Let me start by expressing how good the new CGI film actually is. It is truly cutting edge visuals, great voice casting and a wonderful, timeless story (from Mr. Kipling of course). However, in the spirit of being a miserable old git, which I am of course, there are just a few things which don’t sit right with me whatsoever. The moral and geographical continuity of this film is just off. It’s not good, it’s bad, it’s not right and I’ll tell you exactly why. There is an unsung hero of this film, a martyr of the jungle if you will, his name, Shere Khan.
SOME SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
We begin Jungle Book in typical Hollywood fashion, everything is close to ideal. The wolves are being trained by black panther, Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), just like in real life. All is well except, being the Jungle Book, there is one black sheep of the wolf pack, Mowgli. He is no normal cub but a human child. Though at this stage of the film his oddball adventures and little tricks are somewhat adorable they are, ultimately, foreboding symbols of the villain he will become.
Soon there is a drought which sends the animal world array until a water pool is found by some token little comic relief creatures. Once found this signals a water truce for the animal kingdom where all animals big and small come in peace as water is more important than food. From the moment Mowgli arrives we see all animals around him show visible signs of terror and nervousness. Despite this the wolf leader Akele (Giancarlo Esposito) does nothing to remove Mowgli.
It is here we meet our protagonist Shere Khan (Idris Elba). Immediately we see his outrage that there is a human at the sacred water truce, however, being the honourable tiger he is he chooses not to devour the intruder but issues a warning that Mowgli must be brought to him at once.
Now let me say that Shere Khan is not perfect, he is a flawed hero and sees no peaceful way of stopping Mowgli, who obviously knows too much about the jungle to be allowed to go back to the human village. He is threatening and turns to violence when he feels the need to kill Akele, who clearly does not see the danger facing the jungle and his own pack. This is not a good thing to do, but it was necessary to bring a necessary union of the Jungle. We later see the more tender side of Shere Khan when he is seen affectionately telling a story to the cubs.
Once Mowgli learns of Akele’s death as well as his own father’s, who was probably a poacher, at the paws of Shere Khan he comes back with the kind of fury that only a human adult can posses. This probably explains why he is able to cover multiple days of walking in a few minutes. Stealing the villages fire he burns down the jungle in his rage most likely killing thousands of animals in the process. We see Mowgli now for the embodiment of evil he has become.
Being held in awe and fear of Mowgli the other animals turn on Shere Khan. However, our hero beats them off. It is important to note that Khan chooses not to kill them, most likely out of pity for their sad plight. He falls at the hand of one of Mowgli’s notorious tricks which ended the lives of the innocent bees earlier on the film. Ironically it is not actually the fire that kills our hero but the fall. Shockingly, the animals submit to Mowgli at the end of the film in what has become one of the most cynical and depressing endings since “Animal Farm”
It does, admittedly, feel at times like the film wants to portray Mowgli more as a hero. For instance, when he helps out a baby Elephant from a pit. But Mowgli’s apparent kindness is clearly diminished by his stale acting, the only true testament of pure evil. His true nature is revealed when his vengeance turns the jungle to ash. Shere Khan does all he can to prevent this throughout the film. He is courageous, determined, honourable and ultimately flawed.. Thus concludes this article, never judge a tiger by the black and orange stripes painted upon him in the media.
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