FilmSnobReviews

Title: The Lion King
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins

What It Is: When the king of Pride Rock Mufasa (James Earl Jones) has a son, named Simba (JD McCrary) he is the future of the jungle. This doesn’t sit well with his brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who has a plan to eliminate his brother, frame his nephew and take leadership of Pride Rock. With the help of a stampede and a pack of hyenas, Scar believes his destiny is all but certain. Destiny, however, is a funny and fickle thing.

What We Think: This is the same movie…except not good. The animals come off emotionless and dead-eyed. James Earl Jones’ vocal stylings seem unenthusiastic and almost as if he came in for a day to collect his check and bow out. The songs, which are some of Disney’s most iconic, come off flat. Everything is just…deflated. Except of course the budget of this “live-action” fiasco. Stop this madness, Disney. Stop it now! We’re not interested in these films that are, at their best, a boring retread and at worst a perversion of one’s own properties. This is simply put a formula that, like some soured milk has turned and gone curdled and spoiled. I’m really at a loss for positivity on this one.

Our Grade: D, I hate this movie. I do not and can not recommend it. The CGI is really good so that stops this from failing. First of all, to claim this is “live-action” is a farce nothing on the screen we’re seeing is real. There’s no heart, no pulse to any of this. I sat through Aladdin and that felt like a relief compared to this CGI waterboarding. Don’t see this. For the love of all things, you hold sacred save yourself from this blasphemy. Honestly, I don’t know how any Disney fan can allow this to happen.