'Mufasa: The Lion King' review—Strong visuals carry this entertaining film
Barry Jenkins's Mufasa: The Lion King acts as both a prequel and a sequel to The Lion King (2019). An origin story of the magnetic leader Mufasa, MTLK expands upon the lore of the first film and mostly takes place before the first film's events. Its rich and vivid visuals are consistently captivating, but the plot leaves much to be desired.
Traces the journey of Mufasa
MTLK focuses on Nala-Simba's cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), who is eager to understand her family's story. The wise, experienced mandrill Rafiki (John Kani) tells her the story of her grandfather Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), who was separated from his parents due to a disastrous flood, was saved by Taka/Scar (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), and raised by Taka's parents Obasi (Lennie James) and Eshe (Thandiwe Newton).
You can't take your eyes off the visuals
If there's one aspect Disney films don't comprise, it's the visuals. Mufasa: The Lion King features consistently stunning visuals throughout its two-hour-long runtime, and the sequences really pop out due to the immersive, awe-inspiring graphics. An introductory song, which features several vibrant butterflies, particularly looks extraordinary, and so does another pivotal sequence when Mufasa and Sarabi fall in love on a snow-capped mountain.
Deals with heavy, important themes
MTLK carries several powerful, poignant themes that save the film from becoming too superficial and lend it a lot of heft. For instance, it asks, what does a family mean? Do you really need blood to forge bonds that will last forever? Themes of otherization, marginalization, and the pitfalls of success—Mufasa: The Lion King deals with all heavy themes with maturity.
You have a good time with all the characters
I found the characters in The Lion King a bit underdeveloped, but fortunately, the prequel fixes that largely, and all the characters seem believable and realistic. Moreover, several dialogues and sequences foreshadow the events of The Lion King. For instance, Taka's father teaches him, "Deceit is a tool of a king." That, of course, comes to pass in the 2019 film.
What made Mufasa who he is?
The film will easily appeal to you if you're a fan of the franchise, and Mufasa's journey gradually becomes your own. The good, the bad, the ugly, the enemies who almost devoured him, and the friends who embraced him—it's a fierce story of Mufasa's hope and courage. And, of course, prequels come with a strong sense of comfort because we already know the characters.
Problems: Evidently struggles post the interval
However, the chinks in the film's armor begin to show post-interval and the cracks in the storytelling stare at us right in the face. It loses much of its sheen (before somewhat regaining it near the climax) and starts meandering, wondering how to do justice to the runtime. Plus, Kiara's needless, constant exposition gets somewhat jarring after a point.
Also has pacing issues
Mufasa: The Lion King is plagued by the same problem several other films face: a speech that changes characters within seconds. Here, one speech by Mufasa propels a 180-degree turn in other characters, and though they were hitherto opposed to his ideas, they readily come around. Additionally, at some points, the story moves too fast for its own good, which hampers the overall experience.
Keeps you entertained despite its flaws; 3/5 stars
Mufasa: The Lion King should have strongly roared for the most part. It certainly begins with a bang, but then whimpers and turns meek in the middle, before finding its voice again before it's too late. Eventually, its incredible visuals, voice-acting, and entertaining musical interludes make it an overall entertaining watch. It may not be perfect, but it's always engaging. 3/5 stars.
