THE LION KING – Review

Sometimes changing very little in a remake is a bold choice. Ask Gus Van Zant, whose 1998 shot-for-shot PSYCHO redux was met with equal parts derision and disinterest. Director John Favreau’s new remake of THE LION KING does less tinkering than his 2016 live-action JUNGLE BOOK did, but it never feels pointless, as this summer’s ALADDIN did, nor does it feel like one of Tim Burton’s uninspired attempts to shoehorn his personal quirk into films like DUMBO and ALICE IN WONDERLAND. THE LION KING is the best of these live-action Disney versions to date mostly because it stays so true to its source (though with no humans on-screen, perhaps we should call it ‘the photorealistically computer-animated version’ ….but that’s too much a mouthful).

THE LION KING is, you’ll recall, the tale of young lion cub Simba (voiced by JD McCray then Donald Glover) who must accept the title and responsibilities of ‘King of the Jungle’ when his father Mustapha (James Earl Jones in a glorious return) is killed as part a power play by the king’s jealous younger brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor). and his delightfully evil henchmen, a three-pack of cackling hyenas (Keegan-Michael Key, Eric André, Florence Kasumba). The story follows young Simba treading along the “circle of life,” encountering a cute female playmate Nala and a couple of cut-ups – Pumbaa the warthog (Seth Rogan) and Timon (Billy Eichner) a wise-cracking meerkat.

Within the heavy, Shakespeare-inspired melodrama, there are of course plenty of light touches. It’s 25 minutes longer than the ’94 version and most of what’s been added to the script is extensions of the humor, but not all the attempts to juice the laughs work. There’s a charming BEAUTY AND THE BEAST song reference that’s a gut-buster, but too many of the new lines go to John Oliver’s Zazu, the hornbill who flaps around far too often squawking alarmingly about the news. Rogen as Pumbaa is the comic centerpiece here and he makes the most of his enthusiastic line readings, while his off-key attempts at warbling may be the most vicious assault on the ears since Lee Marvin in PAINT YOUR WAGON. Billy Eichner is almost equally funny as his partner Timon and their antics are what are going to most appeal to younger audience members. Chiwetel Ejiofor is powerful as Scar, yet he retains Jeremy Iron’s often pathetic and manipulative persona. Donald Glover is a weak link. As a voice actor he’s undistinguished and he doesn’t sing particularly well (though better than Rogen). This was the same issue with Mathew Broderick in 1994, so it’s more a case where a protagonist is overshadowed by iconic supporting characters. Beyoncé Knowles (Excuse me, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) as Nala would barely have made an impression if Disney hadn’t felt the need to showcase her with one the update’s two new songs (the other is by Elton John in the closing credits). Her tuneless ‘Spirit’ stops the film in its tracks, not only because it’s lousy, but because it’s jarring and out of place (now watch it win the Oscar!). These are minor complaints though. THE LION KING is a terrific story and this new spin displays the eye-popping gains in technology from the past 25 years. The biggest drawback of the remake is that you already know everything that’s going to happen, so for future generations who discover this story now for the first time, it may be a toss-up which version is superior. Each of them is packed with those timeless Elton John–Tim Rice tunes and gifted with Hamlet-inflected gravitas. Director Favreau found something that really wasn’t broken, so he didn’t try to fix it. Good for him. Let him direct the rest of these Disney’s re-boots (and a remake of PSYCHO!)

3 1/2 of 4 Stars