Review: “The Lion King (2019)”

Late yesterday afternoon, I went to the theaters to see The Lion King remake in 3D. Now, I haven’t been to the theaters since Happy Feet, so going to the theaters was a new and unusual experience for me. And The Lion King is the very first movie that I have seen in 3D – so that was also quite an experience.

Before the actual movie started there were ads and a couple of trailers for upcoming Disney and Disney/Pixar movies – Onward and Frozen II. I saw the trailer’s in 3D and it was so amazing!! I had already seen the trailer for Frozen 2 on the computer but to see it in depth and louder sound was so amazing! Well worth it and now I officially can’t wait for the movie to come out! There were one or two times in the Onward trailer that I had to remind myself not to duck when a dragon came running “towards” the screen. Again, I had never seen anything in 3D before.

Anyway, then the movie started.

Oh, my!

I could tell from the very first shot that this movie will be a visual treat.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

This movie is pretty much the same as the original one, so I won’t go into the plot. There was a couple added-in scenes, and slight changes to stuff such as actions and lines, etc., but otherwise, it is still basically the same as the original.

And I don’t care.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!

I strongly urge you to see this in 3D. It is sooo worth it to see it in depth. There were a few times where I had to remind myself not to swat the bugs away as they weren’t really there in the theater. Whenever a bird flew around on screen, it really looked as if it flew into the screen. It was absolutely an unforgettable and amazing experience! I would love to see other movies (such as Frozen 2) in 3D.

While it lacked the humour and comedy of the original, I actually really liked and appreciated how more serious and darker the remake is. Of course, there was humour (such as the live bait scene – they make it different, but so much better than the original), but it was overall much more serious than the 1994 movie.

Regarding the songs, I’ll tell you now if you want to see it but are concerned about what they do to the songs – Be Prepared is in the remake despite what the filmmakers claimed. It’s just a shorter version with the wording changed slightly. While I love the original song, I also really enjoyed this new version of it.

All the original songs are still there – such as Can You Feel The Love Tonight?; The Circle of Life; and I Just Can’t Wait To Be King. And still just as fun to listen to. There is a new song sung by Beyonce (I think I spelt her name correctly). And it’s really good.

They made some slight changes to Scar – don’t worry, he’s still the cold, power hungry, calculating lion that he is in the original – except he’s not comic. He’s a much more serious Scar. More scary and darker. While I love Jeremy Irons’ comic Scar, I also really love how Chiwetel Ejiofor made him more serious and darker. More psychological. In fact, I think I enjoy Ejiofor’s performance better than Irons’.

I also enjoy how Nala has a much bigger role in this movie. Beyonce does a really, really good job as Nala and really brings her to life. Nala is much more headstrong and independent and I really love some of her lines – especially one particular one in the climax.

I also really loved the added detail of Scar trying to get Sarabi as his queen after becoming king. I had been wondering if they would do that when I went to see the movie and was pleased that they did. It’s much more real and I totally loved the scenes where she rebukes his advances. Really cool!

Timon and Pumbaa are still just as great and comic as ever. Really enjoyed their scenes.

Another bonus to seeing this in theaters was that the sound was louder. Listening to the music and roars with louder sound was so thrilling!

I really enjoyed how more tense and suspenseful it was – especially in the climax. Excellently done!

There was one jump scare that I did not expect. And seeing it in 3D caused my to literally jump sideways in my seat, trying to duck. (My Grandma did as well, in my defense).

Even though I have seen the original several times and own it on DVD, seeing the remake with how well done it is, it was like I was seeing the Lion King’s story for the first time. My eyes were wide the whole time the movie was playing in utter wonder and amazement – and I’m not ashamed to admit that.

A really exciting and excellent movie that I strongly recommend you go see in the theaters NOW – so worth it. And see it in 3D!!!