The Lion King (2019 Film) Review
"The Lion King" (2019) is a photo-real, computer animated remake of Disney's 1994 hand-drawn animated film. It follows Simba, the son of Mufasa and Prince of the animal Pride Lands, who is eager to follow in his father's footsteps - or is that pawsteps? All the while, Mufasa's brother, Scar, plots against his brother and nephew to usurp his way into become King.
Donald Glover provides the voice of Simba while JD McCrary voices Simba's younger self. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter voices Nala while Shahadi Wright Joseph provides the voice of young Nala. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan voice Timon and Pumbaa. John Oliver, John Kani, and Chiwetel Ejiofor voice Zazu, Rafiki, and Scar, respectively. James Earl Jones, the voice of the 1994 film's Mufasa, returns to voice the character in this 2019 remake.
Jon Favreau, who also directed Disney's 2016 remake of "The Jungle Book," directed "The Lion King" (2019). Additionally, he produced the film with Jeffrey Silver and Karen Gilchrist. Jeff Nathanson wrote the script, based on Irene Mecchi, Johnathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton's script from the 1994 animated film. "The Lion King" (2019) was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Overall Thoughts
To this day, "The Lion King" (1994) remains one of my favorite films from Disney, so when a so-called "live-action" remake was announced, I reacted the way I usually do when one of these Disney remakes are announced: I sighed and asked myself, "What are they going to do to mess this up?" Then, I found out that Jon Favreau would be directing and I love Jon Favreau's films. "Elf" is a film I watch every Christmas season, "Zathura" is a piece of my childhood nostalgia that holds up to this day, and "Iron Man" is a perfect superhero origin story. I may have been unenthused about his "Jungle Book" remake, but, I had some faith that he'd deliver a satisfactory remake at the very least. Unfortunately, my hopes were not rewarded.
I don't know many ways that you could improve or build upon the animated "Lion King" and judging from what Jon Favreau gives, it's clear that he didn't either. I know some of you may be wondering why he needs to try something different, but I feel that's self-explanatory. I don't want to pay money to see something that's been done before and - here's what kills the film - that's been done better. "The Lion King" (2019) not only uses the animated film's blueprint, but it even fails at matching it in quality. Those iconic scenes, songs, and messages that you and I love are botched in an attempt to make everything look photo-real and rekindle the same spirit that the animated film had.
The opening "Circle of Life" number is a shot-for-shot replica with none of the majesty or beauty that once was there. Mufasa's death is utterly laughable, with young Simba's "No!" cry sounding utterly pathetic. The "Can You Feel Love Tonight" scene doesn't even take place at night here. That is inept filmmaking at its finest. The "Remember Who You Are" sequence is a complete failure as the filmmakers refused to attempt any creative visuals. The message of accepting your past mistakes and learning from them isn't even attempted, so the film wastes time building up scattered pieces of a point that isn't made when all is said and done. Before you criticize me for comparing this film to the animated film, saying that it should be judged on it's own merits, please remember that it cannot. That's like saying that Gus Van Sant's remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" should be judged on it's own. This new "Lion King" doesn't want to stand alone, so why should I pretend it does? The shot-for-shot nature of the film seals its fate.
Now, as for the photo-realistic style of the CGI, it's fine. It's the same that was used for Favreau's "The Jungle Book" and I didn't find it that impressive then, so even less so now. I suppose it does look good, but the color is drained out of once colorful locations. Everything looks bland. The animals, particularly the lion characters, all look the same. I had a hard time differentiating father from son, mother from daughter, hyena from hyena. What you gain in making everything look semi-lifelike, you lose in distinct character designs and clear facial expressions. You knew who was who and what emotions each character was feeling in the animated film. You cannot tell here. Plus, I don't understand the decision to make everything look as real as possible, considering the animals still talk. If there was no dialogue, I'd understand it, but because they do, it defeats the purpose of trying to be "realistic." In addition, the matching of the voice to the mouth movements is clumsy. I didn’t believe anyone's voice is coming out of any of those animals.
The voice cast is a mix between actors who were a good fit for their assigned roles and actors who weren't. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan are good replacements for Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as Timon and Pumbaa. The two share a good comedic rapport, replicating Lane and Sabella's routine while also adding something of their own to it. Chiwetel Ejiofer made for a decent Scar. He did have the intensity down, but when it came to making you believe Scar was a mastermind, he failed. Maybe it's because the actor has been integrated in one Disney brand too many, but Donald Glover felt like a dull choice for Simba. To be fair, neither was Matthew Broderick when he was cast in the animated film, but while Broderick ended up providing the necessary heart and soul needed for the role, Glover does not. I sensed his disinterest in reciting the same lines because that's exactly what his delivery came across as: him reciting lines. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is in the film because the movie needs her singing talents for a generic song to play over a sequence, not because she has any great voice acting talents and once again, her delivery as Nala comes across as reciting lines and nothing more. John Oliver tried too hard to be as comedic as Rowan Atkinson that he ended up feeling out of place in the story. John Kani has few lines as Rafiki. When he's given the opportunity to say something, he does well I suppose, but you don't feel the character's inner wisdom as strongly anymore.
Bringing James Earl Jones back as Mufasa made me legitimately upset while watching the movie. The fact that an almost ninety-year-old man should have to come back and re-record lines that he said twenty-five years ago is criminal. You should've found someone new like you did for everyone else, Favreau. Using the same actor only shows a sign of laziness on your part. It's not good for him and it's not good for your movie. Remember when he tried to come back as Darth Vader in "Rogue One?" Sure, the character was excellent when he didn't have to say anything, but when he did, it wasn't as intimidating, right? That is exactly the same case here. In the animated film, Jones's voice did feel very fatherly and the love Mufasa had for his son was clear. Here, with Jones older, it feels like a grandfather talking to his grandson. Not only that, but his interest and passion for the part isn't there anymore.
"The Lion King" (2019) is a mess of a film. The filmmakers' ambition was little and as a result, they failed to understand what made the original tale so timeless and inspiring. Instead of celebrating what made it so great, this remake plays like a desperate attempt to capitalize on your nostalgia. Of course, the animated film is still pitch perfect, but this failure of a remake sullies its name. As someone who has liked very few of these Disney remakes, I didn't expect anything much and somehow, I got even less, to the point where I was watching a three-minute long sequence that featured a ball of excrement. So naturally, give it a billion dollars, right? I'm not even mad anymore. Rather, I'm depressed. Do people know what makes a good film anymore? That "Mulan" remake can't come soon enough. Hopefully, that's as good as the trailer is.
Rating: ★
I'm not going to beat around the bush here. You shouldn't see this movie. It's made more money than it deserves and I've put more effort in this review of the film than the filmmakers did in making the film itself. Instead, go see a movie worthy of your hard-earned dollar. "Toy Story 4," "Yesterday," and "Spider-Man: Far From Home" are a few recommendations. I've yet to see it, but "The Farewell" got a wider release lately. You should see that. Just don't see this movie. Don't see it in theaters, don't see it on streaming, and don't rent it, much less buy it. If you want to see "The Lion King," see the 1994 film, not this. I've already begun to forget this movie and you should too.
Conclusion
This has been my review of "The Lion King" (2019). I hope you enjoyed this review. Have you seen the film? If you have, share your thoughts in the comments below. In addition, feel free to recommend a film for me to review next. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, your resident film fanatic, and I'll return soon with another review.
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