Review of The Lion King (2019) by Gilberto — 25 Jul 2019

I was certainly impressed with the photo-realistic visuals of this movie, and reliving this childhood classic with a new coat of paint was definitely pleasant, but thats all this remake has going for it.

The Lion King (2019) is essentially, the same exact movie from 1994 and that may warrant a pass for some, it did for me, but there is no denying that there is a sense of void within my gut regarding the whole ordeal because again, it is the exact same thing I saw years ago.

On top of it all, as realistic and impressive as it may look, the new visuals effectively sacrifice the expressions of the characters and it made The Lion King, a story I know for a fact is charming and full of emotion, kind of emotionless- and it was dragging a bit at the end for me if I am honest, something that never happened with the 1994 animated original.

Yet, despite this criticism I cant deny that the movie can provide joy- for starters, I almost teared up at the opening with the theme of The Circle of Life and realistic imagery recreating my childhood memories on the big screen, and Pumba and Timon are still pretty funny.

It deserves a watch only for its beautiful visuals, which I believe are the most impressive CGI special effects I have ever seen, and its familiarity-but I really hope this kind of movie doesnt become a trend for Disney.

The new life action remakes have all tried to recreate their originals, but they have also tried to feel fresh through new scenes, characters and pacing, but this one, is literally the same movie, and I dont think a new project like this can survive next time.

Its a pass for now.