“Go back to your den, Simba, I don’t babysit,” Scar’s (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) voice echoes through the cinema hall. Watching the 2019 version of The Lion King was a mixture of nostalgia and excitement. The interlude strikes from the fifth track of Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift album. The dialogue where Scar was rousing Simba’s curiosity about the “Elephant’s Graveyard” remains a classic. It was where all the trouble began.
***Plat4om giveaway: Check the picture at the end for a surprise.***
There is no spoiling this remake as it is the same exact film as the previous one. However, a huge attractive difference is in the casting. Watching the voice of Nala grow from child star Shahadi Wright Joseph’s into Beyoncé Knowles’ had a nice touch to it. It is the same with Simba’s growth from JD McCrary into Donald Glover.
The dialogue still had the same intensity. The music was just as real, and Mufasa’s poetic monologues were also just as striking. James Earl Jones still grips us in his usual way with his amazing storytelling. It was impossible to make it less emotional when we lost him at the stampede. The cinema fell silent on this scene and the tension could be felt in the air.
The Lion King 2019 Remake
The 2019 remake of The Lion King was a little too realistic. It did not feel like a film. Instead, due to the overly-realistic imagery, it felt almost like we were watching the National Geographic Channel. There was a lot of attention to the tiniest details. The flies, bugs and animals looked very real. It sort of took a bit to get used to. However, once you get into the film, which is pretty much from the first scene, you are drawn into it all.
Low ratings
It is understandable why this film only got a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There was a bit of magic lost in the reality of it all. The story was great enough to still evoke all the necessary emotions inside of us. Pumbaa and Timon still got us singing along during the “Hakuna Matata” rendition. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” still had us all mushy and in love.
Metacritic rated the film an average 55%, and it had a very generous 7.2/10 on IMDb. Again, this would not come as a surprise if you go to see this film. The colourfulness of the cartoon was replaced with the pale reality of the real world. This film will mostly be enjoyed by adults who know that their favourite stars were the voices behind the animals. A seven-year-old will most likely enjoy the 1994 edition better.
One thing that cannot be taken away from the story, however, is its potency. The story is just as gripping, powerful and as intense as ever. The punchlines in the dialogues were retained because, to be fair, it couldn’t be better. The fact that we saw Mufasa’s death coming did not make it any easier to bear. At that point, we hoped the story-line would change and he would stay alive. Some of us may also have shed a tear or two.
Cinematic experience
There were some great shots and camera angles too that made the story look even more intense. The film is doing great at the box office nonetheless. The opening weekend in Lagos saw a hall full of adults, teenagers and children looking to relive memories. The cinema halls were constantly full, and it was almost impossible to get a ticket. It did seem like most people were there to see it again, and boy was it a great trip down memory lane!
Despite the poor reviews though, The Lion King remake has made an estimated $531 million worldwide in the 10 days of release. It only just got to the cinemas in Nigeria on Friday, 19th July 2019, and it is already a number one here. In China, which is the world’s second-largest film market, contributed $98 million of the total sum. Disney is having a great year as “Avengers: Endgame” has also now surpassed “Avatar” as the biggest box-office blockbuster ever.