<P> Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Exceptionally beautiful to behold and bolstered by a stellar vocal cast, this umpteenth film rendition of Rudyard Kipling's tales of young Mowgli's adventures amongst the creatures of the Indian jungle proves entirely engaging, even if it's ultimately lacking in subtext and thematic heft ." Andrew Barker of Variety felt that this version "can't rival the woolly looseness of Disney's 1967 animated classic, of course, but it succeeds on its own so well that such comparisons are barely necessary ." Robbie Collin of The Telegraph gave the film four stars out of five, and deemed it "a sincere and full - hearted adaptation that returns to Kipling for fresh inspiration ." Alonso Duralde of The Wrap says "This' Book' might lack the post-vaudeville razzamatazz of its predecessor, but director Jon Favreau and a team of effects wizards plunge us into one of the big screen's most engrossing artificial worlds since Avatar ." Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, gave the film four out of five stars and felt that the film had a touch of Apocalypto in it, finding the plot elements to be similar to those in The Lion King . He wrote that the film was "spectacular, exciting, funny and fun" and that it "handsomely revives the spirit of Disney's original film ." Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote that the film had laughs, excitement, an exceptional voice cast and, most importantly, a lot of heart, calling it a cinematic achievement like no other . He particularly praised Murray's performance and the visual effects, deeming it "simply astonishing ." Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly graded the film an "A--," calling it one of the biggest surprises of 2016 . He, however, felt the two songs were rather unnecessary and distracting, and believed the film to be a little too frightening for children . </P> <P> Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun - Times awarded the film three - and - a-half stars, pointing out the CGI as the apex achievement of the film . He labelled it "a beautifully rendered, visually arresting take on Rudyard Kipling's oft - filmed tales" but found the musical numbers to be trivial, saying that without the musical numbers, the film might have been a more exhilarating streamlined adventure . Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan remarked that "The Jungle Book is the kind of family film calculated to make even those without families wish they had one to take along ." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded the film three - and - a-half stars out of four, labeling it scary and thrilling, yet unique and unforgettable, and adding that it "fills us with something rare in movies today--a sense of wonder ." The Village Voice's Bilge Ebiri hailed the film as fast and light and that it "manages to be just scary enough to make us feel the danger of solitude in the middle of a massive jungle, but never indulgent or gratuitous ." The New York Times' Manohla Dargis was less enthusiastic . Cath Clarke of Time Out compared Elba's character of Shere Khan to Scar from The Lion King, calling him "baddie of the year ." Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com also had high praise for Elba's portrayal of Shere Khan stating: "His loping menace is envisioned so powerfully that he'd be scary no matter what, but the character becomes a great villain through imaginative empathy . We understand and appreciate his point - of - view, even though carrying it out would mean the death of Mowgli ." </P> <P> The film's visual effects and 3D photography were compared to those of Avatar, Gravity, Hugo, and Life of Pi . Sarah Ward of Screen International wrote that the level of detail on display in the film "is likely to evoke the same jaw - dropping reaction as James Cameron's box office topper ." Entertainment Weekly called it "one of the few 3D movies that actually benefits from being in 3D ." The film also had a positive reception from Indian contemporary critics and publications, such as The Times of India, The Hindu, India Today, The Indian Express, and The Economic Times . </P> <P> The film also had its share of negative reviews with most reviewers criticizing the inconsistent tone of the film and the director's indecision to stick to one vision . Sam C. Mac of Slant Magazine wrote, "Jon Favreau draws heavily on his film's animated predecessor for plot, characterizations, songs, and set pieces, but doesn't know how to fit these familiar elements into his own coherent vision". Josh Spiegel of Movie Mezzanine also echoed these feelings, saying that the film "stumbles because the people involved aren't willing to fully commit to either making a near - shot - for - shot remake or going in a completely different direction". Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald felt that the movie was soulless, writing that "The better these talking beasts look, the more the film resembles a gorgeous screen saver . You admire The Jungle Book, but you can't lose yourself in it". </P>

Pictures of mowgli from the jungle book 2016