A majestic tale of brotherhood that struggles to roar with emotion
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Mufasa-The Lion King Review: The movie is a prequel to the 2019 film The Lion King. Directed by Barry Jenkins, the photorealistically animated film is based on Disney’s The Lion King by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Jeff Nathanson has penned the screenplay for the 2024 film. The first film received a great response for how it brought back on the big screen a tale we all had seen growing up. Is the prequel equally good? Continue reading to find out.
Mufasa-The Lion King Review
Release Date: December 18, 2024
Where to Watch: Theatres
Cast: Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr as Taka, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, Donald Glover as Simba, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, and Lennie James as Obasi.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Rating: 3 out of 5
What is it about?
The river floods, separating Mufasa, a cub, from his parents and transporting him far away to an unknown place. Another cub, Taka, the future king of the Pride Lands, saves him. Taka fights his father, the king, to let Mufasa live with them. The lions grow together as brothers, despite their differences. As Kiros and his clan strive to kill the other lions for dominance, we witness Musafa frequently surpassing Taka. Thus, he exemplifies the ideal attributes of a king. The arrival of Sarabi, a lioness, only restrains Taka and Musafa’s bond further. We then learn how Taka became Scar and why the brothers never shared the loving bond once they grew up.
What’s hot?
In Mufasa: The Lion King, Rafiki narrates the story of how Mufasa became the King of the Milele to Simba’s daughter Kiara. From the separation until the arrival of Kiros, the tale of these brothers keeps us completely intrigued. The cubs’ happiness together is so infectious that you can’t help but wish for them to turn against one another. The joy you feel watching them together fades as instantly as you are reminded of that death scene from The Lion King.
Once the lions grow up, the makers constantly show or try to justify why Mufasa is worthy of being a king instead of Taka. Mufasa, which means King, shows all the qualities a king must possess—he’s sharp and mindful; he’s respectful, courageous, and ready to take on the enemy for his tribe. So the more we see Mufasa staying true to what his name means, the more we see Taka’s light fading away. Despite knowing his future actions, you can’t help but feel terrible for Taka. After all, as he expressed in the song, all he wanted was a brother. We are certain that a shift will occur when the lioness Sarabi enters the story. However, the narrative gets dull and emotionally lacking for quite some time until Rafiki enters the story. But even his entrance doesn’t lift the lions’ or the audience’s spirit.
The humour only shines when Timon and Pumbaa are present and sharing their reactions to this tale. Zazu, a hornbill, makes a hilarious entrance but then only sounds like a disturbing noise with unfunny lines.
The most brilliant aspect of Mufasa: The Lion King is Kiros, voiced by Mads Mikkelsen. Kiros, voiced by Mads Mikkelsen, is a giant, white lion with a threatening aura, ready to kill, precisely the strong force an average story like this needs. You can’t help but anticipate a showdown between him and Mufasa at the end. Despite the story frequently lacking strong emotions and humour, the music is exceptional. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s compositions definitely make you bop your head and tap your feet. The voice actors have done a fantastic job conveying what their animal characters have to say.
What’s not?
The Lion King became such a memorable tale because of how emotionally arresting and impactful it was. The story imparted certain life lessons that have remained with us. But that’s not always the case with the 2024 film. This story of separation, courage, betrayal, and love lacks the strongest element of sentiment to convey it effectively on screen.
Furthermore, Taka’s transformation fails to sufficiently convince us that he will ultimately transform into a villainous character, Scar. After all, there’s a sense of redemption shown. The writers seemed to avoid a harsh portrayal of his villain origin story, given that the primary goal of this film is to appeal to the audience.
Watch Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer
Final Thoughts
Overall, Mufasa: The Lion King begins compellingly, drawing us into the majestic tale of brotherhood. Sadly, the emotions don’t roar loudly as expected. The visuals are stunning and the music is fantastic. The prequel misses the depth in its narrative that made The Lion King such an iconic story.
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