I Watched The Lion King Remake · 5:07pm Jul 23rd, 2019

I don't normally go to the cinema. For one, I just find it a bit overwhelming and two, I don't like being part of the hype that normally gives big-name movies an easy profit regardless of how good they actually are. I like to wait until it comes out on DVD and really make them work for their payoff. It's the reason I don't pre-order video games any more.
That said, my girlfriend's family invited me and I thought 'Maybe just this once'. This is the first of the remakes I've actually seen in Cinema and not on DVD or Youtube. I am aware of the conflicting reception the Disney remakes are getting from critics and audiences and the original Lion King was one of the only Disney movies I actually owned at home on video as a child so this has a lot of nostalgic influence for me.
So...overall...by and large...I found the remake...pretty good.

Of course I prefer the original but I felt, for better or worse, the remake was a good film. It has its flaws (As did the original) but it also had its charms, bringing something new to a beloved classic. Does it work? Well, not as much as they intended but it's interesting nonetheless and it does hit a few good spots, enough to give it a pass.

One of the reasons I like Disney over most of their competitors (As some of you may have noticed my blogs border on Disney apologism nowadays ) is that, no matter what they're trying to get at and whatever they do to get there, they always seem to put their all into the delivery of their films.
This is why I feel that, while the shot-for-shot remakes might not be a very good idea, they still make for pretty good films. I give them points for effort regardless for doing their all to make it look and feel as good as the original.

Now to the changes. I'll list the pros and cons. Cons first. In no particular order.
I'll try and avoid spoilers...mostly because I can't get on Youtube in Beijing.

Weaknesses

Realism Over Expression- Points for how good the CGI looks, they've clearly done their research into how animals move, sound and generally behave, but this comes at a cost to expression. We all remember Simba's terrified look when the wildebeest came gallumphing down the gorge. Here, we have the widened eyes and the lowered ears but...that's about it.
The Jungle Book remake had the same problem. You don't notice it that much but it does take something away that a kid's movie really shouldn't do without.
Parts of Zazu- Zazu was my second-favourite character in the original and, being voiced by Rowan Atkinson himself, was pretty high-up on the over-the-top. Here, John Oliver does pretty well but his style is a bit so-so. His pomposity and sycophancy are gone, and granted I wouldn't have liked to have seen it more than I did in the original (That sort of thing can grate on you fast) but here, he just comes off as snide, stuffy and generally rather nonchalant. Almost like he's trying to channel 'Posh Stephen Merchant'.
Realism Over Vibrance- Part of what makes The Lion King original come alive is the colour. It's not just to capture the audience's eye but it's a direct reference to traditional African art-style. Flamboyant, cut-out, mosaic-like flashes of colour on ruddy backgrounds. 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' is where you really see this shine. Here, while the Planet Earth-style atmosphere is indeed gorgeous, it just doesn't have enough variety at the beginning to keep me very into the songs. Later this improves as more environments are explored but this does make The Circle of Life and I Just Can't Wait To Be King seem less impressive which is a big shame.
