THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Although Walt Disney stood tall providing original content in the 2010s, they obviously couldn’t help themselves earning extra money by remaking the classics from the 20th century. So after the success of Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book, it was a matter of time for them to remake their all time classic, The Lion King.
PLOT
The 2019 film gives an updated version of the original story, while also staying a little close to it so bare with me as I summarize similar moments. It takes place in the Pride Lands of Africa where animals can speak and lions rule the animal kingdom. One lion named Scar is jealous that his nephew Prince Simba, son of King Mufasa, will be next in line for the throne of Pride Rock. It bothers him because he was supposed to inherit it next had he not been born. So now he plans to get them out of the picture in order to get what he wants. He first intentionally tells Simba of a forbidden elephant graveyard, knowing that he’ll want to go out of curiosity. After distracting the majordomo hornbill Zazu, he is able to get there with his lioness friend. It turns out to be forbidden with good reason as it is hyena territory led by the female Shenzi. Luckily, the Cubs are saved by Mufasa in time after Zazu alerting him of what happened. Despite being understandably upset with his son, he chooses to forgive him because he gets that he wants to prove his bravery. As he makes amends with him, he tells him that one day, he will watch over him from the night sky as the kings before him. Although Scar is disappointed that the prince is not dead, he promises them hunting rights in the Pride Lands once they succeed in overthrowing his brother. The next day, he takes Simba to a gorge, telling him to practice roaring to impress his father. This would be his trap as the hyenas drive a large herd of wildebeest to stampede into the gorge, hoping to trample him. He then warns Mufasa of the stampede, knowing he’ll save his son. He does save him from peril, but struggles to save himself. And when he reaches the edge of the gorge, Scar pushes him off to die. Simba sees the fall, but not the push and Zazu did not see it either because he was reaching for backup. The cub blames his roar for what happened, which gives Scar the opportunity to convince him to leave and never return. Once he leaves, Scar inherits the throne and proves to be a mistake since his allegiance with the hyenas causes the Pride Lands to be drought stricken. He does offer to share his portion with Mufasa’s widow Sarabi unless she takes his hand as Queen, but she refuses. Simba goes so far that he reaches a desert and passes out due to exhaustion. He is almost eaten by vultures but is saved meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa. They take him in, living in an oasis and start a new carefree life. When he grows up, he reunites with an adult Nala who left the Pride Lands to find help. She finds joy that him being alive can restore order, but he refuses to take it because he still feels that false guilt for his father’s death. Unable to say it, he chooses to storm off. Nala would then leave disappointed. By night, he encounters the shaman mandrill Rafiki. He discovered that he was alive when recognizing the scent from a piece of his mane that travelled all across the jungle. He tells him that his father’s spirit still lives in him. Simba then sees the spirit of Mufasa appear in the sky, encouraging him to take his place. This works as the prince catches up with Nala and comes home. He reunites with Zazu who is pleased to see him again. Timon & Pumbaa catch up with the lions, in hopes to help their friend. They do so by distracting some hyenas so that give Nala time to assemble the lionesses. Simba confronts Scar just when he strikes Sarabi for still refusing to marry him and calling him out that he’ll never be a better king than his brother. Scar is surprised to see Simba alive since he assumed the hyenas finished him off. The prince challenges his uncle for the throne, but the latter pulls his last trick by reminding him of his false guilt over Mufasa’s death. Simba admits that he feels responsible but before he could explain himself, Scar taunts him and backs him to the edge of Pride Rock. Just as this happens, thunder strikes and fires surrounds the rock. He makes the mistake of admitting what he did which enrages the prince to get back up and demand him to tell the truth. He is finally caught in the eye when Sarabi somehow partially overheard his confession. Knowing that he’s caught, Shenzi and her hyena clan fight off Simba and the lionesses. Rafiki and Timon & Pumbaa join the fight as well while Zazu intervenes as much as he can. When Simba corners Scar, he gives him the same opportunity he gave him, to leave and never return. He refuses and chooses to fight for the throne. The fight goes on long enough that Scar falls off the rock. He is then eaten by Shenzi and the remaining hyenas when they overheard trying to shift the blame on them. And when the predators feast, they die in the fire. When rain puts out the fire, the conflict has ended and Simba finally takes his rightful claim to the throne. The film forwards to a now restored Pride Lands, showing Nala by Simba’s side as his queen. The film then ends with Rafiki presenting their cub to the newly assembled animals, who will one day be next in line for the throne as well.
