Directed by: Jon Favreau
Written by: Jeff Nathanson, Brenda Chapman
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, James Earl Jones, JD McCrary
Swift shot: Watch the original.
Awhile back, I saw the new Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson. I loved it, but others were not thrilled. Now I understand why, because I never saw the animated Beauty and the Beast, so I had nothing to compare it to. On its own, I enjoyed it. And that is how I feel about this new re-hashed The Lion King. Unless you’ve never seen the original, there is nothing special about this film. It’s a less well done version of a better film. So, watch that one instead.
I won’t get into the story, because nothing changes from the original, in fact other than a few differences with the hyenas and some minor dialog and cheesy tacked on Disney homages, I couldn’t really find many differences at all.
I think the original The Lion King is a flawless film, and you can read my review for that superior movie which talks all about the plot and story.
So, let’s talk about why this film is not good. It never needed to be made. If you know anything about me, I constantly harp on the fact that Hollywood needs to stop remaking good movies and instead find some decent movies that could stand some improvement.
The Lion King didn’t need improvement!
Sure, it’s so cool that we no longer have to use live animals in our films, and now we can show real animals completely anthropomorphized for our entertainment. But, so what? Who cares? Also, it’s kinda creepy.
The first time I saw Mufasa, I had that “uncanny valley” feeling like I was watching a robot, and with the exception of a few key dramatic lines, it was like James Earl Jones was just as unimpressed with this new film as I was. And discerning ears can tell.
I am a major fan of Favreau and Jones, of course, but I must be true to myself and my readers, this was not a film I had any interest in ever watching. I got drawn into seeing it, because it was at an actual IMAX screen, and I figured, what the hell, at least let me try something new, maybe there will be some Disney epiphany that I will say, yes, this is an impeccable film worthy of my time.
But, much like the shot-for-shot Psycho, it just felt cheap and honestly, every time there was a dramatic scene, I kept thinking back to the original anyway, and how it was superior.
In fact, in the most powerful moment of the original, when Mufasa appears in the stars, Favreau opted for complete “realism” with the animals (you know, the ones dancing and talking and singing). So, rather than show Mufasa in the stars, a scene that could have been quite remarkable, he blew it. A big . . . “what the hell was that?” was what we got instead.
And speaking of singing and acting. Man, it was painful to endure some of the dialog and singing. There was this one weird song that was tacked in that lasted all of a minute and left me wondering if that was how they convinced Beyonce to be in this so she could say she had an “original song” or whatever.
Also, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa just looked disgusting. I will give them this, when we see baby Pumbaa, that was cute, but one scene in an otherwise redundant movie doesn’t impress me much.
Eichner was a decent Timon. The hyenas were kind of funny, I guess, but again, devoid of real personality.
Animation affords animals much more expression and depth of character. That’s honestly why I have no desire to see The Jungle Book either, and still haven’t, so far. It is just kind of lame and weird looking to me to see a character like Baloo as an actual bear.
And now I know I am right to feel that way, because that’s how The Favreau Lion King (as it shall henceforth be known) made me feel. I felt like I was cheating on my favorite movie.
I sat there, sighing, immersed in this giant screen, unable to escape the unnecessary movie that will probably be one of Disney’s biggest cinematic flops. Or, maybe not, people are stupid these days, maybe it will be adored by fans, because they are being told to adore it by an anthropomorphic mouse.
God help whoever makes that movie, because I will rip them to shreds!
So, congrats, Disney, you managed to make me feel disgust for something I love. Well done.
