Rating (2 out of 5)

Summary:  Not sure why Netflix was inspired to produce “Mowgli”.   Mowgli a darker version of our childhood favorite “Jungle Book” (1967), fails on many levels.  My expectations were high with with all the voice talents involved and my love of the character set (referencing the “Jungle Book” (1967)).  After watching this, I will stick with watching the “Jungle Book” (1967).   

Warning:  “Mowgli” is not “Babe” or Disney’s “Jungle Book” (1967).  The movie is a drama and therefore I wouldn’t recommend “Mowgli” for small children.

Plot:  Bagheera (Christian Bale) rescues the man-cub, Mowgli (Rohan Chand) from Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) the tiger.  Mowgli joins the wolf pack but sooner or later he must face Shere Khan.

What I Liked:  The wolf initiation trial of Mowgli thrilled as Mowgli started excercising his human skills trying to beat the pack in a race.  

What I Didn’t Like:  Did we absolutely need Kaa (Cate Blanchett) leading the movie with in with a voice over.  Seriously, I felt like I was watching “Lord of the Rings” when Cate Blanchett started the narration as we overlook the jungle.   Then having Kaa be a mystic seeing into the past and future was weird.  

So tired of CGI.  The animals were all noticeably CGI and it just doesn’t look real.  Either commit to a cartoon, or produce everything CGI.    

Shere Khan allies with a hyena and the monkeys.  Eventually 1/2 the wolf pack sides with Shere Khan, but they really don’t explain why he needed allies?  It was similar to watching “Lion King” and scar aligning with the hyenas.  It should have been solely Shere Khan versus the man-cub.

So many small elements that didn’t flow with the movie well; the elephant, the hunter, the village party, etc.  The script wasn’t concise and therefore the movie was choppy.