Barry Jenkins is undeniably probably the most gifted, soulful, and fascinating filmmakers of his technology. Between “Moonlight” (which gained Finest Image), “If Beale Avenue May Speak,” and “The Underground Railroad” on Amazon Prime, the writer-director has demonstrated an distinctive capacity to delve into the subtext of human emotion and its connection to overcoming seemingly insurmountable adversity. So, it’s not onerous to grasp why he may be drawn to a distinct type of story: chronicling the journey of how Mufasa went from an orphaned cub to a king in “Mufasa: The Lion King”—the prequel to the 2019 remake that, frankly, nobody was actually asking for.
I can see the attraction Jenkins present in Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay: a Disney household movie that additionally makes an attempt to double as a Shakespearean tragedy. The movie primarily explores the advanced relationship between Mufasa and his brother who will grow to be Scar, and gives the chance to experiment with cutting-edge digital know-how that has developed since “The Batman” and “The Mandalorian.” However regardless of all this, “Mufasa” by no means looks like a Barry Jenkins movie. As an alternative, it comes throughout as a chunk of content material—one which lacks emotional depth, memorable characters, and the type of imaginative spark that we have come to anticipate from a filmmaker of Jenkins’ caliber. That is the movie’s largest failing: it pulled a gifted storyteller out of circulation for almost 4 years. Simply take into consideration the movies we may have had in that point.
As an alternative, we’re left with “Mufasa,” a film that’ll entice viewers, and a few hypothesis, notably with Jenkins’ involvement (which admittedly gave me extra optimism than I most likely ought to have had for one more Disney sequel), however witnessing the ultimate product, which incorporates unique songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, you may’t assist however surprise why such immensely proficient creatives had nothing higher to do.
The movie units out to reply all your burning intuitions about how Mufasa (voiced by “Insurgent Ridge” breakout Aaron Pierre) turned the ruler of the Pleasure Lands, alongside his finest pal, who would finally grow to be Scar (Kelvin Harrison Jr., showcasing his “Cyrano” singing chops). Alongside the best way, we find out how Pleasure Rock was fashioned and are steadily interrupted by Timon and Pumba (voiced by Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen), who break up the story with a framing gadget borrowed straight from “The Princess Bride.” On this gadget, Rafiki recounts the rise of Mufasa to Simba and Nala’s baby, Keira (voiced by Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyoncé).
The unique “The Lion King” was imbued with a way of gravitas in its portrayal of Mufasa’s son, Simba, as the newest in a protracted line of monarchs tasked with defending the Pleasure Lands, and of Mufasa’s youthful brother, Scar, who felt betrayed by the household. “Mufasa,” nevertheless, primarily repeats the identical story, however with far much less emotional resonance or inventive power. A major instance of that is the convoluted and overly difficult set-up by which Timon and Pumba sit in a cave narrating the story, successfully creating the costliest model of reader’s theater you may think about.
The story reveals that Mufasa wasn’t born into royalty—he was separated from his dad and mom throughout a flood, and ended up on the toes of Taka, who you’ll know as Scar. The 2 develop up collectively as brothers, preventing side-by-side, although Mufasa by no means absolutely integrates into his tribe. Nonetheless, these conflicts are quickly overshadowed by the arrival of a gaggle of indignant white lions (led by a personality voiced by Mads Mikkelsen) looking for to say their dominance over the Pleasure Lands. Because the story unfolds, it rapidly turns into clear, between Mufasa and Taka, who’s destined to grow to be a pacesetter and who just isn’t.
After all, this narrative feels largely inconsequential as a result of everybody already is aware of “The Lion King.” Regardless of Jenkins’ makes an attempt to inject some gravitas into the movie’s quieter, extra somber moments, the ultimate product stays a mere shadow of the unique. The know-how used within the 2019 remake was groundbreaking for its time, however in “Mufasa,” it’s stagnant and disjointed. Nearly like a proficient director struggling to seek out his footing throughout the constraints of a serious, big-budget studio manufacturing, the place too many executives are pulling the strings. There’s no inventive autonomy right here—no remaining lower.
Even the songs by Miranda, the hitmaker behind “Hamilton” and “Moana,” fail to seize the type of memorable melodies wanted to raise this soundtrack into the cultural zeitgeist. The music additionally works in opposition to a number of the actors. Harrison Jr., for instance, fluctuates between accents (why is Scar British? The prequel by no means bothers to clarify), and Pierre, within the title function, lacks the mandatory conviction in his voice. In a climatic scene the place Mufasa makes an attempt to rally the troops, I used to be left unconvinced that this character would sometime grow to be the king of the Pleasure Lands. It nearly put me to sleep.
The one silver lining right here is that I sincerely hope Barry Jenkins was well-compensated for his involvement and that the monetary freedom it supplies permits him to pursue the tasks he actually desires to make for the rest of his profession. If that’s the case, we’ll look again on this transient misstep in what’s going to undoubtedly be a wealthy and rewarding filmography and be amazed that he was ever lured into the Disney IP machine. In any other case, this is not going to have been price it.
MUFASA: THE LION KING is now taking part in in theaters