Doug, Rob, I’m on my hands and knees here. PLEASE do a full NC Episode for this one in the future. There’s so much to love and scratch your head at here, and I totally trust y’all to make it even more entertaining.
I havn't watched this version in such a long time but I do remember the quicksand scene and even when the main villain dies which was quite disturbing. And even revisiting parts of it, I also realized that John Cleese and Lena Headey (from 300 and Game of Thrones) and even Sam Neil are in this too which was a surprise for me.
I loved this movie as a child(but I generally loved/still love adventure style movies). It was so different to the animated version, but also felt more plausible(and not just because of it being live action with no talking animals). We already know his life as a child from the animated movie(I am not basing it on the book, as it is a Disney movie), so it was interesting to see how he would react as an adult instead. As I grew older I kind of liked it even more. All the important characters are well played. The story flows nicely and is easy to follow. You understand each character's motivation without massive exposition dumps. It is a pretty straightforward story, but it is told well. It has some great sequences that shows how Mowgli learns about "civilization", from english speech and manners, to history and culture(which was basically copied in the Disney's animated Tarzan movie 5 years later). And how it is confusing to him compared to the more simple "laws of the jungle". Seeing Mowgli trying to impress Kitty by staging a fight against Baloo(which accidentally steps on him) was hilarious. I also loved to hate the villians. Each were different and were hated for a different reason. One was arrogant and prideful, another was a bully, two were "traitors"(ie. not one of the english, but acted out of greed. At least that was how my child mind interpreted it) and then there were the coward. And they each died in spectacular and gruesome ways.
It may only be "the Jungle Book" by name, but even though it doesn't follow the book at all, it's still a fun adventure flick with a really good cast who are clearly having a fun time. I kinda wish more Disney remakes would take liberties like this instead of trying to scrictly follow the original. A little creativity like this might actually make them worth something.
I forgot Scuttle was a sassy woman in the animated The Little Mermaid. Or that Rafiki was devoid of emotion when he learned Simba was alive. Remember that epic song that Scar never sang? And of course the most memorable part of The Jungle Book, Kaa being sweet, feminine and seductive. Well, at least ONE change was a positive one.
The treasure chamber guarded by a snake is actually from a story in the SECOND Jungle Book: "The King's Ankus". In the book, Mowgli visits the place with Kaa, and they meet a white cobra whose job was to guard the place, but he was old and past caring, so he lets Mowgli take a jeweled ankus (an elephant goad),which gets stolen from Mowgli, and when he goes looking for it he learns of man's greed. This story was also loosely adapted in an episode of "Jungle Cubs", a series about the main Jungle Book animals as kids.
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that episode of Jungle Cubs on VHS, alongside the Red Dogs ones. At the time I didn't know they were in fact based on Kipling's stories so that was a cool fun fact.
This was a fun film. And yeah the Death Scenes really leave an impact, the quicksand scene you said and the buried alive scene especially the last things you hear from them, the dieing gasp of the quicksand and the echoing "HELP MEEE" as the tomb seels up
Lieutenant Wilkins staredown with Shere Khan was also really intense. You can see the fear and terror build up and completely overwhelm him, then running and being chased, and finally, while screaming, killed. It is straight out of a horror movie, except it is "just" a tiger.
@@fendelphiWilkins being chased by Shere Khan is one of my favorite scenes from childhood. My parents thought I was having a seizure but I was mimicking the actor's fear of facing death by an exotic animal. I don't know what it's like being chased by something dangerous in the jungle but it's reliable to be chased by a dog in a territory that you don't belong to.
I remember watching this as a kid and being absolutely horrified by those death sequences. Those are some intense scenes for an otherwise pretty campy adventure movie.
I feel like a lot of older adventure movies also had intense death scenes, or at least implied intense death scenes. All of the 3 original Indiana Jones movies each had their horrible moment. Pretty sure both "Romancing the Stone" and "Jewel of the Nile" both had intense scenes as well. Also "King Solomon's Mines"(1985) also had it's share. But "The Jungle Book" was definitely more intense, as we get build-ups to each death, and we also get to linger a bit more, as if it was a horror movie.
This film made my childhood. There are a few funny quotes I still remember, and those deaths! John Cleese "teaching" Mowgli via slides: "One man - two women - lucky man". Also love the music.
I've been waiting so long for Doug to cover this! This was the version of The Jungle Book I grew up with. I even saw The Jungle Book 2 before I saw the original. Love this movie and hate how it's hard to come by as I can't find a cheap copy. So that's why I keep my VHS copy. Thank you, Doug, for covering this. I love this movie!
