"The original loomed very large throughout the entire process of this. And so we always had the original standing by, sometimes [when] we're approving sequences, visual effects shots...we always had the old one available, let's just see what they did."
Jon Favreau, IMDb On the Scene
The above quote quite nicely summarizes the entire experience of The Lion King (2019), a remake of one of the top tier films in Disney's entire catalogue, a film so beloved that when it was re-released in theaters in 2011, it topped the box office for two weeks in a row, beating out it's competition of newly released films. Essentially it's a juggernaut, and as Disney has been remaking its animated classics into live action fare, Lion King was always a possibility. Of course, The Lion King is one of the few films of Disney's that feature no humans, so a new version would have to be completely animated anyway.
So Disney has come, guns ablazing, with one of the most gorgeously animated films ever conceived, with animation so photorealistic its a wonder to behold (the animals don't always feel natural in movement, but still images could be mistaken for photos of real wildlife). The opening scene, an almost shot for shot recreation of the original's Circle of Life, is quite stunning, to say the least.
And then the rest of the film happens. If you've seen the original, you know the story. Simba (JD McCrary as a kid, Donald Glover as an adult) is destined to rule the pride lands but his Uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is hungry for the throne and kills Simba's dad Mufasa (James Earl Jones, back from the first film), and convinces Simba he is to blame, sending him to exile.
Much of the film is beat for beat the same thing, scene for scene. Of course, things are slightly different, and some sequences are extended for no conceivable reason. Remember that mouse Scar soliloquizes to after the first song? Now you get about 2 minutes of that mouse running around before it crosses Scar. And remember when a grown Simba lays down after reflecting on his past, and cloud of dust travels inexplicably to Rafiki (John Kani in the new film) alerting him that Simba is alive? Well now that's an extended sequence of Simba's fur traveling through the wind until it's eaten and then pooped out by a giraffe (yes this actually happens), and then carried by ants to Rafiki. See, it's these little things that really flesh out the world and add texture the environment sorely missing from the original.
There are some positive elements in this film though, before I continue being sarcastic. The comic relief characters, including the Hyenas (Florence Kasumba, Keegan-Michael Key, and Eric André), Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen), all shine because they are allowed to ad lib and add some funny new moments to the film. Similar to the recent Aladdin remake, Will Smith's Genie was at his best when he was being his own thing and not imitating Robin Williams. And here it is the same; when the actors make the characters their own, this feels like a fun new interpretation, not a rote, repeated sightseeing tour of stuff I know, done prettier.
But translating this film into realistic CGI means all the expressiveness of the original animation is lost. Gone is the wonderful color palette of the original, replaced by a gold hue that evokes the African plains, but doesn't tickle the imagination. And gone are the emotions exhibited by the characters; animals can only say so much with their face, and while I hear emotion from the performances, it rarely comes through in the animation of the characters (only Timon gets expressive). The original looms large, and the film seems to be relying on your memory of how the animated characters felt to inform what's going on in front of you.
Gone too are the inventive musical numbers; I mean, they're still there, but instead of transitioning into a fantastical setting for the likes Can't Wait to Be King or Be Prepared, it keeps things literal, grounded in reality. The songs are still fun to listen too, but not very much fun to watch (I also feel sorry for any kids whose definitive Hakuna Matata is sung by Seth Rogen). And Can You Feel the Love Tonight is staged during daylight (I'm sure you'll see this primary criticism all over the internet on this point).
I guess what angers me most about all these remakes is that they're boring. There's nothing interesting or exciting about them, they bring nothing new to the table, and any perceived plot holes are given an unnecessary amount of time to fill in. Do something different with the material! Maleficent (2014) set out to tell the story from a new perspective, and Favreau (who directed this film) brought fun new energy to his The Jungle Book (2016), making a film that is reminiscent of the original but also very, very different. There's even some Disney films I'd love to see a remake of. Pinocchio (1940), one of the best films Disney's made, is based on a very bizarre book and a new interpretation would be fascinating to see. Or The Black Cauldron (1985), one of Disney's great failures based on a fairly beloved series that deserves a second chance. Besides The Little Mermaid, Disney is at the end of its Renaissance era films to pillage. Let's just hope they don't decide to make a live action Toy Story.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
It's been awhile since I've reviewed anything from the MCU. The franchise is a behemoth that even, after 23 films, shows no signs of losing steam, with this summer's Avengers: Endgame shattering almost every box office record (#1 domestic and worldwide seem to be out of its reach though, which may speak to the rewatchability of that film vs. the front-loaded hype leading into it). Spider-Man: Far From Home reportedly brings a close to the longest of Marvel's phases, the 10-film long Phase Three that kicked off in 2016 with Captain America: Civil War (which also happened to be Spidey's debut into the framework of the MCU).
Because this is an MCU film it is also audience's first chance to see the aftermath of events of Endgame (I should also note from here on out there will be Endgame spoilers as the fundamental plot is near impossible to discuss without referencing. So consider this your warning). With half the population restored after Thanos' mighty snap, the film reckons with the impact this cataclysmic happening would have on the general populous. Which is to say it's treated pretty humorously. In a great intro, a school news report details a school game where half the participants vanished, and then footage of those people reappearing in the middle of another game 5 years in the future.
