The Lion King: Critic Consensus and Rating Disapointing 58% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes: 57% (86 critics) with 6.24 in average
Critics Consensus: Though it can take pride in its visual achievements, this reimagined The Lion King is a by the numbers retelling lacks the energy and heart that made the original so beloved – though for some fans that may just be enough.
Metacritic: 55/100 (19 critics)
As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Meanwhile, I’ll post some short reviews on the movie.
But by and large, very few remakes, other than Gus Van Sant’s shot-by-shot reproduction of Psycho, have adhered as closely to their original versions as this one does. Everything here is so safe and tame and carefully calculated as to seem pre-digested. There’s nary a surprise in the whole two hours.
–Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
Zazu worries that the circle of life has become “a meaningless line of indifference,” but “The Lion King” more closely resembles a perfect ouroboros. It’s the work of a studio that’s gobbled up the rest of the film industry and is still hungry for more. “The Lion King” feels less like a remake than a snuff film, and a boring one at that.
Was “The Lion King” really in need of a souped-up version? Nope. The original holds up exceedingly well and honestly has the edge in overall charm. Favreau at least loves and respects the story enough to do it justice, as well as lean into the core themes. This “Lion King” does an OK job roaring to life for a new generation and looking spectacular along the way. The OG, however, will always be the real mane attraction.
Disney delivers their most successful remake yet. A strong cast, outstanding visuals, and the classic animal-centric take on Hamlet make this infinitely more watchable than some of the studio’s previous retellings. The only issue here is that The Lion King is a beat-for-beat adaptation that will make even the coldest hearts warm with nostalgia but could potentially disappoint those looking for a new take on the iconic story.
–Rose Knight, IGN: 8.0 “great”
Real lions don’t sing — not even like Beyoncé — and don’t actually govern other creatures. The closer the movie gets to nature in its look, the more blatant, intrusive and purposeless its artifice seems. It might have worked better without songs or dialogue: surely the Disney wizards could have figured out how to spin an epic tale of royal succession and self-discovery through purely visual means. Or else someone could have spent a few months teaching the digital Pumbaa to whip up a nice tofu scramble.
–A.O. Scott, The New York Times
By focusing his attention on upgrading the look of the earlier film, Favreau reinforces the strength of the 1994 classic. If you were never a fan of “The Lion King,” then nothing here will win you over. On the other hand, for those too young ever to have seen it, this could be a life-changing experience, one that strives to create a kind of understanding between audiences and the animal kingdom that Disney once made a regular part of its mission, back in the era of films such as “The Legend of Lobo” and “The Incredible Journey.” It’s a shame to sacrifice the hand-drawn artistry — which will surely hold up better in the long haul — but those are the terms with this latest wave of remakes, and “The Lion King” at least honors what came before, using current animation technology to convince us that we’re watching the real thing.
Basically, this new Lion King sticks very closely to the original version, and in that sense it’s of course watchable and enjoyable. But I missed the simplicity and vividness of the original hand-drawn images. The circle of commercial life has given birth to this all-but-indistinguishable digiclone descendant. I don’t quite feel like bowing, but respect has to be paid to a handsomely made piece of entertainment.
–Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: 3/5
While numbers like “Be Prepared” and Pumbaa and Timon’s gaseous rendition of “Hakuna Matata” retain their charm, the songs too are uneven in this new Lion King. Glover and Beyoncé’s duet of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” is, as a piece of audio, utterly glorious, and yet it has little impact onscreen (where, for some reason, it’s performed in total daylight), because neither Simba nor Nala has come through as an engaging character. The couple of new pieces that have been added also seem out of place, but that might be because the old songs are so familiar at this point. It all speaks to the uneven impact of this glossy, no-expense-spared version of The Lion King: It’s a stirring reminder of what can be achieved with all the talent (and money) in the world, as well as a cautionary tale of what can happen when there’s no vision to bind it all together.
There are glimmers of beauty and awe in the new Lion King. A blood-orange sun rising above the horizon to the sound of Lebo M’s ringing vocals. A god’s-eye view of a sun-baked Simba succumbing to the arid nothingness. A close-up of Rafiki cracking open a fruit to announce, “He’s alive!” They’re all moments first storyboarded in the early ’90s, when a team of artists was asked to bring an original, animated work of art to life.
Favreau is a smart director—his 2016 Jungle Book, another Disney remake, had spirit and verve—and he might have been able to tweak some of the first Lion King’s clumsy emotional transitions. But that’s perhaps even beyond his powers. And the original Lion King is so beloved by so many—the thinking must have been, Better not to mess with it too much. In that respect, this Lion King is a faithful remake, and in terms of its technology, it’s at times quite beautiful to behold. Giraffes run hither and thither on spotty, spindly legs; zebra herds dash by, a stripey blur. But there’s no sense of wonder in this new Lion King—its most visible attribute is ambition. It works hard for the money. Chiefly, yours.
There’s only one thing you need to know about The Lion King and it’s that Disney wants a billion dollars. It just made a movie that might guarantee that payday. It hits all the nostalgic beats with breathtaking realism and visual wonder, but at the cost of imagination and playfulness of synchronized zebras, marching hyenas, and hula dancing meekrats. But today’s children will undoubtedly fall in love with what we all fell in love with in 1994. The harsh truth is that kids don’t care that Disney is remaking its own library for market reasons. All they’re going to know is a beautiful movie with wonderful, albeit stiff characters who will fire up their imagination for years to come. That’s just the circle of life.
There’s almost nothing recognizably human in The Lion King, which labors under the bizarre misconception that anyone needed a photorealistic take on the Shakespearean struggle between talking, singing lions. Joyless, artless, and maybe soulless, it transforms one of the most striking titles from the Mouse House vault into a very expensive, star-studded Disney Nature film.
–A.A. Dowd, A.V. Club: D+
Kudos as well to “The Lion King” 2.0 for not shying away from the spiritual elements of the original story, with all its religious connotations. Nor does it soften the violence in certain pivotal scenes. Even in a musical comedy fantasy world where predator and prey can become friends due to extenuating circumstances, it’s best not to mess with the king. This “Lion King” rules. And roars.
–Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: 3.5/4
VIDEO REVIEWS
DIRECTOR
Jon Favreau
MUSIC COMPOSER
Hans Zimmer
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Caleb Deschanel
Release date:
July 19, 2019
Budget:
$250,000,000 (reportedly)
STARRING
- Donald Glover as Simba
- Seth Rogen as Pumbaa
- Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar
- Alfre Woodard as Sarabi
- Billy Eichner as Timon
- John Kani as Rafiki
- John Oliver as Zazu
- Beyoncé Knowles Carter as Nala
- James Earl Jones as Mufasa