Crazy to think that this unknowingly started the Disney remake saga. It's like the very first Spider-Man comic that used clones, who knew it would cause so much trouble in the future
This movie was my childhood, I got it as a vhs at my local village library before I really knew how to speak English properly and I was just fascinated by how the guy who plays Mowgli made me understand what he was going through without me understanding the language spoken. The animals were really cool too, they're actually there although you're right, it does limit the personalities of them, but I love it regardless. The death scenes were incredible like you mentioned, they still give me shivers to this day and back when I was 7 my brother had to sit with me while I watched them. So happy to see you do this one! 😍 And a merry Christmas to you and the channel Doug!
This is one of my favorite live action Disney remake, because it tries to be a lot different than the animated version! I also love how there’s some real animals in the movie!
Agreed. I wish Peta or whoever didn't bully hollywood to use only CGI animals these days. I understand that animal abuse needs to be taken seriously and what happened on the set of The Hobbit should never happen again, but at the same time, does anyone really believe Harrison Ford was talking to a dog a few years back. I'm glad the new Mark Walsberg movie is using a real dog.
@@bl3343 PETA are a bunch of idiots, I have no problem with movies using real animals! I can’t stand CGI pets, it’s so uncanny and ruins the emotional scenes in movies!
Actually, comparing the animals in this movie with the 2016 film made me realize that Shere Khan in 2016 doesn't really look like a tiger. I mean, he resembles one, sure, but there's enough differences that they stand out.
@@FlyingFocs because the 2016 movie is using uncanny CGI animals, I get CGI should be used for action sequences instead of real tigers, but use practical effects like dummy tigers with fur!
This is my favourite version of The Jungle Book, despite the many differences between this and the book. The music, the scenery, the Stephen Sommers-style humour and action...I love it all!
That quicksand death scene scarred me as a kid. I watched it at my grandparents’ house and it stuck with me so hard. For several years following that, I was terrified of quicksand and was constantly afraid that it could happen to me or someone else. Even playing video games where quicksand is involved had me constantly on edge (looking at you, Shifting Sand Land in Super Mario 64). I’ve gotten over that fear now that I’m older and understand how quicksand works, but this scene was traumatizing to me as a kid.
“Damn you, Wilkins!” Frankly, his dying curse against Wilkins saved it for me. It’s just such a dopey name to curse with your dying breath, it lives rent free in my brain to this day. I want to be able to drop that line among friends, but all the people I know have real people names.
Ironically, this film version was adapted from Rudyard Kipling's 'The Second Jungle Book' and The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo (1997) was adapted from Kipling's original'The Jungle Book' (in particular, its story "Kaa's Hunting") but took its title from 'The Second Jungle Book', to distinguish itself from this film.
Haha I forgot all about that one. I remember my cousin got the vhs as a b-day present and we kept rewinding the scene in the beginning as he's falling from the trees screaming because it was so cheesy but hilarious.
I grew up with this movie, and always found it rather enjoyable. Who'd have imagined that Lena Headey, who played the love interest, would later be Cersei in Game of Thrones? I always knew that she looked familiar, but only realised that she was in this film!
Actually, in terms of this not being fully faithful to the source material, in The Second Jungle Book, still by Rudyard Kipling, there is a short story that involves Mowgli finding treasure and him discovering the deadly effect of greed. It’s called The King’s Ankus, and he takes a piece of treasure, like in this movie, and he later discards it. Men find it later and end up killing each other to get the piece, to which Mowgli, with wisdom from Kaa and a cobra, decides to return the piece to where he found it. Though I agree it lacks a lot of what makes Jungle Book so well known, like how the animals themselves interact. This feels more like Jungle Book meets Tarzan.
Finally someone talks about this movie!!!!! I grew up with this movie, watched it so many times but no one ever talks about it and you cant really find copies of it and its not on Disney+ I was starting to believe I dreamt it.
Aside from watching Disney’s Jungle Book which I’ve seen it 100 times, I watched this live action version of Jungle Book a lot as a kid and by god, the score makes you feel like you really stepped into a Indian jungle. I can just listen to this score all day, it really makes me feel more calm, peaceful and content that u just wanna float in a river and just get drift away. 😊😊
@@DarkOverlord96I love that the animals don’t talk & yet for me you feel there presences especially Kaa & Shere Khan. I also liked that they savor those two sparingly.
I realize that when i saw this movie at a young age, i mostly remembered the beginning and the ending the most. The opening, the final battle and some of the deathly moments in between are what I stuck with. Its a weird movie to think about but i feel like if i saw it again in full, it would be a massive rollercoaster.
My teacher showed this as an end of year movie for us in 1st grade. She thought it'd be like the cartoon, she had no idea how violent it would be 😆 we loved it!
One thing I love about this version is the portrayal of Shere Khan. I like that he isn't the main antagonist this time around. He's played more as a sort of demigod of the jungle, hell, in the end, Mowgli actually earns Shere Khan's favor. Apparently, the director felt the tiger was too majestic of an animal to kill off in the story, and I have to agree with him. I have read the book, and frankly, I find Buldeo as a more hateable antagonist than Shere Khan.
