Live-Action ‘Jungle Book’ Makes for Animated Discussion

In “The Jungle Book,” Disney’s live-action version of the Rudyard Kipling classic, the Indian boy Mowgli grows up among jungle animals and must learn about love, greed and firearms after the British colonialists discover him as a totally buff and sensitive young man. (Rated PG)

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They’ve seen the Disney cartoon. They’ve even read the book. But three friends agreed the live-action movie version, complete with real elephants, tigers and bears, tops them all.

Something of a cross between “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Doctor Doolittle,” the movie added the required spice for many young viewers: action. John Reid, 10, Matt Robison, 9, and Matt Smith, 10, were in accord.

“We all agree the movie is best. We all agree it was a great movie with a whole bunch of exciting parts,” Matt Smith said.

Despite a prologue that informs us the tale will be “mostly about love,” Matt observed: “There were only, like, two kisses in the whole movie.”

Those smooches came between Mowgli and Kitty, friends separated at age 5 when a tiger raid on their camp drove Mowgli into the jungle, where he was raised by wolves.

What the young viewers remembered much more were the fights between Mowgli (Jason Scott Lee) and the jealous imperialist Capt. Boone (Cary Elwes), who tricks Mowgli into guiding him and his corrupt cohorts to a treasure deep in the jungle, and the subsequent leaps off cliffs, giant snake attacks and drownings in water and quicksand.

Most entertaining of all were Kipling’s animal characters: King Louie, the ape with a penchant for crown jewels; Baloo, a teddy bear of a grizzly; Bagheera, a pussycat of a panther; the guardian wolves, and Shere Khan, the fearsome tiger only Mowgli can tame.

“King Louie, he’s the best,” John said. But he also liked it when Mowgli fought Ka, the snake, underwater.

Matt Smith’s favorite part was “at the very, very end when (Mowgli) tamed Shere Khan and (Mowgli) knew he was an animal, not a human.”

Watching it for the second time, he knew his favorite lines by heart. When the British soldiers ask Mowgli why the animals are staring at them, Matt mimicked Mowgli’s answer in an altered voice: “Because to him . . . you are food.” Another favorite: “ ‘I am not a man. . . . I am an animal.’ And then he goes, ‘I am not an animal, either.’ ”

Beforehand, Matt Robison was afraid “it was going to be one of those wussy ones, like the cartoon.” Surprised, he said, “I thought it was good.” While his friends gave it an A plus, he gave it only an A because in the beginning he had to look at a boring map of India.

Matt Smith was also bored when the English incarcerated Mowgli temporarily. And he was slightly bothered by a loose end.

“The one thing I don’t get is, he gets shot in the arm, and he uses his arm easy the next day, and they didn’t even take the bullet out.” Yeah! What about that?

For those who don’t like sword fights, drownings, shootings and snake attacks, John and the Matts recommend the book.

“A book might be better for younger kids because then you can imagine it less violent,” Matt Smith. “But if you want to see it a little more violent, you could go see the movie. Or if you just want to see a good movie, you could go and see the cartoon.”

The boys decided the action might be too intense for children under, say, 5, and sensitive adults over, say, 30.

Matt Smith chuckled about his mother, who accompanied him to an earlier show.

“She was holding on to me, saying, ‘What’s going to happen?’ I said, ‘It’s a Disney movie, Mom. He’s not going to rip its guts out or anything.”