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With his mythical story of life and death, not to mention a cast of lions and hyenas, The Lion King was an unlikely candidate for a photo-realistic treatment. But the new film plunges into naturalism, with a dazzling authenticity: herds of zebras, elephants and computer-generated antelopes parade on screen against a vast African panorama, towards Pride Rock, where King Mufasa is waiting to hold his little Simba. With the Circle of Life in the background, this majestic scene takes us into the fascinating world of the film before a word is spoken. This is perhaps the computer image, but the Lion King has more sense of life than the many recent remakes of his clbadics animated by Disney.
It does not take a detective to understand why this film quickly became a clbadic. He has adorable animals and competes with Bambi in his moving death of a parenting story. The original songs of Elton John and Tim Rice are so alive and exciting that they are now as familiar as what you would hear in The Sound of Music.
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Jon Favreau's movie is funnier than l & rsquo; Original, even though it highlights the dark themes of the story. He adds some useful scenes and two ordinary songs. However, it does not move much away from the clbadic. This is not a visionary, artistic reinventing that the Broadway version was. Director Julie Taymor has brilliantly added more music, masks and fantastic giant puppets. This film, however, is a cautious remake that is inspired by its realistic visuals. Some actors have a more realistic rendering than others, which makes the tone a little erratic. But if the new Lion King is not as transparent as previous versions, it is full of adventure and equally engaging. The words of the animals are not perfectly synchronized with their mouths – the only obvious defect among all the technical magic. This distraction quickly disappears when the power of history takes over.
As in the original, the first words come from Mufasa's irritated brother, Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who spoke to the mouse that he was about to catch and eat. "Life is not fair," he says, emphasizing the theme of rivalry, both in the animal kingdom and between brothers and sisters. This scar is still trying to kill Simba and inherit the throne, but he is the most radically different character from the original. Then, Jeremy Irons's Scar, emerald eyes and glorious black men, drew replicas in such a sneaky, sly tone that he remains one of Disney's most indelible villains. The new scar has lean flanks, a ravaged face and a mangy coat. Ejiofor speaks his lines with a sinister rumble almost too subtle and real for this disproportionate production.
James Earl Jones, the only actor who returns from the first film, was apparently irreplaceable in the role of Mufasa. Jones gives credible credibility to this larger-than-life character, as Mufasa teaches a young Simba (JD McCrary) the cycles of nature, the duties of a king and the way his ancestors will look at the stars and guide him . 19659007] Eichner, who runs almost with the film, has a cynical tone full of wit.
John Oliver tells deliberately hokey jokes like the Zazu hornbill, flying and hovering over Simba. Like Ejiofor, Oliver speaks his songs more than he sings them, which works perfectly well. The music usually gets into the action with grace so graceful that it shakes when it is not the case – when Simba sings "I can not wait to be king," the movie seems too fond of his National Geographic background.
Even though young Simba does not realize it, this song is about a boy who wants his father dead. As in the original, it does not have to wait a long time. But first, he goes through extremely frightening action scenes, including the one in which the vicious hyenas chase him and Nala, his friend and future love, in a tunnel. Throughout the film, Favreau and the great director of photography, Caleb Deschanel, mimic the camera movements of real action movies. This approach can be felt strongly when we see a terrified race of Simba in the tunnel or we are caught in a savage rush, while Mufasa rushes to save him. When Mufasa climbs a cliff and Scar pushes him away, Hans Zimmer's beautiful orchestral music reinforces the impact of this scene.
After all this tragedy, the film takes an intelligent turn towards comedy while Simba runs away and meets his new friends. Incarnating Billy Eichner as Timon, the mocking meerkat, and Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, the good-natured but also flatulent warthog, are some of the film's most successful choices. Eichner, who is almost gone with the film, has a cynical tone of wit. "Let me simplify that for you. Life does not make sense, "he told Simba, laughing at the very idea of" types of royal deaths in the sky "watching over us. Of course, he will come.
It is obvious that Beyoncé was chosen for his music
The gay version of Hakuna Matata of Eichner and Rogen takes us through the scene in which Simba crosses the screen, seen in silhouette then that she grew up from a lion cub to a lion, emerging from the other side with the voice of Donald Glover. Glover is a wonderfully real Simba, capturing the petulance of a teenager on the verge of manhood. Beyoncé plays the adult Nala and together they sing Can You Feel The Love Tonight. Beyoncé brings a convincing ferocity to the character, and new scenes with her and Simba's mother, Sarabi (Alfre Woodard), add a contemporary twist. The women of this pride are powerful and attack hyenas. It's just a nod, but it's worth it.
However, Beyoncé was clearly chosen for her music. Spirit, the anthem she co-wrote and sings, is doing fine, but feels forced to hear it, as Nala and Simba return to Pride Rock for a final confrontation with Scar. The new song by Elton John that appears in the final credits, Never Too Late, is dull compared to the originals.
Some of the early critics of the film reacted with anger and considered it soulless and treated it as if it was a crime against humanity. They need a dose of hakuna matata (no worries). This ridiculous outrage – the new version is not even a crime against the cinema – shows how precious the memory of the original is. You can go back to the original film for its breath, its beauty and Jeremy Irons. See the new version for pleasure and immersion in a fantasy world that feels real. The new attractive lion king proves that history and music are adaptable to the infinite and almost senseless.
★★★★ ☆
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