Loved this film growing up. I have it on DVD but haven't watched it in over a decade. I don't remember much of the film now but I do remember there's a part that makes me cry so hard. Also, huge crush on Jason Scott Lee and Cary Elwes!
This has always been my favorite version of Jungle Book. Jason Scott Lee was really striking to my 10yo self and Cary Elwes as well!! The whole cast was amazing!
This was one of the first dvds I bought as a young teen in the early 2000s, as I watched the crap out of the vhs (which had a wrinkle 1/4 into the picture with adjusting the tracking). I LOVE this film and deserves so much more love!
This movie is actually better than a lot of people give it credit for. That is indeed a very good comparison with Adam west Batman and how the story is indeed something inspirational and exciting and it is a different Disney story from what we mostly got in the 90s so I certainly love revisiting it and I hope one day that this movie is better appreciated! However it’s always nice to see people rallying around it even just for a small review. Definitely one of my childhood favorites!
I love this movie. I wish Disney Plus would have it on their streaming service. Because I thought it was an Epic version of Jungle Book. I used to wear out my VHS copy of it.
Aaaaactually, after this one Disney made "The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story" in 1998. That one features Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill Murray's brother) as Baloo and Eartha Kitt as Bagheera.
This was the Jungle Book movie I had growing up. Even though it isn't a faithful adaptation to the original work, I love this version so much. I still have the VHS for it and I've been trying to find the DVD for it (he's right, IT'S HARD!!). The death scenes were quite dark and I love how Shere Khan is more like the jungle's guardian and Mowgli's final test than an outright villain in this. Plus, this is probably my favourite interpretation of Mowgli.
Shere Khan is more like the anti-hero in Stephen Sommers's version, which I did enjoy more. Yeah, he still hates man like the book and other adaptations but he goes after only those who break the Jungle Law of killing other animals.
I... totally forgot about this movie. I saw this movie so many times when I was 3. I'm surprised my mother had the balls to let me see it as much as I wanted to because this was a pretty intense movie for kids.
On the 27th day of Disneycember. The critic gave to me: 27: Ancient Kingdoms 26: Jedi Refuges 25: Cuba's Screaming 24: Abusive Families 23: Scrats In Space 22: Mutant Traumas 21: Pool Parties 20: Guards a Robbing 19: Animal Cruelties 18: Christmas Spiders 17: Children Dancing 16: Thrawns-a-rising 15: Bay-isms 14: Cheesy Ball Games 13: Modok Assholes 12: Violent Clone Wars 11: Shape - Shifters 10: Boring Mansions 9: Canceled Spideys 8: Seeing Spirits 7: Dull Adventures 6: Tempers Blowing 5: Salty Sloths 4: Kings To Vent To 3: Cartoon Epics 2: Singing Planets And a plumber from the 90's
It’s definitely more of a Tarzan meets Indiana Jones film than a proper Kipling adaptation, but hey, both of those works were heavily influenced by Kipling’s stories in the first place, so it might as well come back around.
This movie was my childhood. I use to watch it all the time. It was The Jungle Book with a Indiana Jones vibe. Also, watching this movie as a kid made me want to go to a forest or jungle be camp out like Mowgli or Tarzan. I was like “wow, I can be shirtless and do that in the Jungle? Count me in.” Obviously, now I know I wouldn’t be able to survive and our bodies would not look ripped like Jason Scott Lee.
This one holds a special place in my childhood memories. I remember seeing this one more than the animated version. It’s its own story with a sprinkle of Jungle Book but it’s entertaining and funny. I enjoy this movie, very underrated
For years I thought that 1996's 101 Dalmatians was the first live-action Disney remake but nope I was off by one and this movie was what started it all. My biggest problem with it as many other people is that it is more Tarzan than Jungle Book.
When I was a freshman in high school, we watched this movie in my Spanish class, and we were all liking it. But when that quicksand scene happened. Everybody had such a big shock on their face, and the classroom went dead quiet.
This was among the first movies I saw in theaters. I remember going with my grandparents. I don't remember it super well anymore, but I remember liking it. I should try to rewatch it.
This movie is available to purchase on RUclips now, thankfully, because I too had to really hunt down my DVD copy of this movie, it's a shame this movie never got an HD remaster
Holy crap, that quicksand scene. I saw this as a kid while sleeping over at a friend's house, and that scene kept me up all night. Like, I was so tired the next morning that my mom thought I was sick when she picked me up.
This is probably a good example of an adaptation vs a remake. The live action remake failed BECAUSE it was a live action remake. It did everything wrong, including giving people the wrong expectations. With an adaptation audiences are made aware, before the movie ever even sees a theatre, that it's not going to be anything like the original and that they shouldn't expect it to be or compare it to the original. Which means that people can have fun with the adaptation even if it's a bad movie or has nothing to do with the original other than a name and a few characters.
