The Lion King (2019): Film Review

Synopsis

The Lion King (2019) tells the story of a young lion prince, Simba (JD McCrary), whose father, the king Mufasa (James Earl Jones), was murdered by his uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor). When an adult, Simba (now, Donald Glover) must avenge his father's death with the help of Timon (Billy Eichner), Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter), and the entire lion pride.

Review

The cast is great for the most part. Donald Glover as Simba fell a little flat for me. It didn’t seem as if he was passionate about it. Billy Eichner as Timon was the standout in this film for me. His chemistry with Seth Rogen is undeniable and they are hilarious together. Also, Beyoncé, I felt, was properly cast as Nala, even though she isn’t the best voice actress. The film looks great. The images and scenery are beautiful and everything looks so real. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. While the lions look real and authentic, they can't really emote as well as cartoons can. Now, they do have very expressive eyes, which helps with the emotions. The music is great. The only thing I will say about it is this version's take on "Be Prepared." It is a much more toned-down version of the song (because of the Nazi themes) that works for this film, with it having an inherently darker tone than the original. Also, a downside of photo-realism, the fantastical imagery of the musical numbers "I Just Can't Wait to be King" and "Be Prepared" (as previously mentioned) are very much toned down and almost eliminated. But, anyway. This film serves as a love letter to the original The Lion King (1994), focusing on paying homage and honoring and staying true to the story, rather than coming off as mimicry and laziness (as some would describe it). As a fan of the original, I very much enjoyed this film (my love for Beyoncé also buttressed my enjoyment).