The Lion King (2019)

[ArrestedDevelopment]

Originally Posted by prozacnation1978

I saw it i liked it, but seemed some points of the film i was bored, the music was meh, i liked alladin more than this film.

This was incredibly boring. Dozed off for a good 10 min during the stampede scene and Mufasa's death.

Did a triple header in theaters last month (running on 5 hours of sleep no less) and was completely awake the entire time but Lion King somehow managed to be so boring that I couldn't be bothered to stay awake.

[CyberpunkCentral]

Holy shit! What Korey, from Double Toasted, said makes a lot of sense. If you want to push the technology further, but don't want to lose money, do it with this. A recognizable IP. So while critics may criticize this for being a shot to shot remake, it's going to benefit future movies down the road.

[Leonidas King]

Really enjoyed it. At first I was skeptical by the trailers but the final product really sold me. Lots of things I liked in this retelling which I will discuss later on here.

Even though the OG is still the best I wasn’t mad with this at all. It’s also not Favreau‘s Jungle Book quality of film but he still did a great job with the material for this. I’m ready for a second viewing soon!

4/5

[Chaotic]

Loved it. The animal expressions were much better than I expected. Hans score still brings tears to my eyes.

[jayman3]

Woooo…..$200 million opening incoming

https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-lio...ds-1202648944/

[InuYashaCrusade]

Originally Posted by jayman3

Woooo…..$200 million opening incoming

https://deadline.com/2019/07/the-lio...ds-1202648944/

So all of the negativity online means nothing? Whaaat?

[NARMAK]

I just watched this and tbh, whilst i wasn't blown away or as enamoured as others in the theatre seemed to be. I can see this really playing well with families and making a ton of money. The movie itself for me was a little phoned in and tbh, it's never gonna hold a candle to the original animation overall.

The voice acting from Donald Glover wasn't bad imo but i suppose i can tell a little by what people mean when they say it was at times phoned it. Regarding Beyonce, i'm not a fan and i'm not gonna sugarcoat it, she was an awful fit. As much as people might like her songs, the movie didn't seem to fit her naturally even in some of the songs she does for it and they're not really gonna be memorable. The voice acting also left a LOT to be desired. She's just poor in such a pivotal role. She's so phoned in and poor at showing any range as Nala. Glover on the other hand does manage to at least deliver in many scenes.

I would say Seth Rogen as Pumba was great and although i haven't watched the animation in a long time, i do believe there's new things in here.

Overall i'd give the movie 6.5/10. The CGI in this movie is amazing at times. 99% of the Rafiki scenes are imo photorealistic. He's probably the most complete CGI animation there. The lions and others imo suffer from CGI at looking natural enough but there are many scenes where it truly does shine.

[Mr.F]

Originally Posted by InuYashaCrusade

So all of the negativity online means nothing? Whaaat?

It was always going to make a ton of money. It's a critic proof movie. And even if audiences don't care for it, it will continue to play well since there's no other family movie coming to theaters until September.

Will it leave a cultural imprint though? Probably not. But then again, it doesn't matter since civilization will be crumbling down and the the planet will be drowning in 30 years. Let's just enjoy whatever you want while we can

[Porco Azzurro]

Originally Posted by Mr.F

But then again, it doesn't matter since civilization will be crumbling down and the the planet will be drowning in 30 years. Let's just enjoy whatever you want while we can

#...It’s the cirrrrcllllleeee of liiiiifee... !

[Babu93]

2 stars out of 5.

Someone up-thread mentioned Gus Van Sant's Psycho, which is the closest analogy I think. It might not be shot for shot, but it's scene by scene. And is similarly soulless.

Having really enjoyed The Jungle Book, I was disappointed by this. I still find the original heart-wrenching and while this is technically brilliant, I found it dull and uninvolving. Musical numbers lack any kind of energy and the voice work is a mixed bag.

Timon and Pumbaa were the only real silver lining for me.

Having enjoyed the stage show and how they mix it up a bit, pulling songs like the excellent He Lives in You from the Lion King 2, I wish it had taken a few more risks. But even so, the photo-realistic style just detracts from the fantastical story it tells which worked so well in traditional animation.

[Zivouhr]

I think I'll rewatch the animated 3D version tonight, and then compare it directly to the film this weekend in theaters.

Originally Posted by Falaskan

I for one, love the idea of a nature documentary look. As long as the voice acting is good, I’m fine.

I feel this way about the Prince of Egypt (If they ever were to make a live action version). I think the original is perfect and would be perfectly fine to see a scene by scene remake in live action. When they do the Snow White remake I hope it’s very close to the original as well.

