Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle (NETFLIX ORIGINAL)

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not seen this yet you may want to watch before reading as there are some spoilers below. If you don’t care and think it might make you want to watch anyway, read ahead! Either way the movie is very visually pleasing and is well worth the watch!

There are so many instances when movies are remade and re-envisioned to tell their stories in contemporary ways, but sometime they’re remade to improve their previous version. When I first saw that Netflix was releasing “Mowgli” I was unsure what the angel was. The live action version of “The Jungle Book” released in 2016 by Walt Disney Pictures was absolutely amazing. From the story line to the CGI, everything was on point and kept watchers on their seats, so it seemed strange to have a new version of The Jungle Book be told so soon after that.

Netflix breaks the rules for film making in my opinion. It takes chances and makes statements with it’s productions, staying in it’s own self established lane with it’s creative freedom and influence. Mowgli is an amazing example of how Netflix takes a new and improved approached to storytelling. Netflix took this well known tale, transformed it into something I couldn’t have imagined, and showed us parts of the story that we don’t normally get to see. The relationships and connections created and developed in this particular film fed my curiosities for breaking the mold and giving more of who I am and not just what is expected of me.

There were 4 major milestones that made this movie special to me. 1. Mowgli’s encounter with the elephant that saved him which foreshadows his journey to come, 2. When Mowgli is kidnapped by the monkeys his destination is not what everyone expects it to be, 3. Ka’s visibility, interjection, and prophecy, and 4. Mowgli’s time in the man village due to his separation from the wolf pack.

These 4 note worthy milestones in the movie carry it’s watchers through the plot to the explosive ending. The encounter with the elephant caught my eye because of the detail placed into the image of the elephant. I loved how it looked, the texture of it’s skin, the way it moved, and how it just willingly offered a helping hand to Mowgli. Even though the scene was short, it contained so much subtext and hidden meaning that I couldn’t help but pay attention to it., which made more sense the further I got into the movie.

One of my FAVORITE scenes in the 2016 Jungle Book release was the encounter with King Louie our favorite gigantopithecus. The scene had a surprising change in the Netflix adaption that actually distinguished Mowgli’s importance to the Jungle and distinguished this version from Disney’s in 2016. Of course I missed King Louie and his devious yet musical entertainment, but this replacement played a huge part in building the climax of the film and the getting us excited for the ending.

I’m often told I have a gift for figuring out how movies will end, but I think following the clues to the end will place things in perspective for you. When you get to the end of the movie, if you’re like me, you’ll have the aha moments and the “I knew that would be important” moments. If you’re not like me you’ll enjoy the mystery as it unfolds while watching Mowgli discover himself and who he is.

Overall Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is a fun watch. If you love watching old stories be retold or if you’re a lover of film like me, it’s a great watch and something that will keep your interest because you want to know what’s going to happen. It honestly made me think of Life of Pi and got me even more excited for the upcoming Dumbo Movie as well as the Live Action of Lion King which I must point out comes out two days after my birthday! Mowgli was a great time well spent and I would definitely watch it again, I loved the execution, script, and acting; definitely a strong contender against it’s 2016 predecessor.

If you’ve seen this movie, what did you think? If you haven’t seen it, are you interested yet? Leave a comment and let’s have a convo about what you liked and disliked about the film.

Release Date: November 29, 2018 (Limited Theatrical release) December 7, 2018 (Streaming Release Date)
Where I watched: Netflix