The Lion King
Starring: Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Beyonce
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Rated: PG
“Everything the light touches is our kingdom”- Mufasa and Disney as they look over everything they own. It’s no secret that Disney has complete box office domination this summer. A lot of that is thanks to Marvel, some of it is thanks to Pixar, but a good chunk is due to their live-action remakes. There has been a significant debate going on in the film community about whether these remakes are necessary at all, or just soulless cash grabs. Does The Lion King bring anything new to the table? Or is it just an unnecessary remake? I’m going to break it all down in this review.
As you all know, I’ve been a huge proponent for the Disney live-action remakes. Since birth, I’ve been watching Disney movies on repeat all day, every day. So when they started updating them as live-action spectacles, I was all in. Cinderella and The Jungle Book have been my favorite of the live-action remakes to date, but I really enjoyed Aladdin earlier this summer. I went in to see The Lion King with an open mind and really enjoyed it! It’s a genuinely entertaining remake of the original. Director John Favreau uses many similar filmmaking techniques as The Jungle Book. The visual effects are a strong point, with each animal looking shockingly realistic. The technology is all visual effects, but during several aspects of the movie, I thought I was watching real animals with CGI imprinted on their faces for talking scenes. It’s quite an achievement to see this digital technology look so ridiculously realistic.
In terms of screenplay, this film is a shot-by-shot recreation of the original Lion King. As far as I can remember, there are no significant changes from the original film. If you enjoyed that, chances are you’ll be happy with this one. I particularly enjoyed seeing the recreation of the iconic opening title sequence and Simba’s “Just Can’t Wait to Be King” number. Actually, I liked all the musical numbers in the film because musicals make life better. I’ve seen many criticisms that this adaption plays it too safe and doesn’t take enough risks story-wise. Still, it’s thoroughly entertaining, and there’s something very cool about seeing the classic story re-told through a photorealistic lens.
There is quite an impressive voice cast attached to this adaption of The Lion King with James Earl Jones voicing Mufasa, Donald Glover as Simba, and Beyonce as Nala. Each voice actor brings a sense of emotion and personality to their characters. It doesn’t get much more epic than Mufasa and James Earl Jones makes every scene count. The early scenes with young Simba (JD McCrary) and Mufasa are emotional and moving. It makes things that much more heartbreaking when a certain stampede comes into the picture. Chiwetel Ejiofor is menacing as Scar, the power hungry tyrant brother of Mufasa. He’s not as obviously over-the-top as the animated version, but brings an air of danger to the film. Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner bring great, light-hearted moments as Timon and Pumba. Each of their scenes have quick paced comedy that helps shift the tone to more light-hearted fare.
My issue with the film is the lighting. For the most part, the cinematography is gorgeous. It highlights every aspect of the African savannah in brilliant detail. Yet, any sequence that takes place at night never looks properly lit. At times, it can be difficult to see what’s going on with Scar and the hyenas because it is so dark. There’s no denying that the hyena den of the animated version was more impressive. I guess it helped that I could see it. Who knows what was happening in this hyena den because it was so dark! A little lighting can go a long way.
After all is said and done,The Lion King may not break any new ground cinematically (considering it plays it safe with the original story). However, fans will find much to admire in this adaption. It’s a genuinely enjoyable summer blockbuster that finds its roar in its technological accomplishments.
My Rating: 7/10
*All images belong to Walt Disney Pictures