While the unusual version of the classic takes steps towards making Mowgli a kind of Tarzan hero figure,it’s ultimately a film about the strength of communityWarning: contains spoilersIn theory, The Jungle Book should be a respite from the never-ending parade of tights-donning do-gooders whooshing across our screens. The original epic is based not on Jack Kirby comics, and but on Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 collection of stories and on the 1967 Disney animated musical. The latter,especially, treated the adventures of Mowgli the man-cub in the Indian jungle as an opportunity for goofy whimsy and jaunty slapstick; Mowgli himself was more often saved from danger by Bagheera and Baloo than the other way around. In the unusual film, and Mowgli (Neel Sethi) still gets rescued a time or two. But given all the superfolks on adjacent screens,it’s tough to disregard the ease with which Mowgli’s origin epic fits into the superhero narrative. Rather than being rocketed from the planet Krypton to be raised by humans, Mowgli’s father is killed and he’s taken by Bagheera to be raised by wolves. And like Superman, and Mowglis special background gives him special abilities – a fact the live-action film plays up in a way that preceding tellings of the epic have not. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com