Review of ‘Mufasa’: “Not everything can be wicked”

Disney’s worldwide phenomenon returns to the big screen, through this new instalment exploring the beginnings of one of its most iconic characters. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the film, to let us know if, when it comes to praise, this latest prequel gets to have the franchise’s lion’s share.

“It’s gonna be the mane event that no king was before”. There’s a sort of poetic irony in replicating Tim Rice’s almost exact, but not greatest words (what can top Evita, after all?) when envisioning that creative meeting at Uncle Walt’s (aka José Guirao Zamora – seriously look it up) headquarters. Of course, there’s a lot of artistic license taken when trying to emulate what in the mouse’s name may have been uttered by the board of directors, as they came up with the thought of a prequel for their most successful traditionally animated film – later turned into a sung-through National Geographic.

There are many reasons why companies may agree on developing a second part to their IPs – whether a continuation or a previous instalment. Some of them just seem more obvious than others. And the fact that Disneyland Paris is set to open a Lion King-based area (theme park obsessive kind here) may make things a little bit easier to spot.

Mufasa is a compelling character. He exudes wisdom, bravery, and depth. It may be, to be fair, one of the strongest fatherly figures Walt Disney Pictures has come up with in its complete archive. He connects with the audience and speaks to them. And as a result, we can’t help but care for his plight and inevitable destiny. Sadly, though, his eponymous movie bio seems to achieve almost the entire opposite.

Directed by Barry Jenkins, the film attempts to take us on a trip of self-discovery – depicting the evolution of a lost astray who eventually grows to become the leader history (according to savanna records) will always remember. As he continues to walk along the path fate has written for him, a journey of courage, resilience, and true friendship will unfold – leaving an indelible imprint on each one of its passengers, and even a more enduring scar on those ahead of the pack.

As much as the premise may seem enticing, we can very hardly consider it much of an innovative idea – we’ve seen it before way too many times. You may argue that that’s actually not the point, and that however overused the concept of the “origins of good and evil” is, there’s still a chance for an engaging, even compelling narrative we can enjoy and possibly bond with. This time, nonetheless, is not the case.

Blatantly over relying on the formula of its precursor, the piece almost feels like a rip-off attempt Disney has performed on itself. It just keeps mimicking the 90s film’s structure over and over again – with next to no contribution of its own other than changing the personages’ names and replacing the father-son relationship with a shallow, melodramatic exploration of fraternal love and rivalry. Apart from that, nothing looks at all different – to the point of even replicating so many camera shots, it could hardly be regarded as a mere homage. On the other hand, its much unimaginative plot twists are so close to the first one’s, it could almost be deemed as copyright infringement if both films weren’t owned by the same group.

Featuring songs by Broadway darling Lin Manuel Miranda, its pop-based African-flavoured repertoire still regales us with a few catchy tunes – though too derivative to be remembered once they’re finished. Their biggest problem, though, stems from the lyrics – not only showing a slight lack of understanding in prosody, as well as an absence of sensitivity for the aesthetic resonance of words, but primarily a huge struggle when it comes to proper rhyming and subtlety in their content. Regrettably, they all sound too simplistic – unable to convey any sort of profundity, while their format displays very little care for precision and elaborateness.

At the same time, the script flaunts quite similar issues, as the dialogue fails to deliver enough flow – inundated with too many clichéd elements and, all in all, very insipid lines that create nothing by distance and a burgeoning sense of disinterest and disbelief from the viewer. As a result, none of the voice renditions manage to impress – as no matter how laudable some of their efforts are, the material gives them basically no opportunity to excel. 

With an improved rendering, erasing part of the uncanny valley vibe of its elder sister, as well as a stronger sense of humanization in the look of its characters, Mufasa makes a bold yet infructuous attempt at portraying the genesis of one their most cherished properties – regaling us with striking visuals, but in the end delivering a hollow piece that, regardless of its royal setting, it’s far from being a crowning achievement in the Disney vault. Giving the vibes of something that’s potentially more of an excuse for a film rather than a story that yearns to be told, the piece may have succeeded in regrouping its most profitable beasts, but wistfully just a little pride is put together in this gather-up.

Mufasa: The Lion King opens in theatres on 20th December.

By Guillermo Nazara