Sublime!

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2019)

I am very saddened to scroll through this film's reviews only to see 1-star rating after 1-star rating after 1-star rating. I know for a fact that I am not the only person in the world who loved this film: where are they?
My title summarises it all: this film is sublime, and it is one of the best films I have seen all year. The live-action version of our beloved cartoon is a much darker and grittier version of the tale, yet it still retains several of the gloriously heartwarming things about The Lion King. It has a delicious balance of feeling like the cartoon we all know and love, AND altering elements to make the story more hardcore and serious.
Not being a fan of modern songs with lyrics, I don't feel qualified to fully review Beyoncé's contributions to this film, though I don't think she deserved nearly as much cynicism as she received from most critics. The orchestral soundtrack was absolutely phenomenal! The star highlight musically was the "Stampede" sequence, which is a masterpiece: it was much improved upon from the first film, and completely stunning.
Additionally, though many people criticised it, I loved the new version of "Be Prepared". Yes, it is not the elaborate, fun, twisted, and slightly camp song from the cartoon; it is instead a rather dark and disturbing battle cry. Who cares - it was brilliant! Bravo.
Character portrayals were different from the original, in some instances, but still very interesting to watch. The character of Mufasa still has his verve, strength, and impressiveness as before, although his character does seem a bit more elderly than his cartoon-equivalent (obviously because James Earl Jones has got older since!). As the director says, it serves to help him sound like a long-time ruler!
The character of Scar is much less effeminate and much more evil, which was the same treatment the hyenas received. (Shenzi is a total psycho!)
Timon and Pumbaa were hilarious as always; Simba and Nala were delightful (both in young and old form). While I preferred Rowan Atkinson's portrayal of Zazu, John Oliver was still fantastic, and brought out lots of laughs from my family.
Of course, last but not least, the visuals in this film are just stunning. Beautiful scenery, and ingeniously made CGI lions. This film deserves far more online credit! A masterpiece.
(It is laughable that the Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards nominated this for the 'Time Waster Remake' award. I respect their opinions, of course, but creating an award for a remake that shouldn't have been made? Intemperate and ridiculous.)