OUT ON VIDEO
A weekly update of video releases. Dates in paratheses indicate a previous review in the Monitor.
* THE LION KING - (G, Walt Disney Home Video). A young lion flees his past, then returns to confront it in this tableau of the African plains. The animation surpasses Disney's usual high standards with effects borrowed from photography: The ``camera'' pans its subjects, peers down from on high, and focuses selectively. There's humor, too, and winning music by Academy Award-winner Tim Rice and Elton John. Everything, in fact, is top-notch except the story, which is not as nourishing as Disney's three most recent animated efforts (``The Little Mermaid,'' ``Beauty and the Beast,'' ``Aladdin''). Bear in mind, parents, that the young lion's father is killed through an uncle's scheming, and the short scene of the cub trying to revive his father may be difficult for youngsters. (June 15, 1994) * COLOR OF NIGHT - (R, Hollywood Pictures). In this picture with Bruce Willis (``Die Hard,'' ``Pulp Fiction''), you can guess that there will be (a) cars or people crashing out of windows, (b) gratuitous sex, or (c) a story with a shallow plot. In this case, it's all of the above. Willis plays a psychiatrist who wants to leave his profession after one of his patients jumps out of a window. But after a colleague is brutally murdered, he feels obligated to take over his practice to help five very disturbed people. Director Richard Rush tries to make the plot twists intriguing, but what happens is that the sex and violence prevail, and the viewer is left asking, ``What is the point of this movie?'' * TIMECOP - (R, MCA Universal Home Video). Time-travel movies tend to create intricate plots, and this violent action-thriller is no exception. Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Max Walker, an expert member of the Time Enforcement Commission that polices time-travelers who hope to capitalize on foreknowledge. He meets his match with Senator McComb (Ron Silver), who spreads corruption in the commission and endangers Walker's future with his wife. Van Damme's adroit moves, along with a solid ending, are bright spots in this uneven film.