Millennials Talk Cinema: ‘Lion King,” ‘Art of Self Defense’

A pair of movies that are proving as popular as they are controversial opened last weekend.

One is the new “photorealistic” animated remake of Disney's “The Lion King,” directed by Jon Favreau, who honed his “visual realism” on Disney's 2016 remake of “The Jungle Book.” Many critics have shredded the film, calling it a disappointing failure in comparison to the warm, hand-drawn animation of the original. That opinion, as you will see below, is not shared by our own reviewer Anderson Templeton, who reminds us that the film's target audience is children.

Also diverging from the pack is reviewer Alexa Chipman, who was not won over the by South X Southwest hit “The Art of Self Defense,” a very dark satire about toxic masculinity and violence directed by Riley Stearns.

‘THE LION KING' (G)

Anderson Templeton

Last week “The Lion King” (remastered) hit the theaters, and along with it came a slew of negative reviews that are taking the internet by storm. Several online articles claim that the animals look grotesque, while another stated that Pumba the warthog looks like, “The stuff of nightmares.”

Okay people, have you ever opened a picture book about real animals?

Animals look weird.

They're don't look like cute bubbly smiling cartoons. It's ‘visual realism,' yo.

Another thing a huge number of critics are suggesting is that seeing a bunch of realistic animals speaking (as opposed to more traditionally cartoony ones) is surreal and wrong. My response to that is, yes. Yes it is. This is why it's a freaking children's movie. Kids love that s--t.

Face it, little kids have a completely different set of movie standards than adults.

Things like, ‘Does it make me laugh?' ‘Does it have characters I like?' And ‘Is it too scary?' Boom. That's it. If a kids movie brings a kid joy, then it's a winner.

Maybe everybody just needs to just calm down, channel their inner seven-year-olds, activate their imaginations, and allow themselves to just enjoy a somewhat different version of “The Lion King.” At the end of the day, let's not forget who this movie was designed for ... and it's probably not for anyone old enough to read this newspaper.

[Suggested emojis: Thumbs Up and Adorable Lion]

'THE ARTS OF SELF DEFENSE' (R)

Alexa Chipman

Rows of uniformed children representing their dojos are a familiar sight at parades and even the farmers market. Their flourished kicks and graceful movements make it easy to forget that at its core, karate is meant for combat.

“The Art of Self-Defense” does not feature beautifully choreographed fights or moments of admiration at the combatants' skill. It puts the “martial” back into “martial arts” with confrontations that are violent and decisive. This is karate with the showmanship removed, and it is uncomfortable to watch.

I have had the application of basic kata (the choreographed movements of karate) explained to me. But to see it in action with such brutality was eye-opening. I knew when an arm was about to be snapped in half before it happened, but that didn't make it easier to witness.

Set in a corrupt dojo where violent domination is seen as strength, this oddly surreal film is unique, but not compelling. Toxic masculinity and power trips are the main focus of the plot and characters. The discipline, control and respect that I admire about karate are entirely absent in favor of a mildly intriguing thriller and a frequently blood-splattered mat.

This film did make me grateful that my former sensei was nothing like this one, but I would not recommend wasting your time with it.

[Suggested emojis: Thumbs Down and Wide-eyed Face]