If we needed any more proof prequels, sequels and remakes fail to measure up to original films, “Mufasa: The Lion King” provides it.
The live-action prequel to the 1994 animated movie, “The Lion King,” has a lot going for it. It’s helmed by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins (”Moonlight,” “If Beale Street Could Talk”), has music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and has Grammy-winning artists Donald Glover and Beyoncé as voices behind the CGI animals.
Still, early critic reviews routinely note that in spite of the film’s triumphs, “Mufasa” falls victim to the sequel, prequel and remake trap — these movies rarely recreate the appeal of an original movie.
The prequel “can’t escape the shadow of the Disney animated classic,” said Rolling Stone, and according to Telegraph, the “cash-grab prequel undermines everything that made the original animated classic great.”
But for younger audiences and fans of “The Lion King” franchise, the movie will entertain.
USA Today notes that “Mufasa” is loaded with “plenty of kid humor.”
“Fans of the franchise and younger generations will find a lot to like about ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’” wrote Collider.
Here is what critics are saying about “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
Critic reviews of ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’
The good reviews
- Variety called the movie an “impactful origin story” and praised director Jenkins because his “creative and cultural integrity remains clear in nearly every choice.”
- “That Circle of Life everybody was singing about three decades ago? Thanks to Jenkins’ inimitable grace and Miranda’s tuneful swagger, it continues to feel vibrant,” praised USA Today.
- “The movie really works,” wrote RogerEbert.com. “‘Mufasa’ never quite bursts free of the constraints placed upon it, but those constraints never stop it from moving, or from being moving. It has a signature, rendered with a steady hand.”
- “Jenkins’ knack for eliciting deep emotion and visual wonder remains sharp, especially when bolstered by Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s delightful voice work,” applauded IGN Movies.
- “Disney has gone back to the drawing board with this dazzling animated musical, a film that matches photorealistic spectacle with hummable earworms and, mostly, a genuinely mythic sense of story,” hailed The Times UK.
The OK reviews
- “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,” wrote The Guardian.
- Deadline called the Disney movie “a nonstop action adventure that barely slows down to breathe.”
- “Barry Jenkins’ CGI prequel can’t escape the shadow of the Disney animated classic, but it does prove that you can extend a brand with heart, soul, and some catchy songs,” noted Rolling Stone.
- “For all the compromise, the movie is, at worst, sturdy — and for the right crowd, more,” said The Financial Times. “The trace of a Jenkins signature remains.”
- “‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ is better than the ones that came before it, but that doesn’t mean it’s great,” wrote The Associated Press.
The bad reviews
- “Is (’Mufasa’) the worst live-action remake the House of Mouse has ever produced? I don’t think so, but it is, bar none, the most maddening,” panned Collider. “It’s hard to imagine it will have a legacy comparable to the original animated classic that started it all.”
- The BBC called the live-action prequel a “pointless” and “contrived cash-in.”
- “Be prepared for a disappointing prequel,” warned ScreenCrush.
- IndieWire called the film a “busy-yet-bland franchise addition” and said it “falls prey to messy visuals and shaggy storytelling.”
- The Independent said the prequel is a “catastrophic waste” of director Jenkins’ time. “Unfortunately, finding the Jenkins in Mufasa is like putting a blindfold on in the Louvre and trying to feel your way to the Mona Lisa.”
When does ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ come out?
“Mufasa: The Lion King” comes to theaters on Friday, Dec. 20. It is rated PG.