videogames
 
 
 
 
Check out New cheap jersey from china on DHgate.com
 

Posts Tagged ‘Disney’

Blu-ray Review: The Lion King

October 21, 2019 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Blu-ray Review: The Lion King
The Lion King
Mufasa is having none of Scar’s nonsense.

There is a lot of people out there that have a nearly reverential view of the 1994 animated version of The Lion King. We’re not among them. While we enjoyed it as kids and then again with our kids, it doesn’t stand out any more than a dozen other Disney films from that era. Despite that, we were plenty intrigued by a live-action version of The Lion King, more so than with Aladdin (which was pretty fun) or Dumbo (meh). Hakuna matata.

THE PLOT

Following the birth of Simba (Donald Glover), the cub of Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Sarabi (Alfre Woodard), the King tries to teach his son how to rule the Pride Lands. While Simba and best friend Nala (Beyonce) get up to mischief, the King’s brother Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) plots to replace his brother with the help of the local hyena population that isn’t allowed to hunt in the Pride Lands under Mufasa’s rule.

Scar manipulates the young Simba to enter a hyena hunting area in the hope that the young heir will be killed. When that fails he creates a situation where Simba is trapped in a stampede, summoning Mufasa to rescue his cub and ultimately killing him in the process. In the aftermath, Simba flees into exile while Scar, who says both are dead, becomes the new king, opening up the Pride Lands to the hyenas and removing any restrictions on hunting.

Under Scar’s rule, the Pride Lands become a desolate place, and one evening Nala decides to leave seeking help. Unbeknownst to anyone, Simba has grown up in a lush tropical area with friends Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogan), ignorant to the plight of his home. When a chance encounter brings Simba and Nala back together, the young lion must decide whether to continue his carefree life or return to reclaim his birthright.

THE GOOD

Visually, The Lion King looks consistently impressive with only a handful of moments here and there that really remind you that this is CGI. The attention to detail is excellent, and the way they’ve recreated some of the more iconic shots from the animated film is really cool. It’s not an easy thing to make animals look and behave like animals, and then still establish very human behaviours and motivations on top of it, but it feels effortless here.

We enjoyed, and in some cases preferred, the new cast, which we’re sure some will view as sacrilege — again, though, we weren’t die-hard fans of the original. Glover is a better Simba than Matthew Broderick, whose voice always had a nasally tone to our ears, and Rogan was an inspired choice as Pumbaa. Probably the biggest upgrade is going from Rowan Atkinson, best known for playing the insipid Mr. Bean character, to John Oliver, who is perfect as Zazu. While change is good, it was still great to have Jones back.

There’s a bit of a darker tone to this version that we appreciated. Scar feels more menacing, as do the hyenas whose leader now has a nastier disposition, and the comedic elements of her two main subordinates have been toned down. It’s not as big of a switch as The Jungle Book, in which Shere Khan is violent to the point that smaller children could have nightmares, but it’s noticeable.

THE BAD

It’s not a shot-by-shot remake, but The Lion King doesn’t stray far from the animated film, which feels like a missed opportunity for director Jon Favreau to put more of a stamp on his version. Yes, you had to play the hits — and the remade songs were fine, though we wouldn’t be surprised if they bothered long-time fans — but we would’ve gladly signed off on a little more with Mufasa or even Scar’s interactions with the pride (there’s a little bit added to Sarabi’s story, just not enough).

THE BONUS FEATURES

An in-depth look at the making of the film is the primary extra, and at nearly an hour it takes its time and doesn’t skimp on the behind-the-scenes footage. Some of the more interesting stuff is old footage from the animated version, like Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella riffing their lines together as Timon and Pumbaa. Pretty much everything else revolves around the songs, including music videos and a look at how they went storyboard to finished product.

OVERALL

Unless you’re completely turned off by Disney or its current strategy of remaking its classics, you’ll likely find the new version of The Lion King highly enjoyable. Given the choice between the two, we’d watch 2019 over 1994.

Share
Feed Burner eMail Get RotoRob by Email: Enter your email below to receive daily updates direct to your inbox. Only a pink taco wouldn’t subscribe.
PostShadow

Blu-ray Review: Ralph Breaks the Internet

February 21, 2019 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Blu-ray Review: Ralph Breaks the Internet
We usually save the phrase “world design” for video games, but the folks behind Ralph deserve a lot of credit for taking the internet and turning it into a physical realm. The manifestations of pop ups, spam blockers, search engines, websites and more are really clever, and it ends up making the world of the internet the star of the movie, much more so than Ralph or Vanellope.
Share
more
Feed Burner eMail Get RotoRob by Email: Enter your email below to receive daily updates direct to your inbox. Only a pink taco wouldn’t subscribe.
PostShadow

Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts III

February 11, 2019 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts III
Kingdom Hearts III opens with Sora seeking to regain his lost power of “waking” in an effort to take down the villainous Xehanort, who nearly defeated Sora previously. It’s an arc that most should be able to follow, at least at the big picture level, but it’s fair to say that anyone who hasn’t kept up with the series over the years will spend time scratching their heads.
Share
more
Feed Burner eMail Get RotoRob by Email: Enter your email below to receive daily updates direct to your inbox. Only a pink taco wouldn’t subscribe.
PostShadow

Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 Remix

May 26, 2017 | by Matthew Striplen | Comments Comments Off on Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 Remix
Love it or hate it, the Kingdom Hearts franchise is here to stay. The Disney-Square-Enix crossover has become wildly successful with thousands of dedicated fans, though the series only has two full installments. Kingdom Hearts I.5 + II.5 ReMix is a compilation of compilations, comprising all the games from the PS3 1.5 and 2.5 games.
Share
more
Feed Burner eMail Get RotoRob by Email: Enter your email below to receive daily updates direct to your inbox. Only a pink taco wouldn’t subscribe.
PostShadow

Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX

December 26, 2014 | by HC Green | Comments Comments Off on Video Game Review: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX
As good as KH II is, however, Birth by Sleep might be the best game in the series. Despite being a PSP game originally, it never feels technically inferior to its PS2 counterpart. More importantly, the prequel features the best, most coherent story in the series, dealing with more interesting themes and concentrating on a cast of original characters (Terra, Aqua and Ventus) along the way. If you’ve had trouble following the story arc of the two main entries, this helps clarify some of the lore.
Share
more
Feed Burner eMail Get RotoRob by Email: Enter your email below to receive daily updates direct to your inbox. Only a pink taco wouldn’t subscribe.
PostShadow