Decent, But...

Rating: 7/10 (30 July 2019)

Now, let me just start off with a quick reminder that this is a remake, not a reimagining, so you shouldn't expect anything brand spanking new in this movie. Got that out of the way? Great.
This movie has great CGI, casting and musical numbers. Donald Glover was great as Simba, but Beyoncé was noticeably bad as Nala. JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright-Joseph did great as Young Nala and Simba, while Zazu was kind of just lacking the flair he had from the original we all loved so much. Chiwetel Ejifor in my opinion did great as Scar, even if his song was cut short. Speaking of cut short, that's what happened to the hyena's comical relief, instead replaced with Azizi and Kamari, who have some funny moments scattered throughout the movie. There's a long-standing gag about Azizi getting in Kamari's space, and it's pretty funny. Azizi is basically Ed but a tad bit smarter, and Keegan Michael-Key and Eric Andre were perfect for the roles.
One thing to remember is that this is a shot-for-shot remake, which means there is nothing new, and nothing that gives it it's own unique flair except for all the new good stuff, like the casting. Another thing that really lowers this whole movie is the whole idea of photorealism. It being in this movie makes it creepy how people can create animals out of a keyboard and a screen. Photorealism means that there are no facial expressions. So that means no tears, frowns, smiles, or aggravation in the faces of the Lions/ literally any animal.
In the end, this movie is pretty good, but it's quite the obvious cash grab, but that shouldn't stop you or anyone from seeing this movie!