Rafiki Ain't Having Any Fun- Rafiki is my favourite character from the film, hands-down (Geddit'? 'Cause he's the only animal with hands in the film) The colourful Mandrill has always fascinated me, as early as my childhood, and his over-the-top, bouncing around, trolling the main character is probably my favourite part of the film. So I knew I was putting this down on the list when I didn't hear the 'A-Sangkte-Sana-Squash-Banana' call from the treetops. Now, I can see how, in todays world, that sort of act could be taken as, if not stereotypical, then at least politically questionable in some form but was it really worth degrading his impact on the audience in this way? The way he just stares at Simba instead and leads him on mostly silently reminds me of the Indian Hermit from the second Indiana Jones film. Though to be fair, I did mostly like the rest of his interactions, playing around with the insects, and the fact that his dialogue lends attention to the majestic Xhosa language of South Africa.
80% Of The Style of Humour- I'll be honest here, I really don't like modern-day's 'blind banter'. Talking over each other in a fairly disinterested tone just reminds me of how low Family Guy's taken the style. So Timon and Pumbaa falling into this is kind of grating. Mind you, not all the original joke's hit the mark ('I ate like a pig' 'Pumbaa, you are a pig' 'Oh yeah'. Golly, my sides are just splitting right now.) but I much prefer Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella's 'retort comedy'. I generally do not like characters talking over each other. Still, 'retort comedy' can still suck if done wrong. You only have to watch any of Goldenfilms' horrendous Disney rip-offs to see (I mean, I love Charles Martinet and Cam Clarke as much as the next man but after five minutes of their so-called 'comedy' I want to put their characters through a wood-chipper!) I am at least glad they didn't overdo Pumbaa's flatulence joke (Which is unfortunately something the beloved Broadway show does a bit too much for my liking. Though my liking stops after about one fart joke.)
Why Is 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' Taking Place At DAY?!- It's difficult to ignore, let me tell ya. Then again, I suppose Disney don't want a repeat of some smart-arse writing rude words in the stars again.
Serafina? Where Are You?- Serafina is a bit character in the original, having only one line and mostly lost amongst the indistinct lionesses but the title of Nala's mother must come into play. In the Broadway she's apparently a pretty hardy fighter as she apparently killed and ate Banzai's father. This was the perfect opportunity to give her more of a role but again, I just didn't see here. While I'm glad Sarabi had more of a role both as Scar's rival and Nala's mentor, I would have loved to have seen more characters brought out of the background. Alas not.
And finally, biggest complaint...
Why So Serious? - I don't mean the movie is unnecessarily dark (It's darker, certainly, but I wouldn't say overly) but the Disney remakes as a whole seem to lean more towards taking the scenario as seriously as possible for most of the films rather than the cartoonish over-the-top expression of the originals. Again, this seems to be a trait sacrificed on the altar of 'realism', especially with the talking animals. I do concede that animation needs more over-the-top expressive visual language as a medium than live-action but when taking the general atmosphere into consideration, it feels a bit wasted. Particularly in a kid's film, that's your opportunity to cut loose and go all the way with action and reaction. I admire them for the sincerity of their film's tone, particularly in a medium that has a bad reputation of not treating child audience's with appropriate sensibility but really, I don't think Disney realise how important it is for their films to be a bit silly now and again. We all need a bit of silly in our lives here and there. Then again, it could easily go the other way and make the whole thing too goofy for when its time to get serious.
Maybe it's just a phase. It's hardly the most needlessly dark and gritty genre of this generation.