I love this version of the Jungle Book. There's no silly add-ins, no voices that had to be listened to, and watching this as a kid only helped to solidify my fear of snakes.
I love this “jungle book” best like “adult” feeling to me as a kid and even if the animals werent memorable i still loved how they were real and act well like they should
Ah, the 90s! That time when people didn't know the difference between ethnicities! A Hawaiian-Chinese actor could play an Indian, just like a Spaniard could play an Iraqi in Thirteenth Warrior and a Scot could play a Spaniard in Highlander! It was a simpler time...
Fun fact Doug, my dad actually helped out in this movie. Most of the film is shot in Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee (which is 35 minutes near where I live) and my dad was a park ranger back then and in the scene where Mowgli jumped off a waterfall, my dad was in a boat to help him out when the scene was over. This is why we consider this movie important in my family. I hope you find that interesting Doug.
I checked out this movie on a whim... Holy crap, I LOVE this movie. Also, there is a 15 minute sequence with no dialogue, and it's just Jason Scott Lee acting against the animal actors, and it's done so well that I thought "Wait... Is Stephen Sommers a better director than we've given him credit for."
My biggest critique with this movie is when Kaa the anaconda burrows under the treasure. And then he jumps out at Mowgli and he pushes him into the moat. That scene made me super afraid of snakes
I had no idea Lena Hedley was in this Jungle Book. And speaking of Lena Hedley, seeing her alongside Sam Neil there just makes me think about the later 1998 Hallmark movie, Merlin.
Highly underrated, IMO. My biggest problem is that it's a Tarzan movie disguised as a Jungle Book movie.
💯💯
Accurate. Then again adult Mogli is basicaly Tarzan, lol.
Agreed
100% agree
I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY THAT! 🤣
In fact if anything It’s like if they took the Jungle Book and combined it with Tarzan
Doug, Rob, I’m on my hands and knees here. PLEASE do a full NC Episode for this one in the future. There’s so much to love and scratch your head at here, and I totally trust y’all to make it even more entertaining.
That would be awesome!!!
This was an 80s PG movie in 1994, sure we can show men drowning in quicksand and getting mauled by animals, the kids won't mind.
Fun fact: this was the very first Disney live action remake from their original animated feature!
...and one of the only Good ones !
From what I read, it was an independent production originally that Disney heard about and went....we'll take it.
@@Tadicuslegion78interesting. Do you have the source? I'm not saying I don't believe you, I just want to learn more about the movie.
Fun fact: they did an animated remake of this movie five years later called Tarzan.
@@bl3343I loved when Tarzan found the ancient treasure and fell into quicksand or whatever.
Despite not being close to the book, it’s a really solid adventure movie, with a recognizable cast
True. I love it.
I havn't watched this version in such a long time but I do remember the quicksand scene and even when the main villain dies which was quite disturbing. And even revisiting parts of it, I also realized that John Cleese and Lena Headey (from 300 and Game of Thrones) and even Sam Neil are in this too which was a surprise for me.
I loved this movie as a child(but I generally loved/still love adventure style movies). It was so different to the animated version, but also felt more plausible(and not just because of it being live action with no talking animals). We already know his life as a child from the animated movie(I am not basing it on the book, as it is a Disney movie), so it was interesting to see how he would react as an adult instead.
As I grew older I kind of liked it even more. All the important characters are well played. The story flows nicely and is easy to follow. You understand each character's motivation without massive exposition dumps. It is a pretty straightforward story, but it is told well.
It has some great sequences that shows how Mowgli learns about "civilization", from english speech and manners, to history and culture(which was basically copied in the Disney's animated Tarzan movie 5 years later). And how it is confusing to him compared to the more simple "laws of the jungle".
Seeing Mowgli trying to impress Kitty by staging a fight against Baloo(which accidentally steps on him) was hilarious.
I also loved to hate the villians. Each were different and were hated for a different reason. One was arrogant and prideful, another was a bully, two were "traitors"(ie. not one of the english, but acted out of greed. At least that was how my child mind interpreted it) and then there were the coward.
And they each died in spectacular and gruesome ways.
@@fendelphi 💯
It may only be "the Jungle Book" by name, but even though it doesn't follow the book at all, it's still a fun adventure flick with a really good cast who are clearly having a fun time. I kinda wish more Disney remakes would take liberties like this instead of trying to scrictly follow the original. A little creativity like this might actually make them worth something.
Agreed
Fun fact this was the 1st Disney live action remake in the mid 90's before 2016 came out
I forgot Scuttle was a sassy woman in the animated The Little Mermaid. Or that Rafiki was devoid of emotion when he learned Simba was alive. Remember that epic song that Scar never sang? And of course the most memorable part of The Jungle Book, Kaa being sweet, feminine and seductive.
Well, at least ONE change was a positive one.
