Movie Review: The Jungle Book (2016)

Details: Under two hours long. Stars Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, and Ben Kingsley.

I was not looking to watch this movie at all, but after coming across some positive reviews I decided to give it a chance. I’m glad I did.

This movie is almost a direct retelling of the Jungle Book movie Disney put out in 1967, with some changes which I think were good for the tone of this movie. Firstly, this movie has a more serious tone while still being funny and a children’s movie. There is less singing. The animals are all also much more imposing and definitely scarier. The effects team on this film did a great job. There are also some plot differences from the original film which actually help to move the story along and make it more believable. But at its heart, this is still the same movie.

The actors do a great job. Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson (even though her role was small) stick out for their performances. Bill Murray, Christopher Walker, and Ben Kingsley basically play themselves as they have often done in prior films.

Visually everything looks greats. The core concept is a real actor plays the boy/protagonist and everything else is generated by computer effects. It works.

Score: 6.9/10 Entertaining film which I can safely recommend to children.

Movie Review: Lucy (2014)

Details: Action, science fiction film that runs for an hour and a half. Stars Scarlett Johansson.

Interesting concept. The execution needed a little work. Overall an interesting film with some action but is mostly science fiction.

Directed by Luc Besson, it certainly shows his style. I also enjoyed watching the guy from Old Boy shout in Korean.

The biggest negative is that there is no real point or theme to the story. It’s just an hour and a half long ride where you get to see some sites in Taiwan and Paris, with some special effects thrown in. Plus, there’s Scarlett Johansson for those who enjoy her.

Score: 6/10 Somewhat enjoyable, but I would not buy the DVD.