So several issues Disney should hold onto for next time.
Onto the positives.

Strengths

Did I Just Turn On David Attenborough?- I personally thought the visuals were stunning, despite the flaws earlier mentioned. I don't think we should take this for granted. Some poor blighters clearly went through a lot to make it look this smooth and as I said, points for effort.
Wookit Da Cute Widdle Cubby-Cats!- Young Simba, Nala and Kiara (If that's her name here) are cute as buttons and their interactions are always very endearing. I was watching it in 3D and whenever they rolled over, I wanted to reach in and rub their tummies for hours. So Fuzzeh!!!
Other Parts of Zazu- Yeah, while I'm sad he's not as funny, I'm also glad he's not as unlucky. A character who goes through what the original went through can easily wear out his welcome so when I saw him actually come to the rescue of Simba more than a few times, both as a cub and grown lion, it was pretty cool seeing how far this guy had come.
James Earl Jones Reprise- Nothing more to say
The Lion Sleeps Tonight- While Billy Eichner isn't as funny a voice actor as Nathan Lane, I think he is certainly a better singer. Here, instead of the a' capella song in the original, 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' gets the full monty and it is a treat to listen to as well as watch as all the grove's critters come and join in. Easily the catchiest tune in the film. Maybe it's just how much of a meme it's already been but I loved it anyway.
He Lives In You- This song was from the spin-off sequel to The Lion King, something Disney work rather hard to forget. The fact that this song, and is a beautiful song let me tell you, was included is pretty heartening.
Scar...Mostly- While, for me, Jeremy Irons' phenomenal performance can never be replaced, Chiwetel Ejiofor's take on the character is pretty damn good (Perhaps coincidentally, he's good friends with Idris Elba, the remake's Shere Khan. Bad Black Big Cat Brothers, yo! ...Sorry) His voice oozes menace without being obviously evil and while I do miss Irons' over-the-topness, as mentioned, his subtly lends the character an edge. While this take on 'Be Prepared' isn't near as musical as the original, it makes up for in chills what it lacks in bounce as Scar stands atop the podium inciting his hyenas into a chant, the image of which smacks of the tyranny the likes of which Africa has tragically seen many times over from Idi Amin's Uganda to Gadaffi's Libya to Mugabe's Zimbabwe. Once he takes power, his dismissive, slightly prima-donna-like behaviour from the original is gone, replaced by sheer sociopathic nonchalance as he turns a blind eye to the hyena's dangerous gluttony turning the Pridelands into a dust bowl and focusses only on the glaring eyes of the lionesses at his back, no doubt wishing to strip away any memory of his brother regardless of how many have to suffer. While he lacks some traits that made Scar so memorable an antagonist, he is given quite a bit more depth and sufficient menace. His dusky tones camouflage him so imagining him slinking up behind you invisible against the rock is pretty tense. I know a common complaint in the remakes is making the villains so much less obvious and more down-to-earth with backstories and toned-down behaviours and what-not. To that I say we've only ourselves to blame. Ask yourselves how many fanfics have you seen that humanised these monsters, explored their backstories, tried to explain their actions, the way they looked at the world, these villains who gained so much attention from the audience? Is it not natural for the creators to make them more relatable when the audiences spent so much time trying to relate to them? Ironic or genuine, this is the other side of the spectrum and we're the ones who spun the coin.
Beyonce is a Great Singer- There, I said it and I'm glad. While her voicing Nala sounds a bit more sassy and less tender, she's also less petulant than before, more in-control and as she lends her voice to the songs, you will be taken away.
Shenzi. Holy Hell, Shenzi!- The hyenas are given a badass upgrade and it's chilling. Shenzi is the matriarch of the hyena pack and good god, she is terrifying. Easily one of the most memorable characters from the movie. Don't get me wrong, I liked the original hyenas too but I think I prefer these ones, mostly because, as someone who watched a lot of nature programs when they were little, I know that, all laughter aside, hyenas are Scary. Little. Bastards! Shenzi's overall persona seems almost like some sort of terrorist leader engaged in a blood war between the lions since the dawn of time and she has absolutely no qualms against killing the cubs, much less eating them, simply as a means to send Mufasa a message. She and Scar are pretty much on equal grounds, authority-wise and Scar needs to rely more on cunning and deception to keep her loyal rather than just push them around. You get the impression the hyenas are more than just dull-witted gluttonous grunts, you see their interactions as Scar's secret police, keeping the lionesses in line. You see the effect they have on the Pridelands, a hyena's hunger never satiated and never leaving much of a carcass behind. The horror the pride has for them when they rise as their equals is firmly justified here. They really are 'A Lion's Worst Enemy' and Shenzi epitomises not just a hyena's ravenous hunger but their low cunning and bitter grudge against all noble beasts.

And there you have it. Overall pretty good. Could have been better but hopefully these points have been made by more than just me and others will learn.
For Disney, I've talked about what I think of their plan and what it might lead to earlier in my blogs. I've no real problem with the remakes but I get why others do. To that I say be calm about this. You still have the originals and really, to throw a fit is to invite attention for the remake regardless so take it on the chin and direct the criticism appropriately without cursing or shouting and what-not. It's smoother that way.
To Disney, however their endeavours take them, I will leave them with the advice my secondary school art teachers were always giving me.
'Look. This work, what you've done? It's good. Really, it is good. We like it. But really, what we really want to see is something that's different. Something you're not used to. It's okay if it doesn't work the first time, that's what practice is for. It's okay to do this but if you want to score big, you really need to push your boundaries. You have the resources at your disposal. We'll give you time. We'll be as patient as you need us to be.
But we expect progress.
Okay?
Okay.'
If I finally took the hint, hopefully so can they.

Report Purple Patch · 277 views · #lion king remake #disney #film review #not bad

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Bronycommander

Bronycommander #1 · Jul 23rd, 2019 · 1 · ·

I haven't watched it yet, but I can imagine. That's always a risk with remakes

Purple Patch

Purple Patch #2 · Jul 23rd, 2019 · · ·

5092989
Indeed.
I will say that the quality of remakes and sequels has drastically improved since the 90's to 2000's.
That might not be saying much but it's worth taking into account.

Bronycommander