Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny on the plains of
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, James Earl Jones
Release Date:
Animation, Adventure, Drama
Rated PG for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements |
Runtime: 1 h 58 min
Review:
First and foremost, I have to admit that I’ve never seen the original Lion King. It’s a film that’s become so ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist that it almost doesn’t feel necessary. None the less, I understand it’s a much beloved property that many people have incredible affection for so it makes watching this remake a strange experience. The film itself is a technical marvel, all the animals are beautifully realized throughout. The film’s voice cast is a who’s who of big stars who all do serviceable work in their particular roles with nobody really standing out. A handful of the legendary songs reappear with some strong staging but all of it feels strangely hollow. Unfortunately the whole thing feels rather soulless much like most of Disney’s ongoing money making scheme of remaking all their animated classics. Jon Favreau’s film isn’t a terrible film by any stretch but it’s strangely uninspired. Some of that might come from the fact that by making the film photo realistic the animals lack any sort of real expressive features, something that’s much easier in an animated feature. As such it feels like you are watching one of those old 90s Homeward Bound films with much better production values.
C+
