Irrelevant But Awesome

Alexa:  I’ve never been a fan of The Jungle Book in general – not even the beloved animated version – so kudos to John Favreau for crafting an adaptation that melted even my Jungle Book-hating heart. I could wax poetic for thousands of words about the animals alone. They were created entirely using CGI and motion capture technology, and the resulting creatures are both hyper-realistic and fantastical. They seamlessly integrate with the gorgeously rendered environments, yet the fact that they talk doesn’t look at all out of place. But beyond the stunning visuals, the structure of this particular version and the rich portrayals of the characters resonated with me unlike any other adaptation. Neel Sethi, the young lead, is utterly charming, and the voice actors are all perfectly cast. My only real complaint is the use of a select few songs from Disney’s classic animated movie. This film is not a musical but two songs still make it into the narrative, so it feels like they’re onl...