Spoiler free

Jon Favreau, director of “The Jungle Book,” took charge in the live action remake of “The Lion King.” He had big shoes to fill, as the original was a huge success with multiple awards and an audience that has loved the movie ever since they were young. 

Due to my love of “The Lion King,” I went into the movie with high hopes because Jon Favreau did very well with “The Jungle Book” but I came out of the movie not satisfied and fulfilled nor completely disappointed.

The 3D animation was phenomenal. The movement of every animal was captured wonderfully, from the small mouse to the tall giraffe. With that, there were some bad moments.

I didn’t agree with the choice for the actors or actresses for some of the characters. I didn’t see this person add anything to the character and in fact, I thought they made the character less than what they were in the original. With that, I do need to give props to Donald Glover as older Simba, Chiwetal Ejiofor as Scar, and the return of James Earl Jones as Mufasa. 

Spoilers Ahead!

In the beginning, we get to see the animals going to pride rock to see the new king, Simba, but we see Rafiki without his stick, the staple of his character. He does get it at the end during the big battle and while I understand it was supposed to be a dramatic moment, it was disappointing to see the character without his stick. Rafiki also didn’t get many important moments. He led Simba to the pond, but we had no interaction with him before that like we did in the original. He didn’t give us those wise quotes that define the wise yet weird character of Rufiki.

“Be Prepared” did not live up to what I expected. With Ejiofor’s performance, I wanted a song. The build up for the song was there, but it lead to nothing. We only get him on his rock telling the hyenas to be prepared. 

I believe that Beyonce’s role as Nala was subpar. I don’t think she played the role well. She had pointless lines like saying that the lions were always going to be with Simba, the rightful king. Her saying, “Lions attack” added nothing to her character and felt like it was just slipped in there because Disney paid a high price for Beyonce. I don’t think Beyonce should have been chosen for this role, it just didn’t fit. 

In Conclusion

Overall I would say not bad, but I wouldn’t pay to see it again. I would give the film a 5 out of 10 lion cubs. 

What else should we review? Stay tuned for the next review!