Popcorn Empire - The Lion King: Movie Review

Rating: 5/10 (21 July 2019)

"The Lion King... is cutting edge on a technical level, but it fails to recapture the energy, charm, or magic of the original." 5/10
The Lion King (2019) is a "live-action" remake of the 1994 animated film of the same name. The original film is considered a Disney classic. With it's beautifully rendered animation, top-notch voice performances, and stirring drama, the film easily holds up as a classic even today. This new remake, directed by Jon Favreau, attempts to retell the story with photo-realistic CGI visuals and a (mostly) new cast of voices. The result is cutting edge on a technical level, but it fails to recapture the energy, charm, or magic of the original.
The Lion King (2019) takes a "don't fix what ain't broken" approach to its source material, and the resulting story is essentially the same. I won't be reiterating the plot here, as most people are familiar with the original film (and if not, you're probably familiar with 'Hamlet'). But just to be safe...
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
One of the main draws of this film, aside from nostalgia, is its CGI visuals. It's hard to deny that this film is beautifully animated. The animals have a life-like appearance, with true-to-life physics and movement, and fur so realistic you want to reach out and touch it.
While this film pushes the limits of what digital animation is capable of, it also outlines its limits as a storytelling tool. As one would expect, the animal characters in this film are limited in their expressiveness. Facial movements efficiently match the voices, but are jarringly stiff and lacking emotion, making it difficult to connect with the characters.
The voice performances are a mixed bag. James Earl Jones returns as Mufasa, and his performance is captivating. A few cast members do what they can with the material, such as Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles, but they ultimately feel miscast. Pumbaa and Timon add some levity and meta-humor, but the jokes are hit-or-miss, and the talky dialogue borders on annoying at times.
The film is intermittently cute, funny, and exciting, but the pacing is clunky. Things rarely kick into high gear, aside from a couple fun action sequences. The drama is often times undercut by the film's stubborn adherence to realism. The life-like visual style may have its own appeal, but it can't match the expressiveness of the 1994 film's bright and stylish animation. Ironically, the original film feels more alive than this "realistic" remake.
The plot of this film is as predictable as ever. It's also roughly 20 minutes longer, and noticeably so. This film drags during its second act, and I found myself wanting to hurry along to its inevitable final showdown between Simba and Scar. Even then, the result is underwhelming, and the film's perfunctory conclusion is more of a whimper than a bang.
The Lion King (2019) succeeds much more as an expensive piece of machinery than as a film. It's a testament to the power of technology, but not so much to the power of storytelling. It's a safe, mildly entertaining film for all ages, but if you're looking to introduce newcomers to The Lion King, you're better off watching your old VHS or DVD copy of the 1994 version at home.
5/10