Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle
Netflix | Release Date: November 29, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
12
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
50
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerDec 5, 2018
Honestly, the visuals let a stellar voice cast down. In trying so hard to escape Disney, Serkis just fell deeper in his shadow. Read full review
50
ConsequenceBlake GobleDec 10, 2018
Mowgli is not entirely recommendable, but it’s not a total bust either. Read full review
40
EmpireOlly RichardsNov 29, 2018
For all his ambition, Serkis can’t find the right tone for Mowgli and it becomes a very confused beast, neither fun enough for all ages to enjoy nor complex enough to be the visceral, grown-up thriller he nudges at. Read full review
67
IGNJim VejvodaNov 28, 2018
It’s intellectually intriguing and well-acted, but the inconsistent visual effects undermine the necessary suspension of disbelief when it comes to mixing live-action humans with talking CG animals in such a serious and somber adaptation of the Kipling classic. Still, it’s a thoughtful and dramatic interpretation, which sets it apart from most incarnations of The Jungle Book. Read full review
58
IndieWireKate ErblandNov 28, 2018
For every scene of dazzling wonder, there’s another of outsized horror; for every big cat who looks ready to jump off the screen, there’s a wolf that appears bizarrely unfinished. There is little middle ground. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 28, 2018
The abiding darkness and occasionally graphic visuals will likely reduce its appeal as talking-critter family fare — think growling nighttime campfire tale instead of sun-dappled spectacle — but it makes for a welcome swerve from the Mouse House’s fun-zone approach to these timeless stories. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriDec 1, 2018
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is a more troubled beast, the surly goth teen of the Kipling remake pack, with maybe a touch of pyromania and an alarming fondness for blood. Its edges are rougher, and its animation isn’t quite as jaw-dropping. But it’s also beautiful in its own phantasmagoric way. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzNov 29, 2018
The whole movie feels oddly stranded and dramatically inert, despite the obvious passion that went into making it. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearDec 5, 2018
There’s much to gasp and fawn over here, and too much forgettable filler. But at least audiences have a chance to see it, so Serkis and his collaborators can finally turn the page on this particular book. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubNov 28, 2018
If “The Jungle Book” is like taking a trip to Disneyland, then “Mowgli” is a hike straight into unknown woods with nothing but some duct tape and a Bowie knife. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineDerek SmithNov 28, 2018
While the film’s perception of the politics of the jungle is often profound, the same cannot be said of its take on the human world. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyDec 5, 2018
The film is something like a digital tiger itself: an approximation, not exactly the same as the real thing. With the cut to credits, it ceases to exist. Read full review
20
The AtlanticDavid SimsDec 12, 2018
For all the time Serkis has had to tinker with it, the film feels painfully incomplete, from its frequently told story to its weak visuals. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzDec 7, 2018
Too terrifying for children, too boring for adults and arriving far too soon after a nearly identical project, Andy Serkis’s Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is a frustrating, fascinating mess. Read full review
40
The GuardianPeter BradshawNov 28, 2018
No songs at all now, and not much fun. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterMichael RechtshaffenNov 28, 2018
Andy Serkis' decidedly non-Disney Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle may have intended to offer a darker, grittier take on the classic Kipling stories, but the end result proves to be more of a murky muddle. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 28, 2018
The filmmakers are clearly trying to bring an uncommon maturity to the fantasy film, and in many respects they succeed. While not everything here works, what does is impressive. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenDec 5, 2018
No previous screen rendering of the Rudyard Kipling classic — not the 2016 Disney live-action epic and certainly not the jaunty, tuneful 1967 Disney animated version beloved by generations — has been so very dark and wild and, surprisingly, thoughtful. Read full review
25
TheWrapMonica CastilloNov 29, 2018
As an actor, Serkis may be the industry’ mo-cap master, but storytelling through performance is a different skill than writing or directing. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 11, 2018
The film is not without spectacle, but it is strangely without soul. That would’ve made it a disappointment to anyone buying a movie ticket, but perhaps at home, it will make for a more welcome distraction. Read full review
40
VoxEmily VanDerWerffDec 9, 2018
Motion capture is a great way to achieve certain effects. But it turns out when you use it to graft human expressions onto animals, you end up with the first movie to star an all-Tuunbaq cast. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanDec 5, 2018
In some ways, Mowgli feels like an origin story. There’s a slight but unmistakable suggestion of a potential sequel to its open-ended climax. Read full review
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