KATIE WALSH
Tribune News Service
MOVIE REVIEW
Barry Jenkins truly is a miracle worker. The Oscar-winning director of the intimate indie "Moonlight," the romantic period drama "If Beale Street Could Talk" and the Amazon series "The Underground Railroad" isn't the first filmmaker who comes to mind to tackle the prequel to Jon Favreau's poorly received 2019 remake of the beloved animated feature "The Lion King." And yet, somehow, Jenkins and his creative team -- including his longtime collaborators, cinematographer James Laxton and editor Joi McMillon -- make magic with "Mufasa: The Lion King," offering up a visually dazzling and emotionally affecting coming-of-age story about Simba's father, whose death traumatized an entire generation of kids in 1994.
There were elements of the 2019 "The Lion King" that were traumatizing, too, having to do with the conceit of transposing this familiar story ("Hamlet" for kids) onto photorealistic animals, who then sang. It's simply not right for a startlingly lifelike, digitally conjured apex predator to open their jaws and belt out a Broadway-style tune, though French philosopher Jean Baudrillard would certainly have had a field day with the horrific apparition.
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That mental hurdle still presents as an obstacle in "Mufasa," as we're jarred into the reality of this cinematic world where stunningly accurate representations of African wildlife speak -- nay, elocute -- and of course, sing (songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda). It's a long leap to make, but it's a testament to the absorbing story and soaringly gorgeous and beautifully staged visuals that the leap isn't so difficult to land.
The script is also by 2019 "The Lion King" writer Jeff Nathanson, but liberated from penning a line-for-line remake of the original, he is able to imagine the story of how Mufasa and Scar became brothers and then how they became enemies. We're plunged into the action right away, so there's not much time to dwell on the speaking or the singing, as we keep up with the harrowing journey of the tiny lion cub Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins; Aaron Pierre voices the grown Mufasa).
Mufasa's coming of age is framed by Rafiki (John Kani), the mystical mandarin, imparting the tale to Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), the cub of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter). Much like the other blockbuster fantasy film of this fall, it's the story of how two famous enemies were once friends, or in this case, brothers.
A young Mufasa is separated from his parents in a great fl ood and is rescued by young lion Taka (Theo Somolu; later, Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and his mother, Eshe (Thandiwe Newton). As a stray, Mufasa is not accepted by Obasi (Lennie James), their pride's king, so he is trained to hunt with the lionesses, while Taka is groomed to take over his royal birthright, though the young cubs quickly become brothers. Their pride's uneasy harmony is disrupted when an invading pride of menacing white lions, led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen), begins to stalk and hunt them, seeking revenge for a young prince killed in combat.
So begins Mufasa's journey to his destiny, which he never imagined, and to his rift with his brother, fueled by jealousy and bitterness.
We're able to connect with these animal characters during their harrowing adventure and relate to the entire range of emotions along the way. Let's pretend that the 2019 version never existed, because "Mufasa: The Lion King," is the boundary-pushing prequel that the beloved original film deserves.
'Mufasa: The Lion King'
★★★ (out of 4)
MPA rating: PG (for action/ violence, peril and some thematic elements)
Running time: 2 hours
How to watch: In theaters
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