Life's Not Fair

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2019)

The one thing I keep saying to people about this reimagining of the 1994 classic is that it's essentially a shot for shot remake and if you're argument is "what's the point of it then?", I won't necessarily argue with you. But I will tell you that this film is meant to be seen on the big screen, and is a visual masterpiece. With that said, they added about 30 minutes worth of footage but the story is almost exactly the same. In other words, it's still Hamlet with Lions, and if you're okay with that, I don't see why you wouldn't enjoy the remake. Coming off The Jungle Book, I don't think anyone will deny the appeal of Jon Favreau attempting to put a CGI/live action spin on the classic tale. 95% of the cast is picture perfect, even if they don't necessarily compare to the original (i.e. Jeremy Irons), and I can get behind most of the new takes on the songs as well. Maybe the Beyonce song is out of place and perhaps you can't fully feel the emotion behind the animals eyes, when you don't have animators manipulating the characters' faces in the 1994 version, but I was still able to feel the 'Disney Magic' in what may be the most real looking 'animated' film I have ever seen. Aside from a few frustrating minor changes (that only a die-heard Lion King fan who has seen the original over 100 times would care about), I enjoyed the live action film more than I probably should have. It hit me right in the feels.
8.8/10