A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush
A human child raised by a pack of Indian wolves is on his path to fight for his place in the jungle and throughout his journey he learns the harsh reality of his origins.
Based on the 1984 story collections titled The Jungle Bookby an English author Rudyard Kupling, Mowgli is a fantasy film that follows a young boy named Mowgli (Rohan Chand) who was adopted and raised by a pack of wolves after his parents were slaughtered by a ferocious Bengal tiger, Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch). He was mentored by a bear, Baloo (Andy Serkis) and a black panther named Bagheera (Christian Bale) to hone his prey-hunting skills and learn his ways inside the jungle. Later on, he met the legendary snake Kaa (Cate Blanchett) who gives him a peek of the past and the future and in there he learns the harsh truth about his origins and the dangers continuously lurking in the jungle.
The film is filled with vibrant tones exuding a very much alive forest environments. The motion capture lead by Andy Serkis is wonderful, giving both charming and adamantly intimidating performances for the animal characters. The voice acting, especially from Cate Blanchett as Kaa, were more believable than that of Scarlett Johansson's interpration from Disney's The Jungle Book. Rohan Chand did a great job as Mowgli as he is effective at showing both naivity and strength of the character. The story took a dark turn which is to me, the highlight of the film as it allows me to see the inner thoughts and the growth of the character.
The Bad
For a movie that was a close counterpart to its Disney brethren, the movie is quite lacking at big superfluous scenes in my opinion. And being a mature interpretation, it also felt short on the joyous adventures of the character, focusing more on his adversities and the impending threats of his jungle life.
Should You Watch It?
A movie that took inspiration from a collection of stories for children and transformed it into a brutal and mature year-end flick. It is a beautiful film with emotions and realizations much closer as to how a person would perceive while reading a book.
Mowgli, while short on some aspects, is one of the best Netflix films from 2018.
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