Lost and alone, orphaned cub Mufasa meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destinies.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Blue Ivy Carter, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
Release Date: December 20, 2024
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements.
Runtime: 1h 58m
Review:
Mufasa: The Lion King manages to improve on the 2019 remake on multiple levels, but its uneven pacing and overlong runtime keep it from being truly special. Academy Award winning director Barry Jenkins delivers a visually impressive film across the board with the technical aspects of the photo realistic imaginary providing a venerable feast for the eyes. Action set pieces are well constructed and do a strong job of putting the audience in the middle of the chaotic action to great effect. Through all the technical wizardry Jenkins uses his talent to give his characters a real sense of emotion and depth something that was missing in the hollow 2019 remake. Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. deliver strong work as the pair of accidental brothers at the center of the story by giving each character a real sense of brotherly connection throughout. Pierre's deep tenor fits well as the younger version of James Earl Jones Mufasa to reflect his innate nobility and courage paired with youthful naiveite. Kelvin Harrison Jr. turn as the future Scar, Taka, is measured with an air of undeserved entitlement and cowardness but very little conniving until the later portion of the film as the story reveals the cause of their fractured relationship. The story stumbles a bit with that reveal since there's plenty of room to play with the concepts of entitlement vs earning your position but instead it falls back on a simple conflict over unrequited love which is underwhelming. Mads Mikkelsen's provides the voice of Kiros who serves as the menacing villain pursuing the group. Mikkelsen clearly relishes the villainous role with impressive glee that's highlighted by the song Bye Bye a rather chipper song about murdering another group of lions. Lin Manuel-Miranda's song are catchy as usual and work well for the most part with Kelvin Harrison Jr. final song, Brother Betrayed, proving to be a highlight. Unfortunately, there are handful of stumbles along the way with the most egregious being the framing device ramming in unnecessary silly sequences from Seth Rogen's Pumbaa and Billy Eichner's Timon which breaks up the film's flow on multiple occasions. Those moments could have been excised entirely and it would have made the overlong film a more effective and emotionally impactful experience. As is, Mufasa: The Lion King brings enough to the table to make it a worthwhile exercise just not quite a special one.
B-
