The Lion King is a visually stunning film, with revolutionary CGI work and VFX. However, it turns out, lions cannot really emote. Which makes this one of the most unnecessary films of the year.
The original Lion King was, is, and will be one of Disney’s best films of all time, which is why this remake was such a risky bet. Despite director Jon Favreau’s efforts to stick to the original storyline, the film fails to recreate the magic. The concept of a live-action (or in this case, photorealistic) remake worked for The Jungle Book, as it had a human boy acting alongside CGI animals, adding some emotion and depth to the film. However, here, the attempt to create a live-action retelling of the Disney classic falls flat on its face, essentially because in real life, lions don’t sing, dance, or cry.
To give credit where it’s due, the visual effects were breathtaking. The voice actors were, mostly, perfectly cast, with the exception of Chewetel Ejiofor, who was just not menacing or creepy enough as Jeremy Irons. Donald Glover, although underutilized, was charismatic and charming as Simba, and his voice was suited the songs perfectly. Special mention to Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen (as Timon and Pumba respectively), who managed to bring in some laughs from the audience.
The music was great too—all the same songs barring one Beyoncé original (which in my opinion felt completely out of place)—with Can You Feel the Love Tonight giving me the chills.
Something that really puzzles me is change in characterisation of Rafiki the baboon. In the original, he was depicted as looney and wacky, which is what made him so much fun. In this version, he is barely on screen, and his pivotal scene with Simba (hilarious and emotional in the original) was, god knows why, shortened to a 20 second revelation for Simba.
In conclusion, I was thoroughly disappointed with this remake of The Lion King. Really, nobody is to blame here, except for maybe the Disney executives who wanted to milk this nostalgia filled cash cow. But I suppose it worked, with the movie bringing in more than a billion dollars at the global box office. (Also, why is Can You Feel the Love Tonight set in the afternoon!)
This is Newsroom's first film review! Watch this space for more to come.
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