Visually Stunning

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2019)

The 1994 Lion King is my childhood and one of my all time favorite. I've lost count of how many time I've watched it, and that's why I have really high expectation for this remake. And, frankly, it didn't disappoint.
First, I would like to salute the people behind the beauty of this film. They did a really wonderful job here with the cgi. The visual is stunningly beautiful. Everything look so real, from the scenery to the animals. The talented people behind all these deserve all the praises they could get. With all that said, I have one problem with the cgi. Because they try to go for the realistic look, they end up losing the emotions of the characters. For example, I couldn't tell that Simba was sad or happy, which I think is really important for this film. The audiences need to be able to sympathize with the characters. I didn't feel as connected to the character as much as I had when I'd watched the animated version. Moreover, because the lions are supposed to look real, I sometimes find it hard to differentiate the characters.
Moving on to the story, just like many people have said, the plot is exactly the same as the original. I can actually say that there's absolutely nothing new added to this movie at all. However, it didn't annoy me, since I know it's a remake and I was expecting that it will be the same story with more realistic looking animals.
As for the casts, I think everyone did a good job. I know that many people doesn't like Chiwetel Ejiofor voicing Scar, but I personally don't think he's bad. Since this film supposes to portray realistic animals, I think having the voice of Scar from the animated version might make the film less serious. Although I love Jeremy Irons' Scar, I think I prefer this type of not so cartoonish evil Scar. And may I just say that I'm so glad that Mr.James Earl Jones reprised his role for this remake. He was truly a legend. I couldn't imagine anyone else as Mufasa.
Truth be told, I can't say this film is flawless. It has quite a few flaw and it couldn't possibly beat the original. It lacks the emotion and soul the original has. Still, I think it's a pretty nice take on the Lion King, and I don't think that anyone can argue how stunning the visual is.