Tag: the lion king

The Top 5 Worst Films of 2019

2019 was surprisingly a great year for films. For every great film, there are also terrible films that were released as well. There weren’t as much bad films as I thought there would be, but there were some films that yielded mixed results. As the year comes to a close, we reflect back on the previous year on the duds that were on the big screen. Here are the top 5 worst films of the year.

5. Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbes & Shaw

Originally in my review for “Hobbes & Shaw”, I called the film stupid and fun. And yes, it is fun as it has mindless action and the film doesn’t have anything harmful. The film doesn’t terrible direction, acting, or action sequences. So why is this film on the list? Well, this film is simply a cash cow. Don’t get me wrong, films are made to sell tickets and to collect money. But when I usually watch films, I don’t get the impression that these films are made to make money. But “Hobbes & Shaw” was clearly made to make fast money. Nothing in the film advances the film series nor is the film intelligent. The film panders to the lowest common denominator, it goes for the cheap laughs and the cheap action. Did I originally enjoy the film? Yes, it is a film that doesn’t require much thinking and I’m sure everyone will like this film but after further reflection of “Hobbes & Shaw”, this is a cash cow that should have never been made.

4. The Lion King (2019)

“The Lion King” is on the list for the same reason “Hobbes & Shaw” is on this list. It is simply a cash cow made by Disney. But where “Hobbes & Shaw” was at least fun and had a somewhat enjoyable time, “The Lion King” is a lifeless remake that adds nothing to the film. It seems like the “The Lion King” is a shot by shot remake of the original film with not much added to the film. Remakes should be made when the filmmakers want to add more to the story or can improve upon on the visuals. Does the 2019 version of “The Lion King” add more to the original story that was told 25 years ago? No, not really. Does it improve on the visuals of the original film? Well, the 2019 version is beautiful to look at, but all of the film is CGI, hence being another animated film. Add to this an A list cast who deliver lines without any life and are quite annoying. Sadly “The Lion King” has grossed over a billion dollars at the box office, it doesn’t seem like Disney will be stopping these “live action remakes” anytime soon.

3. Hellboy (2019)

It’s a shame that Hellboy wasn’t as good as it predecessors. It certainly had an opportunity to be as great as the Guillermo Del Toro directed films, but it fails miserably to live up to those films. The plot is a cliche plot that we have seen so many times, it feels tiring and recycling and the CGI looks awful as well. I was surprised someone didn’t try to clean up the visual as they look like they’re from a video game 20 years ago. To add to this, the first half of the film felt very unnecessary and the last half was cliche filled. I certainly enjoyed David Harbour as the titular character, but his role as Hellboy unfortunately could not save this film.

2. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged

I almost forgot this film’s name, I had to Google the name of the film, this is how awful “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” is. Speaking of the title, why is it called “47 Meters Down”? It has no connection to the first film at all and the film does not take place 47 meters below the ocean or sea. It takes place in an ancient lake that is filled with blind sharks. Yes, a lake with sharks and I am sure the film explained the reasoning for this but I do not care to recall the film. The film doesn’t make me root for any other characters, no one in this has a redeemable quality to them and the film doesn’t make me care for any of them. I am not sure what else to say but “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” would have been best as a direct to DVD or streaming sequel. It had no reason to be on the big screen.

1. Dark Phoenix

There is a method to my rankings and I decided to place “Dark Phoenix” over “47 Meters Down” because of its potential it had. No one saw the trailer to “47 Meters Down” and expected a film that was going to be exceptionally great, we all knew it was going to be mediocre. But “Dark Phoenix” could have been an excellent film. Sure, the “X-Men series” has had its duds, but there have also been well crafted films. So why is “Dark Phoenix” the worst film of the year? Well, I have a sense that no one behind the scenes cared about the film. They certainly knew that this was going to be the last Fox “X-Men” film and knew Disney would just bury the film in favor to whatever the MCU was making. There was no care or effort placed into this film. How do I know this is the case? Well the filmmakers were too lazy to place makeup on certain characters to make themselves look older. It may sound like a nitpick, but if your film take place in multiple decades, you would think the characters would start to age just a bit. There is no way that Jennifer Lawrence’s character in the early 1960’s looks the same as she did in the early 1990’s. 30 years goes by and I guess the characters are supposed to be young forever. I can forgive all the amateurish errors if the film wasn’t such a bore. I felt like I needed a nap after a viewing of “Dark Phoenix”. The worst thing to make your film is boring because then no one is interested in your story. It’s very disappointing to say that a film series that was once beloved has crashed to oblivion.

Now that that the worst of list is done and over with, the best of the year will be coming out shortly.

The Lion King (2019) Film Review

Directed by Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Beyonce, Seth Rogen

Rated PG for sequences of violence and peril, and some thematic elements 

When “The Lion King” was announced as the next film that would get the live action remake treatment, I was excited to see how the film would be done. Doing a remake of a beloved film brings a new opportunity to showcase something or an idea that is not explored in the original version. Then the casting was revealed and I was more excited because I am fans of multiple actors who are in the film. But after viewing the actual film, my expectations were let down.

“The Lion King” (2019) is the newest Disney “live action”remake of the 1994 animated film. The films tell the story of Simba, a cub, who is next in line to the throne. But when Simba’s father, Mufasa, is killed by Simba’s uncle and Mufasa’s brother, Scar, Simba runs away and soon enough needs to return home to take the throne from his uncle.

“The Lion King” has an A list cast, from recent Grammy winner Donald Glover to film legend James Earl Jones. While I praise the filmmakers for getting this A list cast, I do have some issues with the voice acting. But first, Chiwetel Ejiofor, as Scar, does a fantastic job with his voice work. Ejiofor is of course a great actor and always brings his A game when coming into a new role. But a part of me could not help make the comparison to Jeremy Irons, who voiced Scar in the 1994 original film. Nevertheless, Ejiofor does a fantastic work as Scar and is the standout from the voice work.

But as much praise is given to one actor, I do have issues with the other voice actors. For example, when I saw Zazu (voiced by John Oliver) and Nala (voiced by Beyonce), I did not see those respective characters but the actors doing their voice work. As much as I enjoy John Oliver’s program on HBO, I did not enjoy his voice work here. Probably because all I kept thinking is Oliver in a recording booth reading lines. The same goes to Beyonce as well. Not that they are great actors but because the characters they play that are being portrayed on the screen as not given much facial expressions when they are on the screen. Zazu is quite unpleasant to watch on screen, his design is inferior compared to the 1994 original. Nala on the other hand does not stand out because she looks the same as the other lions in the film. This is why a film like this works well in animation as in animation, the characters can stand out by their facial expression and colors. But there is none here as all the lions look the same, with the exception of Scar. This is the biggest issue that plagues the film. The lack of character distinction and facial expression does not support the voice actors who are trying to do their work. It’s unfortunate that great talent such as John Oliver and Keegan-Michael Key are wasted due to an issue they have no control over.

But as mentioned before, a remake gives the audience an opportunity to explore new ideas that were not shown in the original film. But no new ideas are shown in the film, it sometimes feels like a shot by shot remake. After thinking for some time, this remake is unnecessary. “The Lion King” is nothing more than a cash cow for Disney as nothing new is added. The film is not even a “live action” remake as 99% of the film is CGI. Only one shot of the film is actually real.

In short, “The Lion King” fails to live up to the high expectations set by the original film. The film is an unnecessary remake that is nothing more than a money maker for Disney. Fans of the original “Lion King” are better off watching that instead of the remake.

2/4