The backstory to how Mufasa became king of Pride Rock is released in cinemas on the 20th December.
The Guardian: *** “All in all, this is not a bad tale from the Disneyfied continent of talking animals, but a minor cousin to the first film’s movie-royalty.”
Empire Online: *** “if the intention was to distract younger audience members with some inoffensive and well-meaning adventure, the movie delivers. It’s a shame Jenkins wasn’t able to personalise it more, but, as they say, that’s just the nature of the beast.”
IGN: “Jenkins’ firm trust in the technology is also rewarded. As opposed to Favreau’s cast in The Lion King, the elephants, giraffes and birds here don’t look like pieces of melted plastic. They’re impressively elastic. Likewise, the lions actually have facial expressions, emoting with a naturalness that doesn’t play like something out of the uncanny valley.”
The Independent: ** “The Oscar-winner behind ‘Moonlight’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ can barely be found in this dreary and anonymous bit of franchise mining.”
BBC.com: ** “The worst part of the production is the dull screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, which has Mufasa plodding through Africa, bumping into various members of the supporting cast, and having tedious soul-searching conversations that sound like therapy sessions. There are also regular interruptions, as the film keeps cutting back to Rafiki as he recounts his tale, and Timon and Pumbaa make postmodern wisecracks. These interludes add some welcome comic relief, but they’re a reminder that there is hardly any humour in the central narrative. “
Little White Lies: “everything feels dutifully done and up to code, while no individual elements really shine through. It was an exciting prospect to see what someone like Jenkins would do while up against the Hollywood machine, but it unfortunately feels like the machine won this bout, if not by knockout, then definitely on points.”
Variety: ” At nearly every step, Mufasa’s challenges mirror those that Simba must later overcome, but the movie doesn’t celebrate Mufasa’s might so much as his modesty. Where his believe-in-yourself wisdom powered the original film, now he preaches a timely new lesson: strength in numbers and respect for one’s subjects.”
The Telegraph: ** “Simba’s father as a working-class lion? This cash-grab prequel undermines everything that made the original animated classic great.”
Roger Ebert.com: *** 1/2 ” Jenkins proves himself an adept director of musical numbers and action sequences, neither of which he was previously known for. After seeing “Mufasa,” it would be easy to imagine him directing a “Mission: Impossible” movie or a full-on, sung-through musical (Miranda’s ”Hamilton” still hasn’t received a proper, fully cinematic adaptation, by the way). Every cut by editor Joi McMillon is crisp and exact; there’s never a wasted frame.”
USA Today: “The photorealistic landscapes and animals feel more natural here in a fresh exploration of identity, friendship, empathy and found family – in short, a Barry Jenkins movie.”
The Upcoming: *** “As its title suggests, Mufasa: The Lion King successfully solidifies Mufasa’s mythology within the Disney canon, particularly through his powerful speech as he unites the animals of Milele to battle Kiros and the Outsiders in the climax. But despite its visual splendour, the prequel’s disjointed narrative and underdeveloped supporting characters mean that, while The Lion King fans will undoubtedly appreciate the visuals and nostalgic memories, many may find themselves missing the original’s timeless magic.”