THE LION KING REVIEW

Rating: 9/10 (19 July 2019)

2019's The Lion King is a 'live action' remake of the 1994 original animation flick which went on to become an iconic film for all ages. Those who have watched the original Lion King will vouch for its strong emotional connect, rousing, heartbreaking moments that left a lasting impression and of course the legendary soundtrack and background score. When the royal lion cub, Simba is born to Queen Sarabi and King Mufasa, animals in the forest rejoice at having a new heir. But their joy is short-lived when Mufasa dies trying to save little Simba's life. Feeling guilty for being the cause of his father's death Simba runs away from the forest. And now his evil uncle Scar takes over the throne. So does the 2019 version of Lion King match up? (In India, the film is releasing in four languages - English and also dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telegu.) The big draw of course of the Hindi dubbed version is actor Shah Rukh Khan as Mufasa and Aryan Khan as Simba. The father and son duo had earlier lent their voices to the Hindi dubbed version of The Incredibles in 2004. 2019's Lion King is a visual extravaganza to savor. Everything you see on screen is etched out with spellbinding detailing and the visual finesse gives way to near perfection. Some scenes especially ones with the fire flies in the night, open starlit skies and expansive views of the forest look stunning. Where the visual appeal falls short is in the expressions and emotions on the faces, especially the eyes of the animals which the animated version had got so right. So while you do feel sad when Mufasa is killed, you are not particularly moved to tears like with the original. And while Scar looks evil, he is not menacing. Also though the film is thirty minutes lengthier it pretty much remains an almost scene by scene copy of the 1994 version, losing its potential to surprise and intrigue further. 2019's Lion King is a visual extravaganza to savor. Everything you see on screen is etched out with spellbinding detailing and the visual finesse gives way to near perfection. Some scenes especially ones with the fire flies in the night, open starlit skies and expansive views of the forest look stunning. Where the visual appeal falls short is in the expressions and emotions on the faces, especially the eyes of the animals which the animated version had got so right. So while you do feel sad when Mufasa is killed, you are not particularly moved to tears like with the original. And while Scar looks evil, he is not menacing. Also though the film is thirty minutes lengthier it pretty much remains an almost scene by scene copy of the 1994 version, losing its potential to surprise and intrigue further. However, the principal voice cast is a delight - Shah Rukh Khan as Mufasa is captivating from the word go, Aryan Khan shines as the young Simba - capturing every emotion perfectly. The scene where Simba speaks to his father's reflection in the water, with Mufasa's voice emanating from the sky stands out as a whole - visually and otherwise. Ashish Vidyarthi as Scar is particularly good, his voice adding the required dimension to the character.Perhaps to contextualize andgive it a local flavor Pumbaa (Sanjay Mishra) and Timon (Shreyas Talpade) speak in tapori hindi here - so there is a generous sprinkling of 'Bhai' 'Jhakaas' ' Apun' 'Bindass'. And the gang of hyenas speak in Bhojpuri.While it may connect with the audience and elucidate some laughs, it robs the classic film of some of its original flavor. Shreya Ghosal, Arman Malik and Sunayna Sarkar do a fine job with the Hindi renditions of the soundtrack. But for those who have reveled in the original 'Circle of Life', 'Can you feel the Love tonight' and 'Hakuna Matata' it may not match up totally. The background score by Hans Zimmer is one of the high points of the film.