The Lion King (2019) Movie Review

THE LION KING (2019) MOVIE REVIEW

Considering the success of the original Lion King it's easy to see why Disney would remake arguably their greatest success 25 years after the fact. However we can't celebrate with a simple 3 minute montage because that won't make a profit. Instead it's time to take advantage of people's nostalgia and remake The Lion King. And to really hammer home it's a 'new movie', let's take away the original's greatest strength, the cartoonish animation and replace it with realistic appearances and mannerisms that don't fit for not only a king but the rest of the cast. 

I've debated for a while whether to review this film as it stands or compare it to it's superior predecessor but when it comes down to it, it's near impossible to judge this film without bringing up how the original portrayed certain moments monumentally better. If you don't know the story of Lion King, or Hamlet for that matter, we explore Simba's journey in becoming King after his father was murdered by his uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and having many years away learning who he is and needs to become. Thankfully the overall story was not affected in the slightest which would be ludicrous if Disney changed anything in that regard. However here lies my biggest problem with the film. There are many memorable scenes in The Lion King ranging from the reveal of Pride Rock, Mufasa's death and even the 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight?' sequence. As it stands these scenes were some of the best in the original but when realistic settings are plastered on, the impact of these moments plummet drastically as the characters have zero emotion in their eyes and in their movements. This ultimately led to these iconic moments feeling empty, awkward and bland, something I never thought I'd be saying about The Lion King. 

Credit where credits due though because the animation in the movie does look phenomenal. The animals themselves do look incredibly realistic and is easy to get lost and forget you're watching The Lion King as appose to a David Attenborough documentary. Not sure if that's what they were trying to achieve but hey..it kind of, not really worked in it's favour. On top of the appearance, the vocal performances given were passable. Although no one did an inherently terrible job there was only one or two performances that were semi-memorable. These being Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar and James Earl Jones as Mufasa and with Jones its easy to see why he was perfect for this role as he was easily the best part of the original vocally speaking. Ejiofor on the other hand proved to be a worthy successor to Jeremy Irons whom played Scar previously and defiently had inspiration from Irons' performance by articulating every syllable in a menacing and commanding manner and never felt like the actor was just doing their voice. Which leads me to Seth Rogen who in my opinion did the worst job as he never put a twist on the character but instead opted to get himself over by doing his laugh every chance he gets. Again this sounds like a petty aspect to complain about but when you hear his laugh over and over again, you'll understand the pain I feel whenever I watch him. 

If there's one word I could use to describe The Lion King it would be disappointing. Despite boasting passable performances and impressive visuals, these quickly turned into the film's downfall as by going all in with the appearances rather than catering to a new and older audience on an emotional spectrum, it leaves little to no impact as appose to the timeless impact left by the 1994 version. And while Hakuna Matata does mean no worries, I have a feeling Disney will have plenty to worry about after the criticism this movie is receiving. 

OVERALL

5 / 10

The Vision Splendid: 2019 Outback Film Festival - What Went Down

THE VISION SPLENDID: 2019 QANTAS SHORT FILM COMPETITION - WHAT WENT DOWN

Last week saw the beginning of this year's Outback Film Festival located in the small country town of Winton. Having a friendly community and atmosphere proved to be just one of the festival's up sides. Starting from June 28 till July 6th, this nine day long showcase of Australia's best and newest feature and short length films was a wonderful time for all, culminating with the coup de grace of the festival, the QANTAS Short Film Competition. With the Royal Open Air Theatre playing host, this competition put eyes onto some of Australia's young up and coming directors by showcasing their short films on the big screen for all to see. With half the films made during the festival in just nine days and half showing off the best and most recent Australian short films, it's time to find out which short film took home the Audience Award as well as the Student Film and Overall Winner awards. 

With twenty short films to judge, it truly was a tough decision to make. Especially for the judges on the night. With most of the short films being either good or great, the decision process of deciding a winner on the night proved to be a difficult one. Despite this, there were some clear standouts shown during the night which were given large amounts of praise from either the audience or myself. We started the competition off with seven films where one of these proved to be the standout, Louder than Words. Written and directed  by Rachel Larkin, Louder than Words explores the story of an eleven-year old who wants to be in the school band but is forced by her conductor and father not to partake as she is deaf. Larkin's emotional film tells a tale of love and breaking through barriers set by others and being more than what those around you simply see. Beautiful musical elements as well as exceptional acting and writing made Louder than Words one of my favourite short films of the night. 

