Flat out disappointment

Rating: 2/10 (16 August 2019)

I normally don't write reviews but this movie was so bad I just had to write something. This is absolutely nothing like the original. Yes, the visuals are spectacular and photoreal. But the emotionality and excitement from the animated version are nowhere to be found. It was like watching a BBC documentary with voice actors dubbed over. And not even good ones! Scar felt like he was half-asleep, with no sinister tone at all. The songs, which were so brilliant and melodic in the original, are completely stripped, watered-down, and just... empty. When I heard the lead-up to "I Just Can't Wait To Be King", I was waiting eagerly for the BOOM moment when the song would start, the trees turn red, and all the animals work together to get rid of Zazu. Instead, what you get is Simba's mouth barely moving along, and just a casual romp through the swamp. There is a significant lack of emotion in the eyes, mouth, and overall depth of the characters. It felt like they had no personalities. I have to say, as much as I love the advancement in technology and visual effects, there is a lot left to be desired in this remake, and I still think classic animation, when done properly, portrays character, heart, soul, and emotion much better. I had no idea how good the original was until I saw how bad this one is.