Hyperrealistic yet boring

Rating: 4/10 (24 August 2019)

Thanks to endless reruns of the original, animated film "The Lion King" the last couple of weeks (thanks TV), I've unintentionally prepared myself for this year's live-action remake of the Disney classic.
Just like "Cinderella," "The Jungle Book," "Beauty and the Beast" and other beloved tales, the story of a young lion reclaiming his rightful place on Pride Rock has received the seemingly inevitable live-action makeover, which can be seen as a blessing or a curse. The familiar landscape of the savanna in the 1994 original is now home to photorealistic (and I mean very realistic) animals that all share life-like environments, from the water they drink to the ground they walk across. And the lions themselves are impressive to see in their hyper-realistic appearances. While care was taken to maintain Scar's intimidating presence, however, the lionesses all looked the same. The fact that an adult Nala visually blends into the group instead of standing out botches the film's attempt to give the character more narrative material.
Another inescapable main problem of the 2019 version is that it gains a sense of animal realism in terms of visuals while also losing the animated charm that heightened the original's raw emotions. There was one major scene that was meant to be dramatic (I think you know which one I'm talking about) that ended up crossing the comical line due to the animal's inappropriate facial expression.
Under Jon Favreau's direction, "The Lion King" presents a new cast of voice actors, including Donald Glover as Simba and Beyoncé as Nala. You'll also recognize Seth Rogen's voice in Pumbaa and see television host John Oliver's interpretation of Timon. Luckily, James Earl Jones reprises his role as Simba's father, Mufasa, a smart move on the film's part; no one can replace the veteran actor's deep, distinctive voice that gave his character the right amount of aged wisdom in the original. The one distracting voice throughout the movie, however, was Beyoncé herself.
The singer lends her voice to a grown-up Nala, but it's a difficult task masking a world-famous voice that has sold millions of albums to a character whose facial expressions are already hindered by the film's focus on hyper-realistic visuals. The task is made even more impossible with the added fact that Beyoncé sings several songs (including an original yet unnecessary set of lyrics that ruin one particular scene's tone).
This year's "The Lion King" stays faithful - some would say too faithful - to its predecessor. From beginning to end, the narrative is amped up in visual realism yet predictably still matches the original almost scene to scene. Having said that, the filmmakers did make the effort in including a few fresh scenes and tweaking familiar ones. It'll be up to moviegoers, ultimately, in deciding if those short scenes make enough of a difference when it comes to distinguishing the classic from the remake.
Longtime fans will be happy to hear popular tracks such as "The Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata," as well as laugh at some new jokes. The best part of the live-action remake involves all the critical action scenes, with the extended showdown between the lions and the hyenas serving as an entertaining example.
If the never-ending string of live-action remakes has proven anything, it's that nostalgia sells.
Big time.