The treasure chamber guarded by a snake is actually from a story in the SECOND Jungle Book: "The King's Ankus". In the book, Mowgli visits the place with Kaa, and they meet a white cobra whose job was to guard the place, but he was old and past caring, so he lets Mowgli take a jeweled ankus (an elephant goad),which gets stolen from Mowgli, and when he goes looking for it he learns of man's greed. This story was also loosely adapted in an episode of "Jungle Cubs", a series about the main Jungle Book animals as kids.
Oh yeah, I remember seeing that episode of Jungle Cubs on VHS, alongside the Red Dogs ones.
At the time I didn't know they were in fact based on Kipling's stories so that was a cool fun fact.
This was a fun film. And yeah the Death Scenes really leave an impact, the quicksand scene you said and the buried alive scene especially the last things you hear from them, the dieing gasp of the quicksand and the echoing "HELP MEEE" as the tomb seels up
Lieutenant Wilkins staredown with Shere Khan was also really intense. You can see the fear and terror build up and completely overwhelm him, then running and being chased, and finally, while screaming, killed. It is straight out of a horror movie, except it is "just" a tiger.
@@fendelphiWilkins being chased by Shere Khan is one of my favorite scenes from childhood. My parents thought I was having a seizure but I was mimicking the actor's fear of facing death by an exotic animal. I don't know what it's like being chased by something dangerous in the jungle but it's reliable to be chased by a dog in a territory that you don't belong to.
I remember watching this as a kid and being absolutely horrified by those death sequences. Those are some intense scenes for an otherwise pretty campy adventure movie.
Adults: Why do kids have a fear of quick sand?
90s kids: This movie
I feel like a lot of older adventure movies also had intense death scenes, or at least implied intense death scenes. All of the 3 original Indiana Jones movies each had their horrible moment. Pretty sure both "Romancing the Stone" and "Jewel of the Nile" both had intense scenes as well. Also "King Solomon's Mines"(1985) also had it's share.
But "The Jungle Book" was definitely more intense, as we get build-ups to each death, and we also get to linger a bit more, as if it was a horror movie.
I know! I was a very anxious kid and those scenes gave me nightmares! I still love this movie, though!
I used to have nightmares thanks to the quicksand death scene!
The crushing one scared me the most!
This film made my childhood. There are a few funny quotes I still remember, and those deaths! John Cleese "teaching" Mowgli via slides: "One man - two women - lucky man".
Also love the music.
Suddenly I remember, "No, that is not a boat, that is Queen Victoria!"
I don’t care what anyone says, I enjoy this version of the Jungle Book.
That’s cool. Personally, I enjoy the original Jungle Boop more
@@IdkWhoPixelIsYeah I saw the comment I autocorrect.
I mean, both versions of the Jungle Book have a "boop" feel to them, so I wouldn't see it as a typo necessarily.😅
Same here
@@sebastiantrias1529I agree, Cary Elwes played a really good villain. He pulled off being a douchebag really well. Kudos to him
I've been waiting so long for Doug to cover this! This was the version of The Jungle Book I grew up with. I even saw The Jungle Book 2 before I saw the original. Love this movie and hate how it's hard to come by as I can't find a cheap copy. So that's why I keep my VHS copy. Thank you, Doug, for covering this. I love this movie!
I've been waiting for this one forever! This movie actually made up my childhood more than the animated The Jungle Book!
same!
Same here!!!!!!
Crazy to think that this unknowingly started the Disney remake saga.
It's like the very first Spider-Man comic that used clones, who knew it would cause so much trouble in the future
This movie was my childhood, I got it as a vhs at my local village library before I really knew how to speak English properly and I was just fascinated by how the guy who plays Mowgli made me understand what he was going through without me understanding the language spoken.
The animals were really cool too, they're actually there although you're right, it does limit the personalities of them, but I love it regardless.
The death scenes were incredible like you mentioned, they still give me shivers to this day and back when I was 7 my brother had to sit with me while I watched them.
So happy to see you do this one! 😍 And a merry Christmas to you and the channel Doug!
This is one of my favorite live action Disney remake, because it tries to be a lot different than the animated version! I also love how there’s some real animals in the movie!
Agreed. I wish Peta or whoever didn't bully hollywood to use only CGI animals these days. I understand that animal abuse needs to be taken seriously and what happened on the set of The Hobbit should never happen again, but at the same time, does anyone really believe Harrison Ford was talking to a dog a few years back. I'm glad the new Mark Walsberg movie is using a real dog.
@@bl3343 PETA are a bunch of idiots, I have no problem with movies using real animals! I can’t stand CGI pets, it’s so uncanny and ruins the emotional scenes in movies!
Actually, comparing the animals in this movie with the 2016 film made me realize that Shere Khan in 2016 doesn't really look like a tiger. I mean, he resembles one, sure, but there's enough differences that they stand out.
