Mowgli (2018)
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An orphaned human boy raised by wolves must navigate the dangers of the jungle and the threat of a sadistic tiger.
The story
In the jungles of India, a sadistic Bengal tiger named Shere Khan kills a human family, leaving behind a surviving infant boy. The child is rescued by a black panther named Bagheera and taken to a family of Indian wolves. Adopted by the pack and named Mowgli, the boy grows up among the wolves. As he matures, he encounters Shere Khan, who has been antagonizing the nearby human village. Mowgli eventually falls into a tiger trap set by the villagers but is saved by an elephant. Bagheera urges Mowgli to seek safety in the human village, where Mowgli learns of the existence of fire.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being adopted by a wolf pack, Mowgli is raised as a 'man-cub' under the protection of the wolf leader Akela, despite threats from the tiger Shere Khan. As Mowgli grows, he faces trials to earn full membership in the pack, including 'the Running,' where he uses human-like abilities to succeed. After a series of conflicts involving the monkeys (Bandar-log) and the tiger, Mowgli eventually leaves the jungle to live with a human village, where he is cared for by Messua and learns from a hunter named John Lockwood. However, he discovers Lockwood's violent nature and the fact that he killed the elephant's tusk. Mowgli eventually seeks to rid the jungle of Shere Khan by luring the tiger to the village. In a final battle, Lockwood shoots at Shere Khan but wounds Mowgli instead. Akela sacrifices himself to save the boy, and the elephant herd charges the tiger. The other animals join in, forcing Shere Khan to retreat. The dying Akela names Mowgli his successor. Mowgli returns to the jungle, slays the mortally wounded Shere Khan, and brings peace to the jungle.
- Original title
- Jungle Book: Origins
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andy Serkis
- Writers
- Callie Kloves · screenplay; Rudyard Kipling · source material
- Cast and characters
- Rohan Chand · Mowgli; Matthew Rhys · John Lockwood; Freida Pinto · Messua; Christian Bale · Bagheera; Cate Blanchett · Kaa; Benedict Cumberbatch · Shere Khan; Naomie Harris · Nisha; Andy Serkis · Baloo
- Genres
- adventure; drama
- Themes
- coming-of-age; man vs. nature; identity
- Tone and mood
- dark; serious; violent
- Premise and plot tags
- adventure; drama; fantasy; animal-centric; orphan
- Source material / true-story basis
- All the Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling
- Franchise connections
- The Jungle Book
- Content notes
- violence; adult themes
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the visual effects and cast but criticizing the uneven tone and comparing it unfavorably to Disney's live-action remake.
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Jungle Book: Origins.; The film's world premiere in Mumbai was the first time a Hollywood film premiered in India.; The working title was Mowgli: Tales from the Jungle Book before being changed to Mowgli.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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