Movie Review: Mufasa: The Lion King

A pretty solid argument could be made that no one was demanding a “live-action” remake of Disney’s classic The Lion King, but in 2019 the studio released one anyway, and despite the relatively pointless nature of the endeavor the film went on to gross $1.6 billion worldwide. Critics were largely unimpressed, but audiences clearly liked it well enough, with me personally thinking it looked amazing and was solidly entertaining despite hewing far too closely to the original to really justify its existence. I was more interested in this follow-up, since it tells a new story and features new songs, allowing the filmmakers much more room for creativity.

Opening sometime after the events of the last movie, Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) are expecting their second child and venture off to a nearby oasis to give birth. They leave their existing cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) under the care of Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) until they return, but the pair turn out to be unsurprisingly ill-suited to the task as a storm begins to rage outside, frightening the young cub. Luckily, Rafiki (John Kani) happens by and calms Kiara down by telling the story of her grandfather, Mufasa (Aaron Pierre).

As a cub, Mufasa is separated from his parents during a flood and winds up being rescued by another young lion named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.). Taka’s father doesn’t want to accept an outsider into the pride, but his mother Queen Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) is able to get him admitted under the condition that she raise him away from the other males. Despite this, the two cubs still form a strong brotherly bond and are virtually inseparable.

When another pride of lions led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) threatens them, Taka and Mufasa are sent away in the hopes of protecting them, but they still wind up being pursued. As they flee, they meet up with Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), a lioness whose pride had also been destroyed by Kiros and who managed to escape with her companion, a hornbill named Zazu (Preston Nyman), and then a young Rafiki. Together, the group ventures off in search of a bountiful land known as Milele where they hope to be safe from Kiros and his dangerous pride.

Written by Jeff Nathanson, who also scripted the 2019 film, Mufasa tells a compelling origin story with sweet messages of family and fellowship that truly helps to flesh out the complicated relationship between Mufasa and Scar, as Taka will come to be known. The new songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are catchy and memorable, though it would have been nice if there had been one or two more of them, with the finale especially feeling like it could have used a soaring musical number.

Director Barry Jenkins proves himself adept at handling all of the action and spectacle in the story even if it allows little of his personality to show through. The animal effects still look incredible, the African vistas are stunning, and during the prequel portions of the film it all serves to keep viewers glued to the screen. The sequel segments are less effective, and while it’s nice to check in on some beloved characters it too often breaks up the pace of the more compelling story arc simply to insert some hackneyed jokes. Mercifully these segments are short.

Minor flaws aside, Mufasa is a lovely movie that audiences of all ages should enjoy. The blend of coming-of-age saga with moments of thrilling adventure and stirring messaging around the power of community add up to a satisfying story that is well-worth seeing on a big screen and which will very likely wind up on repeat in many households when it makes its way to streaming. ★★★★