@@FlyingFocs because the 2016 movie is using uncanny CGI animals, I get CGI should be used for action sequences instead of real tigers, but use practical effects like dummy tigers with fur!
This movie is one of my favorites. Top tier soundtrack, top notch cast, and good action/drama.
Whenever I hear The Blue Danube waltz, I think of this movie.
@@StarlitScimitar YES! Same here :)
This is my favourite version of The Jungle Book, despite the many differences between this and the book. The music, the scenery, the Stephen Sommers-style humour and action...I love it all!
That quicksand death scene scarred me as a kid. I watched it at my grandparents’ house and it stuck with me so hard. For several years following that, I was terrified of quicksand and was constantly afraid that it could happen to me or someone else. Even playing video games where quicksand is involved had me constantly on edge (looking at you, Shifting Sand Land in Super Mario 64). I’ve gotten over that fear now that I’m older and understand how quicksand works, but this scene was traumatizing to me as a kid.
“Damn you, Wilkins!” Frankly, his dying curse against Wilkins saved it for me. It’s just such a dopey name to curse with your dying breath, it lives rent free in my brain to this day. I want to be able to drop that line among friends, but all the people I know have real people names.
@@0g0dn0 At least Wilkins made an effort to save Harley. Boone and the others did nothing.
The quicksand moment still stuck with me, afterall these years lol 😆. I remember seeing this when I was a kid, and i will never forget it.
Ironically, this film version was adapted from Rudyard Kipling's 'The Second Jungle Book' and The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo (1997) was adapted from Kipling's original'The Jungle Book' (in particular, its story "Kaa's Hunting") but took its title from 'The Second Jungle Book', to distinguish itself from this film.
Haha I forgot all about that one. I remember my cousin got the vhs as a b-day present and we kept rewinding the scene in the beginning as he's falling from the trees screaming because it was so cheesy but hilarious.
The kid is who played Mowgli in that movie, Jamie Williams, was adorable
Found a DVD copy at a Goodwill years ago and snatched it up. Still a solid flick.
I actually loved how campy Cary Elwes was in this movie. He reminds me of a more foppish version of Gaston from Beauty & the Beast.
I grew up with this movie, and always found it rather enjoyable. Who'd have imagined that Lena Headey, who played the love interest, would later be Cersei in Game of Thrones? I always knew that she looked familiar, but only realised that she was in this film!
AFAIK, it's the only movie role she had where she didn't have a nude scene.
I love the charm, romance and action of this version!! It is still beautiful after all this time. I love watching it.
Actually, in terms of this not being fully faithful to the source material, in The Second Jungle Book, still by Rudyard Kipling, there is a short story that involves Mowgli finding treasure and him discovering the deadly effect of greed. It’s called The King’s Ankus, and he takes a piece of treasure, like in this movie, and he later discards it. Men find it later and end up killing each other to get the piece, to which Mowgli, with wisdom from Kaa and a cobra, decides to return the piece to where he found it.
Though I agree it lacks a lot of what makes Jungle Book so well known, like how the animals themselves interact. This feels more like Jungle Book meets Tarzan.
I weirdly love this film, I didn't expect I would, but I surprisingly did
“Damn you, Wilkins!!” That line still sneaks up on me every now and then.
Had this as VHS as a kid and played it constantly!
I haven't touched my VHS copy in years. And I don't want to with how much it scarred me.
Finally someone talks about this movie!!!!!
I grew up with this movie, watched it so many times but no one ever talks about it and you cant really find copies of it and its not on Disney+ I was starting to believe I dreamt it.
Aside from watching Disney’s Jungle Book which I’ve seen it 100 times, I watched this live action version of Jungle Book a lot as a kid and by god, the score makes you feel like you really stepped into a Indian jungle. I can just listen to this score all day, it really makes me feel more calm, peaceful and content that u just wanna float in a river and just get drift away. 😊😊
This was a really underrated film back then that doesn’t give much attention when people mention the jungle book and I can see why
If nothing else, this review has convinced me to read the original book.
It is a good book
Honestly, this has one the best Kaa from all adaptations, without saying anything its a force to be feared
And Shere Khan acting like a ruthless enforcer of the Law of the Jungle.
@@DarkOverlord96I love that the animals don’t talk & yet for me you feel there presences especially Kaa & Shere Khan. I also liked that they savor those two sparingly.
I realize that when i saw this movie at a young age, i mostly remembered the beginning and the ending the most. The opening, the final battle and some of the deathly moments in between are what I stuck with. Its a weird movie to think about but i feel like if i saw it again in full, it would be a massive rollercoaster.
Also that score is so beautiful
My teacher showed this as an end of year movie for us in 1st grade. She thought it'd be like the cartoon, she had no idea how violent it would be 😆 we loved it!
