The Lion King - Review
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, John Oliver, Beyonce, James Earl Jones
Disney have taken many stabs at adapting their animated classics (with Dumbo and Aladdin making their live action debuts this year) but the studio face their biggest challenge yet with, arguably, everyone's favourite - The Lion King.
Young lion cub Simba idolises his father Mufasa and looks forward to the day when he can assume the mantle of King of the Pride Lands and continue his dad's legacy. However, his uncle Scar also has his eyes set on the throne and deceits and manipulates in order to seize what he thinks is rightfully his.
Acutely aware of the ardent fanbase that the original has, there are very few deviations to the story that we all know and love. Aside from a few additional scenes and a new song to utilise Beyonce's star power, everything else remains untouched, which begs the question - why was a remake required? Unfortunately, the answer is, as it usually tends to be with studios, greed.
It may not offer anything new or build upon the original narratively speaking, but Favreau's adaptation is a stunning and groundbreaking landmark in Computer Generated Imagery and visual effects, easily besting the incredible achievement of 2017's The Jungle Book (also directed by Favreau). Excusing the revelation that the film's opening shot was filmed on the continent, every location and animal that we see has been digitally created. Favreau flaunts the astounding artistry, utilising close-ups of the animals eyes that boast of the intricacy and realism that the film is operating at.
However, there are inevitable differences due to the advanced photorealism that limit the amount of emotional engagement that we can have with the characters and the material. The animals possess stifled expressions, rigid mouth movement when speaking and a paucity of energy that was so abundant in the 1994 animated classic.
Consequently, the actors have to work overtime to give their characters some sense of personality or emotion. Scar may no longer be the camp and scheming villain that we remember him as, but Ejiofor brings gravitas to the role and imbues the antagonist with a depressed and defeatist quality that rouses empathy previously unexperienced. But it's comic actors Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa who steal the show, riffing and improvising their dialogue and ultimately updating the film's humour for a more modern audience.
A near carbon copy of the 1994 original, The Lion King displays an impressive amount of visual innovation - but next to none creatively.
EB
Cast: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, John Oliver, Beyonce, James Earl Jones
Disney have taken many stabs at adapting their animated classics (with Dumbo and Aladdin making their live action debuts this year) but the studio face their biggest challenge yet with, arguably, everyone's favourite - The Lion King.
Young lion cub Simba idolises his father Mufasa and looks forward to the day when he can assume the mantle of King of the Pride Lands and continue his dad's legacy. However, his uncle Scar also has his eyes set on the throne and deceits and manipulates in order to seize what he thinks is rightfully his.
Acutely aware of the ardent fanbase that the original has, there are very few deviations to the story that we all know and love. Aside from a few additional scenes and a new song to utilise Beyonce's star power, everything else remains untouched, which begs the question - why was a remake required? Unfortunately, the answer is, as it usually tends to be with studios, greed.
It may not offer anything new or build upon the original narratively speaking, but Favreau's adaptation is a stunning and groundbreaking landmark in Computer Generated Imagery and visual effects, easily besting the incredible achievement of 2017's The Jungle Book (also directed by Favreau). Excusing the revelation that the film's opening shot was filmed on the continent, every location and animal that we see has been digitally created. Favreau flaunts the astounding artistry, utilising close-ups of the animals eyes that boast of the intricacy and realism that the film is operating at.
However, there are inevitable differences due to the advanced photorealism that limit the amount of emotional engagement that we can have with the characters and the material. The animals possess stifled expressions, rigid mouth movement when speaking and a paucity of energy that was so abundant in the 1994 animated classic.
Consequently, the actors have to work overtime to give their characters some sense of personality or emotion. Scar may no longer be the camp and scheming villain that we remember him as, but Ejiofor brings gravitas to the role and imbues the antagonist with a depressed and defeatist quality that rouses empathy previously unexperienced. But it's comic actors Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa who steal the show, riffing and improvising their dialogue and ultimately updating the film's humour for a more modern audience.
A near carbon copy of the 1994 original, The Lion King displays an impressive amount of visual innovation - but next to none creatively.
EB
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