Following a short interval, we arrived at the student films which proved to be the highlight of the night for me. With the next generation of Australian short films on display, expectations were indeed high for these and they did not disappoint. All shot during the festival these up and comers stole the show with films of all genres ranging from horror with Yowie all the way to comedy with Winton with Gary. Speaking of, this community orientated take on classic television adventure shows was a clear fan favourite among viewers. This was further backed up by director Chloe Liu proudly accepting the Audience Award and rightly so. Winton with Gary was expertly written and star of the film Gary even made a surprise appearance on the night which sealed the deal for it's inevitable win. This wasn't the only student film to win on the night as David Normoyle's Canny Valley took home the Student Film award with this suspenseful and comedic depiction of small country towns with locals around the town being implemented into the film. 

Second interval down which means it was time for the final six films which were ranked among some of Australia's best. Being the main event these final films were shown to have larger production value which worked in their favours as all these were enjoyable with some leaving a lasting impression. Personal favourites out of these were The Hitchhiker starring Australian actresses Brooke Satchwell and Liv Hewson which is a dark comedy about three young ladies as they pick up a hitchhiker on their way to Byron Bay. This one in particular defiently felt like a pitch for a feature length movie which myself for one would be more than interested in seeing. Other standouts include Nursery Rhymes, a very short scene of a man comforting a young child after a severe car crash by singing nursery rhymes. Although far too short, it told an effective story with looming colours and immediate intrigue. Lastly we have Yulubidyi - Until the End which told the story of two brothers surrounded by an abusive community which eventually leads the a spirit aiding them in the end. While it sounds like I have downplayed this film severely, the end result was a major film at the event as it ended up winning the best film that night. While I would have given it to Louder than Words instead, Until the End was a great short film which showed the love between brothers and how communities can bring people together. 

At the end of the evening it was time to announce the winners with Winton with Gary (Chloe Liu) winning the Audience Award, Canny Valley (David Normoyle) winning the Student Film Award and Yulubidyi - Until the End (Nathan Mewett and Curtis Taylor) taking home the gold as Festival Winner. Once the night was done and the films had finished, it was time to reminisce about the short films we had been introduced to at the Gregory Hotel over a nice cold beer. The Vision Splendid Festival truly is a fantastic event to check out if you haven't already. Even if you manage to revisit some older Aussie films during the week or only are able to see the short film competition on the Saturday night, the entire nine days opened up Australia and the world to a new generation of directors, writers, actors and production crews. Keep an eye out for some of these names as I am sure you'll be hearing these names among some of Australia's most talented film makers. 

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Movie Review

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019) MOVIE REVIEW

Since his inclusion in the Marvel cinematic universe, Tom Holland's Spider-Man has rapidly become a fan favourite in the eyes of many. Civil War was his coming out party to show off his powers, Homecoming explored his world more in depth while Avengers Infinity War and Endgame compiled all these previous elements to fully form the the superhero of Spider-Man. Now we arrive at Far From Home which attempts at exploring the character of Peter Parker now that Tony Stark isn't around to be his hero/mentor and must try and fill the massive legacy left by Tony. 

Following Endgame we are now left in a world where the five year snap has occurred and Iron Man is no longer around. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is understandably distraught by this and wonders if he can become the hero that Tony wanted him to become, hopefully time away on an overseas school trip trying to get the girl of his dreams MJ (Zendaya). Of course things never seem to go as planned as creatures have been creating havoc across different parts of the world with a water elemental located where Peter is. Amongst this chaos, Peter must decide whether to step up and become the hero people need or the person Peter just wants to be all the while getting help from a new ally Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal). Continuing the story after Endgame was a great choice to go through as the impacts of a five year long struggle really do show as students who weren't affected have now aged drastically and homeless shelters dedicated to this incident are now a thing that exist. Another aspect this film nails is not the continuation of Spider-Man but rather an expansion of the character of Peter Parker. Majority of the movie revolves around Peter and shows the struggle he faces keeping his secret and trying to keep his loved ones safe which all come full circle by the film's dramatic climax. 

Once again the cast does a phenomenal job and really do keep a shred of realism amongst everything going on around them. Characters will do comedic quips which somehow don't feel forced and react genuinely and authentically to events conspiring around them. Standouts in the movie were Tom Holland as Spider-Man who continues to impress and steal the entire cinematic universe through his genuine performance. Zendaya also expands her character of MJ from a moody nobody into a shy extrovert that complements Peter so well. Finally Jake Gyllenhaal has been getting countless amount of praise for his role of Quentin Beck and I can't deny it. Gyllenhaal while he did start out as a bland and generic hero, throughout the film transforms into easily my favourite part of the movie. Through his mannerisms and line deliveries you can really tell Gyllenhaal loved playing this type of character. 

Overall Spider-Man: Far From Home subverted my expectations to the max. Going into it I wasn't expecting much and thought it would be another Marvel sequel but boy was I wrong. Far From Home expands on the ideas of the first and continues the story of Peter Parker near perfectly. All of this is aided by the believable performances given by the majority of the cast and the twists and turns this film takes makes Far From Home not only one of the best Spider-Man films but one of Marvel's best films to date. 

OVERALL

8 / 10