I’d put The Lion King at the bottom of the
Disney live-action (or in this case, photo-realistic CGI) remakes. Not that I’d
go so far as to call it bad, but despite the of-course impressive CGI and the
star-studded cast, the end result is lackluster. While I don’t regret having
seen it, I’m in no hurry to see it again.
As in the
original animated film, this “kids’ version of Hamlet with Serengeti animals” follows young Simba, the only son of
King Mufasa and the heir to the Pridelands. Simba can’t wait to grow up and be
king, but an unexpected tragedy – along with some manipulation care of his
grasping, ambitious Uncle Scar – leads him to feel he doesn’t deserve his
birthright. As he grows, can he face up to the hardships of his past and become
the king the Pridelands need?
No, I’m
not really asking, because of course you already know. Like its live-action
predecessors, this is a movie fueled mostly by the nostalgia and good will you
have for the original. I’ll admit it’s been a good many years since I watched
the ‘90s Lion King, but it was a
definite favorite in my house growing up and I later grew to love the Broadway
cast recording (I mean, “Endless Night”?? Goodness gracious.) But my impression
here is that there’s very little that isn’t pulled pretty directly from the
animated film. I mean, with Beauty and the Beast, you’ve got inventor Belle and “Evermore,” and with Aladdin, you’ve got Jasmine’s royal
ambitions and Aladdin’s sweet dance moves. I can’t think of anything really
major in The Lion King that stuck to
me as “oh, that’s new!”, or even, “Wait, was that in the original? I can’t
remember.” (Is this whole thing a sign that I need to watch the original again?
Probably.)
Which,
again, isn’t exactly bad. After all, the original’s a classic for a reason! But
it isn’t all that interesting. Basically all these Disney remakes are, on the
whole, pale imitations of the classic movies we loved, but one thing that can
make them rise above that are the little twists they add to the story, taking
these beloved characters somewhere we haven’t seen them go before. This movie doesn’t
have much of that going for it.
Much has
been said about the CGI, and it’s all true. It’s gorgeously-detailed and almost
uncanny in places. However, that realism means a trade-off with expression.
This CGI animals can’t emote the way the cartoon ones did, and that flattens
the impact of the more intense scenes. (Not to mention, it can make things
harder to follow. I absolutely cannot
tell one lioness apart from another unless they start talking and I hear which
actor’s voice it is.)
As for
the acting, I don’t think the CGI is helping anyone’s case, as it’s hard to
give a strong vocal performance when the visuals aren’t really backing it up.
But even with that under consideration, not many of the performances stand out.
It’s a shame, because I like plenty of the actors, but they really don’t make a
big impression. Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, Chiwetel Ejiofor as
Scar? Fine, but nothing special. James Earl Jones reprises his role as Mufasa,
John Kani is effective as Rafiki, and John Oliver gets the job done as Zazu
(although I agree with whoever said online that Oliver the person somehow looks
even more like the original Zazu than the photo-realistic CGI bird does.) The
most memorable voice acting comes from Billy Eichner as Timon and Seth Rogen as
Pumbaa – the two of them have a really fun back-and-forth together, and Eichner
was my pick for Most Surprisingly-Good Singer. I also want to single out
Florence Kasumba (the “move, or you will be moved” Dora Milaje from Captain America: Civil War,) who really
brings some presence to the hyena Shenzi.
Warnings
Scary
moments for kids, some CGI animal violence, gross-out humor, and thematic
elements.
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