THOUGHTS
Like a lot of people that were born after 1994, I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see it in theaters when first released; I even disappointed myself even more for missing out on its 2011 3D re release. I chose to see this remake in theaters because I wanted to have the same experience that people before had. I generally did enjoy myself when first seeing it but the big problem that prevents me from loving it like it’s predecessor is that this remake is too predictable. Director Jon Favreau wanted to make this as special as The Jungle Book but despite the stunning visual effects, Hans Zimmer’s revised score and new plot points added by writer Jeff Nathanson, it isn’t exactly enough for me to be surprised. It suffers from the same issue as Psycho and Aladdin where most of the story is shot for shot and becomes not as exciting to see when you choose to watch it again. I think that we choose to have a soft spot because it maintains the original spiritual theme to forgive yourself for your mistakes and not run from it. Despite being 99 percent computerized, I respect that the one scene that makes it one percent live action is the opening sunset which kicks starts ‘The Circle of Life’. Since Celine Dion sung a new song for Beauty and the Beast, it made sense for Elton John to do the same here. Hearing "Never Too Late" was nice to hear for being a joyful beat that reflects the lesson this movie teaches. Since this is a remake, not do I only spot issues with the story I never spotted before and introduces new ones thanks to the new plot elements. Like for instance, why would Zazu ever tell Simba and Nala that they're arranged to be married? I'm not into arranged marriages, but I feel like he should've considered that to be something for Mufasa to talk about with his son. And how did he even find the cubs so quickly after being distracted? I understand we need an excuse to show Mufasa prove himself as a badass dad, but it was way too fast for him to deduce where they'd be. And on top of that, where the hell was he when Scar started his takeover? I understand he can't do much compared to a lion/lioness, but he honestly could've stayed at the top of Pride Rock every morning and waited every night to talk to the lionesses. I do respect that Mufasa wants to maintain a relationship with Scar by allowing him babysit Simba, but what makes him think he can trust him when he has a chip on his shoulder? I know Zazu messed up but Simba could literally be with any lioness other than Sarabi. Also, Scar's plan to kill Mufasa and Simba relies on not being seen, so what takes Zazu so long to get the pride to the ravine since Mufasa always saved his son in record time? Lionesses are supposed to be faster than lions, so this is bullshit. I then ask why do they believe Scar's story anyway when they know there was an unspoken rivalry between the brothers? I mean of all the lionesses that should see through the lie is Sarabi. And then how did they believe Simba died when there wasn't a body to confirm it? They found Mufasa's body and again, Sarabi should be a little more concerned of Scar's claims whether or not the pride gets jumped by the hyenas. I'm even lost of how she actually heard Scar say he saw the look in Mufasa's eye before whispering to Simba, but she looked pretty far to hear that. The only good reason we choose to ignore them is because of the respect towards the actors providing their voices to play updated iterations of these iconic characters. Not having James Earl Jones back as Mufasa would be as unnecessary as not having him voice Darth Vader when given the opportunity because it is one of the roles where can't see anyone else playing it but the one who did it first. Even though he is simply reciting lines he said long ago, he still makes it believable that he is a strict yet mindful dad. Whether or not you see his death coming, it is still tragic to witness because losing a parent is not always easy, nor will it be for a child so young. Although it’s hard to top Jeremy Irons as Scar, that does not mean Chiwetel Ejiofor wasn’t a good choice. I thought that with each line, the actor does a great job giving his own layer of resentment. Considering that he never Sarabi for himself, he felt that no one should have the same things he wants, hence his path as a power hungry figure. His version of ‘Be Prepared’ is not better than the original, but it remains accurately unsettling to remind viewers that shit is going to hit the fan. The biggest improvement of the cast was giving some depth for Sarabi. With the casting of Alfre Woodard, you felt that even without her significant other, she remained wise and fierce to those who oppose her, which is why marrying Scar was never an option. John Oliver playing Zazu was a a good call because it felt like a fan cast come true as he was on point making him as stern and quirky as the character is remembered for. I even liked John Kani as Rafiki because in the minimum amount of words, you still felt the wise, sagacious presence he is all about. Even this version chokes me up when I hear “He lives in you” because I’m reminded that the loved ones we lose will be gone but not forgotten. Another change I appreciated was the depth of the hyenas. While Keegan Michael Key’s Kamari & Eric Andre’s Azizi resemble Cheech Marin’s Bonzai and Jim Cummings’ Ed respectively for presenting their own layers of being eccentric, Shenzi is the standout because Florence Kasumba makes her the most cunning and even tempered in comparison to those she leads. Like Zazu, it was a fan cast come true with Timon & Pumbaa because Billy Eichner & Seth Roger were fantastic in their portrayals of the iconic duo. The best thing about Timon is that he is less self centered and is just as loving as Pumbaa and they both maintain that spirit of always finding a way to relax to lessen worry, which is why it’s still a joy to listen to ‘Hakuna Matata’. And lastly, it never crossed my mind on who would play the young and adult versions of Simba & Nala respectively but in the end, I think they made solid choices. JD McCrary accurately expressed Simba’s expressed adventurous youth while Donald Glover did a good job portraying him as a naive adult struggling to break from insecurity. Shahadi Wright Joseph was a fine choice expressing Nala’s playful spirit as a cub, while Beyoncé surprises me doing a good job portraying her as the more mature one who gained bravery from someone she cared about. The best thing about casting her and Glover is that their duet for ‘Can You Feel the Tonight’ is beautiful to listen to. Beyoncé even went the extra mile by making her own soundtrack inspired by this film. The song ‘Spirit’ was the standout because in a way, it creates the feeling of rediscovery where childhood transcends to adulthood, which is exactly what Simba goes through. In short, 2019’s The Lion King is a remake that doesn’t bring anything new but is recommended for those who enjoy the nostalgic trip in memory lane.
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