You guys made your own bed, time to lie in it. One of the biggest complaints against these remakes was unnecessary changes. Disney listened. Now they stick closer to the original besides it being live action (photorealistic in this case) and people still complain. If they were to mimic the very facial features of the lions, what would even be the point?

For those that have actually seen it, are there any actual humans in this (tribesman, poachers, etc.)?

Prince of Egypt being from Dreamworks, I'd be surprised if they remake that animated film.

But yes, the look of this film is a step forward in CGI realism and animation. From the trailers anyway, it looks real. I'll probably sit there the whole movie thinking, "Yeah, that looks real. That movement, not so much. Oh yeah, that looks realistic. That too. Nice."

[Pounder]

I liked it. Shot for Shot remake sure but don't quite get those saying the film is soulless. 4/5

[imsounoriginal]

This is one of those movies where you're gonna get from it exactly what you bring to it. If you're looking for a cynical corporate cash-grab, I'm sure you'll find it. As for me -- The Lion King was the very first movie I ever saw in a theater. My dad took me during the original run 25 (!!!) years ago, and I got to see the new one with him today.

We both had a great time. I honestly don't care if it's because of anything the remake does on its own or it's because we brought with us years of love and nostalgia for the original. The litmus test for me is the movie's most emotional scene; not Mufasa's death or Mufasa's ghost, but the "Look at the stars" scene. And yeah, it worked.

Most of the additions are trivial; some new music, a little bit longer with the mouse in Scar's cave or the beetle that Simba chases. I did like the new version of how Rafiki finds out Simba's still alive, and the Be Our Guest bit was hysterical. But they totally fumbled the Mufasa's Ghost re-imagination. I kept waiting for that scene to really hit its peak, but it fizzles very quickly and just leaves zero impression.

The voice cast is great except for, ironically, James Earl Jones. All due respect, but he sounds more like a grandfather than Simba's dad, and I can't think of a single new line reading he gave that's better than his readings in the original. They should've either just used his original recordings or re-cast the part; I'm sure Benedict Cumberbatch or someone would've been a fine replacement. (Rogen, Eichner, and the kids voicing Simba and Nala are the standouts.)

Technically, it's incredible. This is a shoo-in for the VFX Oscar and I think Caleb Deschanel deserves from Cinematography consideration if not for the fact that so many shots are copied entirely from the original (the entire Circle of Life is shot-for-shot IIRC). The animals are also plenty expressive, although the voice cast helps a lot.

On a six-story Laser IMAX 3D screen, the 3D was incredible and the VAR was completely immersive. I only caught four scenes that opened up to full 1.43:1 -- Circle of Life, stampede, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and Simba vs. Scar.

So yeah, overall -- if you're looking forward to it, go see it and don't let the reviews scare you away. If you were always skeptical and just generally not a fan of these "live-action" remakes, then stay home. I'm not sure if I'd ever watch this again except as a sort of time-capsule look at cutting-edge VFX in 2019, but for a one-time theatrical experience, it was a hell of a good time.

[jayman3]

Originally Posted by CyberpunkCentral

Holy shit! What Korey, from Double Toasted, said makes a lot of sense. If you want to push the technology further, but don't want to lose money, do it with this. A recognizable IP. So while critics may criticize this for being a shot to shot remake, it's going to benefit future movies down the road.

Then Disney shouldn’t have cancelled Mouse Guard for this.

[Leonidas King]

This was the most faithful live-action adaptation this year. Miles ahead of Dumbo and Aladdin.

[Chaotic]

Aladdin was pretty bad. Dumbo was decent but forgettable.

[Chaotic]

Trailers I got incase anyone wants to know what trailers are attached

Playmobil: The Movie
Ford v Ferrari
Addams Family
Playing with Fire
Angry Birds 2
Mulan
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

[ChiGuy]

Technically astonishing. But I think here's the main problem--in 2D animation the characters can run fast and loose with facial expressions and unbelievable antics. In the new version the annimators are obviously going for photo-realism. Except for the moving mouths (which is pretty restrained in the movie), the characters simply don't express any (anthropomorphic) emotions. I think this is why some people are saying it's a bit "cold". It's almost like watching a documentary with Clutch-Cargo mouth movements.

[Chaotic]

Some parts (particularly Simba's emotional scene after Mufasa's death) looked/felt weird but i found the expressions pretty good for the most part. I liked the look on Scar's face when he tells Simba he killed Mufasa.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by ChiGuy

Except for the moving mouths (which is pretty restrained in the movie), the characters simply don't express any (anthropomorphic) emotions. I think this is why some people are saying it's a bit "cold". It's almost like watching a documentary with Clutch-Cargo mouth movements.

Hell, Babe did this better 24 years ago (despite the crudity of the CG lip-synch effects by today's standards) because it at least had ACTUAL damn animals in it.