Disney’s “Mufasa” Roars Into Theaters With Pacing Issues but Great Music

Barry Jenkins’ prequel to “The Lion King” is a visually stunning movie that gets tangled in its own narrative structure. The film’s greatest strength lies in its magnificent musical score, with Lin-Manuel Miranda delivering a masterful collection of songs that span multiple genres and emotional depths. From the soaring “Milele” to the fun and rousing “I Always Wanted a Brother,” Miranda’s songwriting prowess shines through, though the oddly misplaced “Bye Bye” feels like a notable miss.

The film’s technical achievements are remarkable. James Laxton’s cinematography captures the African landscape in breathtaking detail, from snow-covered peaks to sun-drenched savannas, while the photoreal computer-generated imagery pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in modern filmmaking. The performances, particularly from Aaron Pierre as young Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, bring depth and nuance to their characters’ complex relationship. And yes, they fixed the much-maligned ‘lack of expression’ of the characters, at least to my eye.

Putting aside the movie’s biggest problem: that it doesn’t need to exist, the film struggles with major pacing issues. The decision to frame the narrative through Rafiki telling the story to Kiara, while attempting to connect to the broader Lion King mythology, ultimately serves as a distraction because the movie continually interrupts the far more interesting main action to return to this Rafiki, Kiara, and Timon and Pemba. These narrative interruptions frequently break the emotional momentum of Mufasa’s journey, pulling viewers out of the main story just as it builds tension.

The core tale of brotherhood and destiny occasionally gets lost in these structural choices, though when the film focuses on the relationship between Mufasa and Taka, it soars. The additional music and vocal performances by Lebo M add authentic African influences that enhance the film’s emotional resonance, while Dave Metzger’s original score beautifully weaves together classic themes with new motifs, but at times feels like it’s only there to remind you of the emotional highs and lows of the original film and cause you to subconsciously transfer some of those feelings to this good, but not amazing, story.

In truth, the biggest hurdle this movie has to overcome is that it’s a sequel to one of the best movies ever made. I don’t know if anything can rekindle the feelings I felt watching the original. The direct-to-DVD sequels Disney made in the early aughts, such as my personal favorite, “The Lion King 1½,” leaned on comedy and expanding the wider universe of the Pride Lands rather than even attempting to match the drama of the first movie, and in hindsight, that may have been the way to go.

At the same time, had this movie spent a little more time in the oven, streamlined the framing device, and devoted those extra minutes to the main story of Mufasa and Taka, I would be writing about how “Mufasa” tied with 2015’s “Cinderella” as my favorite live-action Disney remake.

But, that’s the breaks. If you’re a fan of the original movie, you should see this one. You won’t regret it, and you’ll be singing “I’ve Always Wanted a Brother” the whole way home.

Gray’s Favorite…

Song: “Milele”

Line: [REDACTED]

Moment: The Congress of Baboons