One thing I love about this version is the portrayal of Shere Khan. I like that he isn't the main antagonist this time around. He's played more as a sort of demigod of the jungle, hell, in the end, Mowgli actually earns Shere Khan's favor. Apparently, the director felt the tiger was too majestic of an animal to kill off in the story, and I have to agree with him. I have read the book, and frankly, I find Buldeo as a more hateable antagonist than Shere Khan.
Loved this film growing up. I have it on DVD but haven't watched it in over a decade. I don't remember much of the film now but I do remember there's a part that makes me cry so hard. Also, huge crush on Jason Scott Lee and Cary Elwes!
Jason Scott Lee was adorable as Adult Mowgli. The scenes with him and King Louie were 💯🔥
This has always been my favorite version of Jungle Book. Jason Scott Lee was really striking to my 10yo self and Cary Elwes as well!! The whole cast was amazing!
💯💯. It’s a classic
Jason Scott Lee was💯
This version needs to be on Disney plus!!
I had this movie on VHS and watched it so many times when I was a kid it still comes into my brain to this day
I still have this one on VHS. Carey Elwes cracks me up in this thing.
This was one of the first dvds I bought as a young teen in the early 2000s, as I watched the crap out of the vhs (which had a wrinkle 1/4 into the picture with adjusting the tracking). I LOVE this film and deserves so much more love!
This movie is actually better than a lot of people give it credit for. That is indeed a very good comparison with Adam west Batman and how the story is indeed something inspirational and exciting and it is a different Disney story from what we mostly got in the 90s so I certainly love revisiting it and I hope one day that this movie is better appreciated! However it’s always nice to see people rallying around it even just for a small review. Definitely one of my childhood favorites!
I loved this when I was a kid and have been looking for it ever since. I'm glad that Doug finally got to review it.
Highly underrated, personal Disney favorite!
I love this movie. I wish Disney Plus would have it on their streaming service. Because I thought it was an Epic version of Jungle Book. I used to wear out my VHS copy of it.
I grew up watching this! It's definitely one of my favorites!
Ah, the first Live-Action before the Live-Action The Jungle Book.
Exactly
Aaaaactually, after this one Disney made "The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story" in 1998.
That one features Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill Murray's brother) as Baloo and Eartha Kitt as Bagheera.
I love this movie so much and it is always forgotten and overlooked. Such a great adventure film and has a GREAT cast
Such an underrated gem!
For me, this film is MY jungle book! I love this film.
Man I grew up on this movie! The deaths in this movie gave me nightmares as a 4 year old. Also think the sound track is amazing.
This was the Jungle Book movie I had growing up. Even though it isn't a faithful adaptation to the original work, I love this version so much. I still have the VHS for it and I've been trying to find the DVD for it (he's right, IT'S HARD!!). The death scenes were quite dark and I love how Shere Khan is more like the jungle's guardian and Mowgli's final test than an outright villain in this. Plus, this is probably my favourite interpretation of Mowgli.
Shere Khan is more like the anti-hero in Stephen Sommers's version, which I did enjoy more. Yeah, he still hates man like the book and other adaptations but he goes after only those who break the Jungle Law of killing other animals.
I... totally forgot about this movie. I saw this movie so many times when I was 3. I'm surprised my mother had the balls to let me see it as much as I wanted to because this was a pretty intense movie for kids.
On the 27th day of Disneycember. The critic gave to me:
27: Ancient Kingdoms
26: Jedi Refuges
25: Cuba's Screaming
24: Abusive Families
23: Scrats In Space
22: Mutant Traumas
21: Pool Parties
20: Guards a Robbing
19: Animal Cruelties
18: Christmas Spiders
17: Children Dancing
16: Thrawns-a-rising
15: Bay-isms
14: Cheesy Ball Games
13: Modok Assholes
12: Violent Clone Wars
11: Shape - Shifters
10: Boring Mansions
9: Canceled Spideys
8: Seeing Spirits
7: Dull Adventures
6: Tempers Blowing
5: Salty Sloths
4: Kings To Vent To
3: Cartoon Epics
2: Singing Planets
And a plumber from the 90's
May favorite part of the quicksand scene is when Kitty used Carey Ewes previous words against him.
I really enjoyed this movie, and I'm glad you're finally talking about it.
The soundtrack for this movie, one of Basil Poledouris' most underrated scores.
Disneycember is awesome guys! Thanks For this 😊😊😊❤❤❤
It’s definitely more of a Tarzan meets Indiana Jones film than a proper Kipling adaptation, but hey, both of those works were heavily influenced by Kipling’s stories in the first place, so it might as well come back around.
The first Disney live-action remake and its The Jungle Book with a Tarzan structured plot.
This movie was my childhood. I use to watch it all the time. It was The Jungle Book with a Indiana Jones vibe. Also, watching this movie as a kid made me want to go to a forest or jungle be camp out like Mowgli or Tarzan. I was like “wow, I can be shirtless and do that in the Jungle? Count me in.” Obviously, now I know I wouldn’t be able to survive and our bodies would not look ripped like Jason Scott Lee.
