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A jungle of madness (Les Aces of the jungle 2France/2023). Address: Laurent Bru, Yannick Moulin and Benoît Somville. Script: David Alaux, Eric Tosti, Jean-François Tosti. Music: Olivier Cussac. Edition: Magali Batut, Hélène Blanchard, Jean-Christian Tassy. Duration: 89 minutes. Distributor: BF Paris. Our opinion: regular.
To avoid confusion, it is worth starting with a clarification: this jungle of madness that hits theaters, is the sequel to a film with the same name, same creators and same characters that is available on Prime Video. At the same time, it is important to add that it is based on a series of French origin that has not had any impact in these latitudes. Whether the above is a strength or a weakness is up to the conscience of each viewer.
Having said this, it is understandable why there is no complete presentation of the protagonist group at the beginning of the film; Except us, everyone knows them. Despite this, the story is so basic and linear that there is not much need for an introduction: after a few minutes one finds oneself immersed in the minimal plot, although one still gets a little lost with the names of the heroic and ecological team.
The defenders of the jungle are a quintet of little animals that are always ready to help any countryman in trouble. Between tasks they discover that a mysterious character has sprayed the jungle with foam that, upon contact with any liquid, immediately explodes. The imminent rainy season threatens to make the jungle and most of its inhabitants disappear forever. Once the plan is discovered, the peculiar group (which is joined by two members, who will then become involuntary protagonists) decides to cross the globe to go in search of whoever invented the poison, in the hope that he has the necessary knowledge to develop an antidote, return to the jungle, and manage to spread it in time to stop the destruction process.
From then on, the action will continue in the most expected way one can imagine, which would not necessarily be a mistake considering that it is a film aimed at children. However, two problems appear. Its television origin does not help to give it a depth that is more interesting than the minimum necessary to develop the action. A decision that goes against the grain of what the public has become accustomed to seeing in this type of proposals, where the subtext is a value in itself. Even though its directors assure that adults will find analogous atmospheres or nods to sagas like Indiana Jones or Jackie Chan, or films like Point Break either Kung Fu Panda. But such optimism collides with what the screen offers, which is too far from any more or less serious comparison with any of these references.
Among the redeemable A jungle of madness There is the animation of the characters, the digital design of the settings, and an edition that takes advantage of new technologies but without overwhelming them with excess. Also a story that underlies the importance of taking care of the planet and each of the beings that inhabit it. Everything is woven together by a succession of topical situations tailored to the needs of very young children, who will surely leave the cinema excited by the festival of lights and colors that serves as a setting for a group of characters, as friendly and inconsequential as they are unknown.
