The Jungle Book (2016)

Christopher Walken talk-singing as an ape the size of a building is the strangest thing in The Jungle Book, and it shows off a remake that can’t decide if it wants to be a musical. Two classic songs get squeezed in like they were on a checklist. Everywhere else, this thing is gorgeous. Jon Favreau’s jungle looks real enough to smell, the animals move like animals, and Neel Sethi, the one kid on screen, runs and climbs through all of it with real grit. Bill Murray is Baloo. Not voicing him. Is him. Idris Elba’s Shere Khan is legit scary, all low growl and patience, and Ben Kingsley’s Bagheera is the strict teacher you end up thanking later. Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa gets one great hypnotic scene and slithers off. It made $967.7 million worldwide, and the visuals earned most of it. A 7.4 because the look is a knockout and the tone keeps tripping between scary nature movie and sing-along. $34.86 says you sing the first line of The Bare Necessities in the shower this week and hum the rest.

What works: The photoreal jungle is stunning, Bill Murray’s Baloo is perfect casting, and Idris Elba makes Shere Khan genuinely frightening.

What doesn’t: The tone swings between scary nature film and sing-along musical, and the songs feel squeezed in rather than earned.

Who it’s for: Families with kids old enough for a scary tiger, and anyone who grew up on the cartoon and wants to see it look real.