I remember having this VHS. The death scenes were terrifying to me.
Finally! Someone remembers this movie!
O_O I STILL have this on VHS somewhere and I @#$%ing LOVE this freaking movie!
This one holds a special place in my childhood memories. I remember seeing this one more than the animated version. It’s its own story with a sprinkle of Jungle Book but it’s entertaining and funny. I enjoy this movie, very underrated
Great film.
For years I thought that 1996's 101 Dalmatians was the first live-action Disney remake but nope I was off by one and this movie was what started it all. My biggest problem with it as many other people is that it is more Tarzan than Jungle Book.
When I was a freshman in high school, we watched this movie in my Spanish class, and we were all liking it. But when that quicksand scene happened. Everybody had such a big shock on their face, and the classroom went dead quiet.
This was among the first movies I saw in theaters. I remember going with my grandparents. I don't remember it super well anymore, but I remember liking it. I should try to rewatch it.
I loved this movie as a kid! We had it on VHS back in the day and I used to watch it all the time!!
This movie is available to purchase on RUclips now, thankfully, because I too had to really hunt down my DVD copy of this movie, it's a shame this movie never got an HD remaster
Holy crap, that quicksand scene. I saw this as a kid while sleeping over at a friend's house, and that scene kept me up all night. Like, I was so tired the next morning that my mom thought I was sick when she picked me up.
This is probably a good example of an adaptation vs a remake. The live action remake failed BECAUSE it was a live action remake. It did everything wrong, including giving people the wrong expectations. With an adaptation audiences are made aware, before the movie ever even sees a theatre, that it's not going to be anything like the original and that they shouldn't expect it to be or compare it to the original. Which means that people can have fun with the adaptation even if it's a bad movie or has nothing to do with the original other than a name and a few characters.
This is my favorite jungle book movie!!!
My mom really liked this movie, especially the soundtrack. We had the CD for it and I remember listening to it while she was driving.
The quicksand death scarred me for life
Yo, I legit had this movie on VHS as a little kid back in the 90s. It was probably my sixth favorite live-action movie to watch as a kid.
I remember seeing this on tv during the 90’s and I LOVED IT! I’m so sad that it’s not on Disney+
I love this version of the Jungle Book. There's no silly add-ins, no voices that had to be listened to, and watching this as a kid only helped to solidify my fear of snakes.
I watched this as a kid and my whole family LOVED it! I remember the VHS we had of it and that cassette was worn out lmao
I love this “jungle book” best like “adult” feeling to me as a kid and even if the animals werent memorable i still loved how they were real and act well like they should
This is Doug's favorite Disney live action remake.
I don't remember anything else in this movie but the quicksand scene. It still just pops into my head randomly some days.
Ah, the 90s! That time when people didn't know the difference between ethnicities! A Hawaiian-Chinese actor could play an Indian, just like a Spaniard could play an Iraqi in Thirteenth Warrior and a Scot could play a Spaniard in Highlander! It was a simpler time...
For the longest time I never saw the Disney Animated version. THIS is the one I grew up with!
Fun fact Doug, my dad actually helped out in this movie. Most of the film is shot in Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee (which is 35 minutes near where I live) and my dad was a park ranger back then and in the scene where Mowgli jumped off a waterfall, my dad was in a boat to help him out when the scene was over. This is why we consider this movie important in my family. I hope you find that interesting Doug.
I checked out this movie on a whim... Holy crap, I LOVE this movie. Also, there is a 15 minute sequence with no dialogue, and it's just Jason Scott Lee acting against the animal actors, and it's done so well that I thought "Wait... Is Stephen Sommers a better director than we've given him credit for."
Had it on VHS and watched it a milliuon times in my youth.
It taught me only to kill to eat, or to keep from being eaten.
I loved this version growing up and I never realized that it had Cersei from GoT and *Alan* from Jurassic Park
I forgot that Mogwli's actor played Shan-Yu in the live action Mulan.
This is my favorite version of the Jungle Book.
I haven’t seen this movie completely (just bits and pieces), but I do remember that quicksand scene so well.
Underrated!
That time stephen sommers directed a jungle book adaptation.
Loved this movie as a kid
Cary Elwes was a great villain in this movie, he played a douchebag really good
Finally, nobody talks about this movie, one of my favorite movies for 30 years!
My biggest critique with this movie is when Kaa the anaconda burrows under the treasure. And then he jumps out at Mowgli and he pushes him into the moat. That scene made me super afraid of snakes
I had no idea Lena Hedley was in this Jungle Book. And speaking of Lena Hedley, seeing her alongside Sam Neil there just makes me think about the later 1998 Hallmark movie, Merlin.