Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book Collection

Family

Adventure

Drama

The Jungle Book

Walt Disney Pictures

United States of America

English

Jason Scott Lee

Cary Elwes

Lena Headey

Sam Neill

John Cleese

Jason Flemyng

Stefan Kalipha

Ron Donachie

Anirudh Agarwal

Faran Tahir

Sean Naegeli

Joanna Wolff

Liza Walker

Rachel Robertson

Natalie Morse

Gerry Crampton

Amrik Gill

Rick Glassey

Tai the Elephant

David Vincent Bobb

Ed Gale

Crispian Sallis

Stephen Sommers

Rudyard Kipling

Ronald Yanover

Mark Geldman

Mark Damon

Edward S. Feldman

Lawrence Mortorff

Raju Patel

Sharad Patel

Basil Poledouris

Juan Ruiz Anchía

Bob Ducsay

Michael Runyard

Kim B. Christensen

Patricia M. Peters

Allan Cameron

John Mollo

Celestia Fox

Annie Ellis

David R. Ellis

Troy Robinson

Freddie Hice

Doc Antle

Dick Ziker

Adam Somner

Very good.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this 1994 version of <em>'The Jungle Book'</em>, though I'm pleased to say it exceeded my expectations. It's a very different telling of Rudyard Kipling's work from what I've previously seen, which actually gives it a fresher feel. If we're comparing film adaptations, the 2016 remake is the better film.

I still thoroughly enjoyed this one though. I liked the switch-up of events, while the death scenes are excellent. Cast-wise it's strong, with Jason Scott Lee (Mowgli), Cary Elwes (William), Lena Headey (Katherine), Sam Neill (Geoffrey) and John Cleese (Julius) all appearing. Lee and Elwes are the standouts, but I rate all five of them.

The score is mostly alright, but some moments of it are superb; one part in particular reminded me, somewhat randomly, of television's <em>'The Crown'</em>. There are a few things that I can understand being deemed as downsides, those include the silent animals (voices wouldn't have worked here, imo) and obvious nature of the plot.

Pleasant film, one of the best adaptations of TJB that I've seen.

_**Mowgli Jones of the Jungle**_

From 1887 to the turn of the century a boy is raised by wolves in the jungles of India where Shere Khan the tiger dwells and threatens. With assistance from Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther, Mowgli (Jason Scott Lee) learns the "Law of the Jungle” before going back to civilization and learning the strange ways and corruptions of humanity, as well as love. Sam Neill, Lena Headey, Cary Elwes and John Cleese are on hand.

"The Jungle Book" (1994) mixes the sweet innocence of Rudyard Kipling's fables with “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan” (1984) and Indiana Jones. Don’t expect talking animals as this is a relatively realistic adventure with some cute animal reactions, but not overdone. While I prefer “Greystoke” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” it’s at least on par with “Temple of Doom” and “The Last Crusade.” It needed more human interest to keep the attention of adults, but has enough I reckon.

Some people have complained that Jason Scott Lee was miscast, but it’s assumed Mowgli’s mother (whom we never see and died when he was born) was of Asian descent. Keep in mind that, geographically, Southeast Asia is right around the corner from the Indian subcontinent, not to mention Nepal/China to the north, and so mixed marriages weren’t exactly unheard of. Meanwhile Lee himself is a mix of Polynesian & Chinese blood. For the movie, making Mowgli part-Asian made him an outsider to both the British and the Indians, which works for me.

The beautiful Lena Headey does well in her role while Elwes is effective as the odious Brit snob. Lee, of course, kicks total axx while the live-action animals and spectacular locations are worth the price of admission. 

The film runs 1 hour, 51 minutes, and was shot in Jodhpur in northwestern India (scenes featuring monkeys and elephants), as well as Bombay (Mowgli's urban interaction scenes), Tennessee (Fall Creek Falls & Ozone Falls) and South Carolina (Fripp Island & nearby Beaufort).

GRADE: B/B-

Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book 1994 Trailer

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The Jungle Book

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Cast

Jason Scott Lee

Cary Elwes

Lena Headey

Sam Neill

John Cleese

Jason Flemyng

Stefan Kalipha

Ron Donachie

Anirudh Agarwal

Faran Tahir

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