Do I feel the love tonight?

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2019)

Oh I just can't wait to see it again!! Wow, this film was marvelous. Was as great as the original film? No, but guess what? It doesn't have to be. The film isn't perfect obviously, no film is. However, here's what I liked about this film. Firstly, the visuals are outstanding and spectacular. The visual effects crew did a great job making me feel like I was in the African savanna, with every footstep and splash of water I was entranced by the world that was created. Next, my favorite character from the original film was to many people's surprise is...not Mufasa, not Scar, not Simba, Timon, Zazu, or Pumbaa, it is Nala. However I felt she was a bit underused in the original film, but not here. They improved on not just her, but all of the female characters. Sarabi has more to do, Shenzi is more menacing, and even Sarafina (Nala's mom) has more lines. Continuing on Nala individually, I thought Beyoncé was perfect for her voice, capturing the power, elegance, and majesty she possesses. She as an adult and cub both were enhanced and I was enjoying every minute she was on screen. So I thought they executed wonderfully on the female characters especially Nala. Lastly, I think the story was well done. It wasn't an exact replica of the original, and it didn't mess with the original story too much to where it became destructive and disruptive. Favreau added a bunch of smartly placed new elements as well that kept the film his own. Just like he did with The Jungle Book. Here's what I has issues with. There is one thing I notice with Favreau is...while he is a great director he isn't generally great with the songs. I know he doesn't actually write the songs and sings them but he does control how he wants the songs portrayed hence being the director. He isn't great with that, he struggled with that in The Jungle Book, and he struggled here. All the songs save for Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight were poorly done. The one that I think was the weakest was Be Prepared. While Chiwetel Ejiofor is a fabulous actor he didn't sing very well in this song, maybe he is a talented singer but this was not his day. He was actually a good Scar while not singing. The song itself felt rushed and too short. Lastly, my biggest pet peeve I have with The Lion King as a whole both here and in the original is I don't care for the whole 'Pumbaa has a flatulence problem.' These writers (from the original, so this is more their fault) did such a good job coming up with wonderful, iconic moments in the film whether it's The Wildebeest Stampede, Mufasa's Ghost, The Elephant Graveyard, and many more, yet they could come up with something a better reason for why Pumbaa is an outcast rather than just flatulence. It's the most childish aspect of the whole film, and way out of place with the rest of the film. So if you have this in the original film, of course you've gotta have it in the remake as well, except they put more influence on it. When it came to that part of film I just looked away because it felt so out of place. It's not 100% their fault but for me, they should have edited it out entirely or not at all. Overall, this film was very enjoyable and for somebody who was born the same year the original film was released in 1994, and having watched it since I could walk and talk, this was a treat, and a relief for me considering the other critics giving it a hard time. I'm glad I am on the side that loved it. 8.4/10