I think it was a triumph, a thing of beauty

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2019)

Okay what do I have to say this is of course a remake of the famous animation film classic "The Lion King" from the 1990s. I could end here. But I won't. First things first: It runs for slightly under two hours and was directed by Jon Favreau. I will spare you the names of the writers. Also it has been a long time since I watched the original film I just mentioned, so I won't really talk about similarities and differences, just talk a bit about this new 2019 movie here taking the newest animation techniques and visual progress to elaborate once again on this classic. I must say I was a bit skeptical knowing the story really and all the characters if the film could win me over because sometimes when I in detail know about the plot I am struggling a bit with that, but it was not a problem here by any means. I had a really great time. I was either glued to the screen in the more serious moments or just smiling permanently during the lighter sequences. You will laugh a lot seeing this one too. Just a few examples the whole Hakuna Matata sequence, the brief "Lion sleeps tonight", Pumbaa going rogue after the bodyshaming that happens towards the end of the film etc. With how funny he is we forgot that he is also a pretty strong wild animal I guess. So yes Timon and Pumbaa really brought in some great comedic delight that was badly needed with how serious everything else was most of the time. I am of course mostly referring to the scenes with Scar. The Mufasa death sequence got me, but what I found even more emotional were the scenes with the night sky (and the foreshadowing coming with it), first the father-son scene with the stars and old kings looking down on them which was really touching (I'm just a sucker for scenes involving star-studded skies) and second occasion same location with Timon and Pumbaa next to Simba. Also how he and Nala met each other again with their playful fighting was really cute. And the deeper moments like that the king of animals does not own everything but is responsible for keeping up the circle of life in a way as Mufasa tells his son also never felt fake or try-hard, so they really did a convincing job all in all with this challenging task.
Another thing I liked here is that they got some of the old actors back like James Earl Jones from the original Lion King film. And new famous faces, mostly black actors for whatever reason like Glover, Beyoncé, Key, Kasumba, but also Rogen. I cannot really comment on their voice acting because I watched the German dub which was nice too. I struggled a bit early on with young Simba's voice, but I got used to it I guess. Also they did a good job here with the German song versions of Elton John's classics I suppose. This could have gone a lot worse. The music in general was a highlight here. So were really all the visuals, it was a beautiful sight from beginning to end and surely added to the film's charme. I have seen people criticize that it looked too modern for the story, but I don't think this is a valid argument at all. I did see though that many critics did not like this film too much and I am not sure if that surprised me. I mean this would be the second year in a row where my favorite film was really adored by the fans (not as much as Bohemian Rhapsody admittedly), but slightly panned by critics. Screw them I say. You should not let them destroy the viewing experience here. It is a wonderful movie that had me on the edge of the seat constantly and definitely definitely watch it on the big screen as long as it is still there. Chances are high it probably won't be shown a lot anymore in theaters later on with the reception once it is gone after everybody has basically seen it. It is probably the best film I have seen so far from the new wave of remakes of famous classics. Watched Aladdin earlier this year and it was good too, but not great, just okay. This one here is really mesmerizing and it gets better and better the longer it goes. Just such a charming movie. All the money they invested here and it surely was a lot definitely paid off. No idea if it will keep the top spot and for how long, but at this point this is my new favorite 2019 release. I highly recommend checking it out. Also great that young movie-goers can get their own Lion King experience in theaters now despite being born a long time after the original from back then. And if they really don't like this new take on things, which would surprise me (they are not old enough to be pretentious), then maybe it will direct their attention to the 90s' Lion King and it is also worth it. Everything about this one here is worth it too. It never felt like two hours and the film really flew by and could have gone on for another half hour without me losing my concentration. At least. A modern classic. Don't miss out under any circumstances. Don't get fooled or distracted by the reviews. Watch and experience it yourself! Highly highly recommended.