Decent, but had much room for improvement

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2019)

First off, I have seen the movie (it was released in China last Friday). I wont say it was bad. But it wasnt terrific either.
The only three things I did not agree with were the casting of Beyonce as Nala, the insert of her random song about Spirit, and the way they changed up Scar.
I cannot continue this review with allowing for spoilers, so instead of getting all upset about spoilers, if you dont like them, kindly pass over this review.
My first disagreement was the casting of Beyonce. I thought she wasnt right for the role. You could really tell that she enjoyed the role, which I loved that. But she gave an extra human quality and personality to Nala that didnt match up with the CGI lion. Don't know if that is necessarily her fault as much as the CGI artists, but I felt she delivered too much attitude in the lines.
The second thing was the insert of Beyonces random song, Spirit. It was randomly placed, no doubt just because she is Beyonce. The song was nice, but the tune of it didnt have the same feel as the other songs in the soundtrack. I think it would have made a great ending credit song, but it doesnt fit well in the movie itself.
The last of my woes surrounds Scar. I can accept that they made Scar into this mangly, decimated version of the cartoon character. Due to canon and what we know about him, he was cast out from the main pride. Which would mean he would not have the same hunting privilidges. However, they did not do justice to the villainy and cunning that Scar showed in the original. Seemingly with the song 'Be Prepared'. They shortened it to 8 speaking lines, and a full minute of the words "be prepared" being repeated over and over. The actor himself seemed like he could have pulled the full song off. He is no Jeremy Irons, but he did well. It was just a shame they didnt showcase that.
I appreciate the job that they did. I would have much rather seen more of Scars song than Beyonces. The ladscapes were beautiful and all the other characters were portrayed well, even with the limited emotions on the animals. What a treat it was to see James Earl Jones reprise Mufusa.
I just wished they were more careful with these three things.