Perhaps the real weight of what it means to have disappeared for 5 years, only to be thrust back into existence, will be handled in a more serious film. Here the biggest upset is a classmate that our heroes knew as a puny freshman has grown into a handsome upperclassmen, technically younger than they but physically their equal.
Far From Home concerns Spider-Man's (Tom Holland) class trip to Europe, while dealing with the death of Tony Stark, which looms large over the world in various murals that remind Spidey of the shadow he lives in. During the class trip, elemental beings begin terrorizing the various locations the class visits, and a new character named Mysetrio (Jake Gyllenhaal) emerges to battle these new beasts. There's also Peter's fascination with MJ (Zendaya), whose name is Michelle because the fact that she was MJ was a reveal in the last Spider-Man movie for some reason, and they couldn't call her Mary because that would've been too obvious. His attempt at courtship is sidelined by every turn as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up to hijack Peter's trip so he can help battle these earth-ending elementals.
Most of the film is great fun, as Peter deals with these beasts in various locations, from Venice to Prague to London. It's fun to see Spider-Man out of New York, although this also means the film is robbed of what makes Spider-Man movies so thrilling: the swinging through towering skyscrapers. Spider-Man is not well equipped to handle evil doers outside of the big apple, which is readily apparent here.
The film is a special-effects bonanza, which is to be expected, but it also has some great surreal sequences that come close to matching the more bizarre elements of Doctor Strange (2016). Not to mention the villain this time around is a better villain than your average MCU heavy, simply because they are not just the "evil version" of our hero (see: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange for a sampling of villains that are just the heroes but evil).
Whether this will satisfy Spider-Man fans is a different story; we're too deep into the mythology of the MCU for these films to exist on their own now, unless they take off to space where they can ignore the events of Endgame. That movie was too cataclysmic that any earthbound MCU film for the next couple years will have to revolve around it in some way. It takes until the mid-credits scene for Spider-Man's status quo to be fully set up, and while I've enjoyed this spin on the origin story (indeed the past 3 years of films have been one long origin story for Spidey), I'm ready for Spider-Man to shed the weight of Iron Man and the MCU and start doing his own thing. Being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
Because this is an MCU film it is also audience's first chance to see the aftermath of events of Endgame (I should also note from here on out there will be Endgame spoilers as the fundamental plot is near impossible to discuss without referencing. So consider this your warning). With half the population restored after Thanos' mighty snap, the film reckons with the impact this cataclysmic happening would have on the general populous. Which is to say it's treated pretty humorously. In a great intro, a school news report details a school game where half the participants vanished, and then footage of those people reappearing in the middle of another game 5 years in the future.
Perhaps the real weight of what it means to have disappeared for 5 years, only to be thrust back into existence, will be handled in a more serious film. Here the biggest upset is a classmate that our heroes knew as a puny freshman has grown into a handsome upperclassmen, technically younger than they but physically their equal.
Far From Home concerns Spider-Man's (Tom Holland) class trip to Europe, while dealing with the death of Tony Stark, which looms large over the world in various murals that remind Spidey of the shadow he lives in. During the class trip, elemental beings begin terrorizing the various locations the class visits, and a new character named Mysetrio (Jake Gyllenhaal) emerges to battle these new beasts. There's also Peter's fascination with MJ (Zendaya), whose name is Michelle because the fact that she was MJ was a reveal in the last Spider-Man movie for some reason, and they couldn't call her Mary because that would've been too obvious. His attempt at courtship is sidelined by every turn as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up to hijack Peter's trip so he can help battle these earth-ending elementals.
Most of the film is great fun, as Peter deals with these beasts in various locations, from Venice to Prague to London. It's fun to see Spider-Man out of New York, although this also means the film is robbed of what makes Spider-Man movies so thrilling: the swinging through towering skyscrapers. Spider-Man is not well equipped to handle evil doers outside of the big apple, which is readily apparent here.
The film is a special-effects bonanza, which is to be expected, but it also has some great surreal sequences that come close to matching the more bizarre elements of Doctor Strange (2016). Not to mention the villain this time around is a better villain than your average MCU heavy, simply because they are not just the "evil version" of our hero (see: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man, and Doctor Strange for a sampling of villains that are just the heroes but evil).
Whether this will satisfy Spider-Man fans is a different story; we're too deep into the mythology of the MCU for these films to exist on their own now, unless they take off to space where they can ignore the events of Endgame. That movie was too cataclysmic that any earthbound MCU film for the next couple years will have to revolve around it in some way. It takes until the mid-credits scene for Spider-Man's status quo to be fully set up, and while I've enjoyed this spin on the origin story (indeed the past 3 years of films have been one long origin story for Spidey), I'm ready for Spider-Man to shed the weight of Iron Man and the MCU and start doing his own thing. Being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
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