characters with a lot of personality as well as using visual effects to really make this world so immersive and I truly applaud Jon Favreau for bringing something special to give that cinematic experience.
Ashley Menzel: The Jungle Book: 9/10
The film is a visual marvel. From the opening scene to the end, you are in a trance watching this film. The images are crisp, beautiful and engaging. The story is the same as the original by Kipling, but the superb visuals in this film catapult it to one of the best film remakes ever. The voices are incredible and newcomer Neel Sethi is great, especially considering he is the only REAL element in this entire film. I definitely recommend this film for families, but beware there are a few scary and frightening scenes with fire that may be much for children until 6 or so.
Average We Live Film Gradebook Score for The Jungle Book: 8.5/10
*Keep checking back as more We Live Film fans see and review this film, we will be updating.
