The Lion King (2019)

Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen
Runtime: 118 minutes

Synopsis: After the murder of his father, a young lion prince flees his kingdom only to learn the true meaning of responsibility and bravery.

Performances: 3/5
Screenplay: 1/5
Special Effects: 2/5
Editing: 2/5
Cinematography: 2/5
Score/Soundtrack: 3/5
Entertainment Factor: 1/5

Verdict: I'm aware that this review will probably result in me getting some heated messages, and I don't mind answering them as long as they're respectful, but I do want to start off by saying that I'm writing this review to express my own opinion, and not validate other people's.

With that out of the way, I think that it's clear by now that I really disliked the live-action (or should I say photorealistic?) remake of "The Lion King". I really, really disliked it in fact. For me, it's a movie that exists solely for the purpose of making a lazy, quick buck with no effort whatsoever. And by no effort, I truly mean no effort, because the product, and that's what it is, is an exact replica of the original classic that lacks all the elements that made it such a universally loved movie. It's a soulless, emotionless, tastelessly put together collage of bland-looking scenes that completely miss the point of why the animated version was a hit. When telling a story set in the jungle and centered around animals, making it animated is simply essential to showcase the emotions felt by these characters. It allows them to make them laugh and cry, which in turn makes us laugh and cry with them. The animation format also allows the creative minds to enhance the film's color palette, thus making it look lively and magical. This version has none of that. None of the emotions. None of the magic. None of anything. It doesn't elevate the original in any way. It has absolutely no reason to exist apart from contributing to the slow death of originality in Hollywood. It's a factory movie, a product used to manipulate audiences into buying a ticket to a movie they've already seen and loved. It embodies everything that's wrong with the film industry nowadays and doesn't even try to be its own thing. It truly saddens me that an entire generation of children will experience the story of Simba for the first time through this empty, shell of a movie, and I can say with confidence, and I know that a lot of people won't agree with me, that it's my least favorite film of the year so far.     

FINAL GRADE: 2/10