Recommendation: 3/5 Stars, STREAM

Plot: “After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.” -IMDB

Review: Why does an updated version of “The Lion King” exist? It is a question that should be applied more broadly to all the films Disney is determined to turn into live-action adaptations. If the purpose and place of these films are to just drum up millennial attachment and nostalgia in an effort to make money, I say stop. Stop taking up valuable cinema space. Stop stealing attention from films such as “The Farewell,” “Booksmart,” and “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” Stop stealing the breath of original films deserving of a wide audience but will never achieve the glory they deserve because you must give us regurgitated drivel shown on three different screens at the same cineplex.

“The Lion King” was the first movie I remember seeing twice in a theater. With this adaption, the first thing I noticed in the almost shot for shot adaption is how it made me feel. These aren’t new feelings. These are recycled emotions from my childhood. That’s precisely the point. This isn’t about getting you to feel something new or think differently beyond the advancements in CGI. “The Lion King” is nothing more than a recycling program offering back five cents for glass bottles, but instead of bottles, it is trading on that childhood you can never detach from firmly.

Now, that’s not to say this film isn’t without some bright spots. In my heart of hearts, I believe this film would have been unbearable without the comedic timing and acting of John Oliver, Seth Rogen, and Billy Eichner. In my mind, they absolutely steal the show. Each brings something new and fresh to their characters that feels different from the original film. If this sort of twist would have permeated itself throughout the entire film, I am confident I would be writing a different review today.

In the end, I am not against remakes or adaptions. Hell, my favorite film of 2018, “A Star Is Born,” was a remake. Yet, so many of them miss the mark. They don’t advance the story nor are they filled with fresh ideas. They force you to leave the theater with a sense of dread that the thing you just watched was about getting you to open your wallet and nothing else. As a defender of this medium, that isn’t a feeling you should ever feel. That’s not why we go to the movies.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

This website exists because of readers and supporters. If what you just read made you smile, please consider supporting the website with a monthly gift. Your support means everything and proves to the world that original content still matters.