Premiere Mufasa: The Lion King is about to arrive. 2019 remake, director Jon Favreau It will have a prequel, which this time will be a completely original story. Never before has Disney delved deeper into the life and youth of the legendary King of the Savannah. Father Simba He will lead an adventure in which he will have to go from a nonentity to the monarch of an entire kingdom. Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (moonlight) takes up the baton to bring audiences what hopes to be a great Disney film this Christmas.
Mufasa: The Lion King It starts out like a fable Rafiki tells Kiara -daughter Simba And Nala– on a stormy night. Monkey explains how his grandfather, whom he never met, became the legend everyone knows. And that’s what Mufasa He was just an orphan who was left with Takaa young prince of a distant kingdom. Unsuccessful despite the efforts of his adopted brother and mother, the future lion king set out on a dangerous path to Milele, the dream territory where he could live in peace.
Mufasa: King Lion
Barry Jenkins puts its humanistic stamp on an origin story that tries to go further than its predecessor. This is not always possible, but in general terms Mufasa: The Lion King It accomplishes its mission thanks to an entertaining plot and a very interesting dynamic between the brothers. It’s not the best movie of the year, but it’s nowhere near the disaster some predicted.
Prequel to use
For years, Disney has faced a double reality with its live-action remakes. On the one hand, thousands of people criticize that they are unnecessary because they add nothing to the cartoons. On the other hand, the box office numbers speak for themselves, accumulating success after success. Lion King The most paradigmatic case, since the hyper-realistic 2019 version is already one of the highest-grossing films in cinema history.
But this time Mufasa: The Lion King He will try to please both sides. And instead of reusing stories The Lion King 2, The Lion King 3 or even a television series, Disney decided to delve into a story that had never been seen before. For this, Barry Jenkins uses the classic prequel structure. The director does not seek to surprise in innovative ways, but rather tries to adapt to the universe of one of the most popular sagas in cinema.
Thus, the homage to the original is constant. Even in some places the narrative is absolutely similar to history Simba. IN Mufasa: The Lion King, Jenkins He doesn’t stray away from the known and looks for elements that he knows exactly work, drawing parallels, sometimes even subtle (the loss of his parents, a song about becoming a king…). In any case, we highly appreciate the originality of the proposal and the desire to expand known horizons, rather than paraphrase them.
Good ideas
Story Mufasa: The Lion King starts confidently. While there’s nothing special here, it’s interesting to hear this puppy’s first steps. Fast, Jenkins He does a great job of tracing the personalities of all his main characters. The director has always been an expert in creating his characters and the relationships between them. This time, moving towards a family movie, things will be different. Mufasa He is a dreamer, brave and proud. Takafor his part, happy and confident, but unsure of himself. In addition, the director delves into key moments that characterize the character and development of each of them.
The virtues and sins of the two brothers are fully justified by what they have experienced since early childhood. Jenkis This rightly reflects how parenthood shapes each person’s lifestyle. That’s why Mufasa ended up becoming the unforgettable character he plays Lion KingBye Takaas seen in trailers and promotional materials, eventually took a dark turn until it became… Scar.
Luckily, these good ideas have a compelling enough story to back them up. It’s true that he’s far from perfect, yes. The first hour is more interesting, but the pace and plot gradually Mufasa: The Lion King It wears a little as the minutes pass. At times he wants to run too much, especially with this turn Taka which leaves an inevitable feeling of being rushed. However, in other cases it slows down too much. But it never led to a shipwreck.
The relationship between the brothers is predictable, but interesting enough to come out of the ordeal unscathed. They deserve special mention rudder And Pumbaawhich is sure to make little ones laugh, but will anger some older viewers, disrupting the rhythm of the main story. His appearances are, in any case, quite sporadic. In addition, the songs carry an unmistakable stamp Lin-Manuel Mirandawho strives to honor the heritage he collects while maintaining his own very distinct style. Some of them are easily forgotten, but others are very memorable, such as I always wanted a brother.
Visual changes
On a visual level, Jenkins He was faced with a problem that was difficult to solve. Down payment Lion King This visual style has been praised for both its technical spectacle and criticized for its lack of character expression. Because they are hyper-realistic animals, they convey far less emotion than their traditionally animated counterparts. They are also much less recognizable and iconic. For this reason, Disney decided to put more imagination into Mufasa: The Lion King.
Animals now have more facial expressions. This is exactly what the fans demanded and they will leave more or less satisfied. However, for other viewers, as in the case of this humble editor, the result is a little strange. Although the overall tone should maintain extreme realism, during songs or at certain moments the lions make faces, smile, sad, blow as if they are people… The famous uncanny valley from which the first of them escaped so well becomes very noticeable in the second, which takes several minutes for the eye to adapt.
Anyway, Barry Jenkins ok follow the steps Jon Favreau. Although he is best at talking about human aspects, he takes on the legacy of the latter, a technical virtuoso. Thus, it surprises once again with impressive landscapes full of light and color. Extreme care put into every frame to make it look like something out of National Geographic This is a unique piece of jewelry.
As a result, Mufasa: The Lion King It goes one step further than its predecessor. On a visual level, the game is excellent, but offers a much more original and interesting story. It has quite a few flaws in the script and is perhaps not as ambitious, entertaining or memorable as an origin story of a great Mufasa. But overall there is enough adventure to make for a good time at the movies.
Source: Hiper Textual
