THE LION KING
Jon Favreau (2019)
3.5 STARS
Eagerly awaited, intensely spectated and thoroughly divisive, Jon Favreau’s The Lion King has been the talk of the film world for much of 2019. As an almost scene for scene homage to the original 1994 smash hit, opinions were always going to be split but for the most part, the film hits its mark. Incredible use of CGI, the star-studded cast and the execution of the infamous musical elements of the song are all under the microscope as the film hits cinemas worldwide this summer.
From its inception the concept for this re-make was to utilise the ever-increasing realism of CGI, and it certainly does. CGI has come on leaps and bounds since its first big screen debut and The Lion King is as fascinating to behold as Jurassic Park was back in 1993. Here is where the first issue lies with many of the film’s viewers, the lions are ‘too realistic’. It is true, the fact that the characters so closely resemble the animals you might see on national geographic can lead to a lack of empathy for the big cats. We lose the look of confusion and betrayal on Mustafa’s face as Scar plunges his claws in. It is hard to believe that Nala and Simba really are falling in love as their unemotive cat faces stare at each other over a stream.
You wouldn’t notice as you sit, chomping on your popcorn, but this film is around thirty minutes longer than its predecessor. There are two reasons for the bulk of this, the first being a couple of scenes which were not in the original - the original Lion King that is. They are in fact taken directly from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which, as many will know, this film was inspired by. Sarafina refusing to eat with Scar as the pride-lands fall was not included in Disney’s original, but plays a part in Hamlet as Gertrude personifies the disdain of the kingdom towards Claudius. The second reason for a slightly longer film is due to the elongated musical numbers and no-one will be complaining as they listen to the spectacular voice of Beyonce belt out ‘Can you feel the love tonight’.
The ‘I just can’t wait to be king’ number in the 1994 film leaves huge paw prints to be filled, and while it does fall slightly short, the homage deserves a lot of credit. Watching with a childlike fascination as Cheetah cubs race past Simba and Nala, Rhino calf’s bump clumsily in to each other and Zazu weaves in between elephant tusks and Giraffe’s necks, one might be forgiven for forgetting the original beautiful, Fantasia-esque success.
On the other hand, Scar’s infamous ‘Be prepared’ number is a real let down in this film. While we may not miss the Nazi references and silly sound effects, everything else about the scene leaves us wanting. This, essentially, comes down to the direction which Chiwetal Ejiofor has opted to take with the character. The straight-talking, fierce, no-nonsense large cat is more reminiscent of Shere Khan than of the campy, fun Scar that we know and love to hate.
The execution of other characters is also up for debate as Timone and Pumba don’t hit home in quite the same way as they do in the original. While Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan give decent performances, the moment that Pumba links up with Nala to finish ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ leaves you feeling that someone should have mentioned that Rogan is not in the same league as Beyonce vocally. Rafiki is almost non-existent in the film and no longer acts so directly as the guide for Simba, while he does still play a part, it is less important and much less quirky. Until the final ten minutes one might wonder ‘where the hell Is his infamous staff?’ This character is really let down by the execution of the film.
On watching this film most people will be reminded of their love for, and see the superiority of, the 1994 classic. However, is this not the aim of the 2019 remake? It is a homage and a damn good one. Your children will watch this film with the same wonderment as you did with the original. The story will always hold up, the animation is ultra-real and the characters are believable. Yes, we may have wanted more from this film but were our nostalgic expectations ever to be met? Watch this film and enjoy it for what is and let it take its place as the homage it wants to be.