Remaking The Lion King is such an odd decision as this remake that came out last year is only twenty-five years removed from the original. And unlike the other remakes, you cannot say this is a live-action remake because other than one shot that was filmed on location, there is nothing live-action or lively about this remake. Let's start and get this done and over with.
What's The Same
There is one easy way to answer this.
Seriously, nothing was changed in this film. It is so beholden to the original that it's afraid of trying to do anything new. Oh sure, you could argue making the lions look more realistic is new but it's also really distracting when they talk and you just don't get the same emotion out of these characters as you would from the animated movie.
Most of the other remakes that we have and will look at have at least added something new that while they may not be as good are not just copy/paste of the original. That is not the case here, so much is the same here, that even one castmember is the same as James Earl Jones was brought back to voice Mufasa.
Which on the one hand is nice and Scar's voice actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor said he believed that having Jones back to voice Mufasa would serve as a comfort for Lion King fans.
I get that idea as Jones' performance as Mufasa is iconic and hard to top and he was even brought back for The Lion Guard special, Return of the Roar but was later replaced by Gary Anthony Williams in the show.
Sure, Williams is more known for comedic work but here's the thing, I love Jones as Mufasa but it was a mistake to bring him back as you could hear the age in his voice when he spoke. I think the film would've done well to bring in a different actor to voice Mufasa. Maybe Forest Whitaker could have played Mufasa.
Let's move onto...
What's Different
Not much, if anything. Some of the jokes are changes such as Timon allows Pumbaa to say farted in Hakuna Mata, which ruins the joke. The hula dance is now changed to a Disney reference as in this TV ad.
Oh and instead of getting upset at getting called Mr. Pig, Pumbaa gets mad at the hyenas calling him fat and this leads into a body positivity rant, which is somewhat funny. Oh and there's this blunder, Can You Feel the Love Tonight now takes place during the daytime. How do you mess that up?
Also, Donald Glover and Beyonce are talented but they do not match up well in this duet. Still, not the worst song in this movie.
What is this? There were articles when this movie was in development that this song was originally going to be left out because of the Nazi imagery and well, I think that would've been the better option.
Now, seeing as this is a remake and that it stars Beyonce, a new song was added to the movie but here's the thing, it's not bad but it's a Beyonce song before it's a Lion King song if that makes sense.
If I am to give this movie any credit musically, Lebo M. performs a new version of He Lives in You over the credits. This is the closest one of these remakes has gotten to paying tribute to a Broadway show.
Even though, this song originated the album, Rhythm of the Pride Lands and then was in The Lion King II after it was put into the show.
So yeah, not exactly a full-on acknowledgment. You know what would've been nice, maybe including The Morning Report (the Imax re-release of the original did that) or maybe using Endless Night in the movie. Just listen to this beautiful song.
I think Donald Glover could have done a good job with this song. Sure, it would have still been awkward seeing a photo-realistic lion sing this but it would've been something different.
Is This a Good Remake?
This remake is perhaps the most pointless remake that I'll be reviewing during this entire event. Honestly, it's almost insulting to call this a remake as most remakes, good or ill, try to bring something new to the story. This is not the case, the script was basically the same line with some minor changes made to lines to update it fo 2019 and now instead of looking like an animated movie, it looks like a National Geographic documentary. Which does not work to help sell the emotion and heart that this story is meant to have. Do yourself a favor and skip this set of moving pictures and watch the original, watch The Lion Guard, watch the Timon & Pumbaa TV show, watch the sequel, The Lion King 1 1/2, watch Pride of The Lion King from the Animal Kingdom on YouTube, watch the old edutainment movie starring Timon & Pumbaa that used to be at EPCOT, listen to the Original Broadway Cast Recording. Re-enact the movie with your pets if you have any, play the video game, and die like I do because even that is more entertaining than this film that claims to be a remake.
This movie was infuriating as it did nothing new, I need a remake that tries. Join me next time as we look at the remake of...
Pete's Dragon
No comments:
Post a Comment