2024, PG, 118 min. Directed by Barry Jenkins. Voices by Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Billy Eichner, Seth Rogen, Blue Ivy Carter, John Kani, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen, Tiffany Boone.
December is shaping up to be a strange month for well-respected filmmakers and franchise spinoffs. First out of the gate was Kraven the Hunter, Sony's latest attempt to muster up a solo Spider-Man universe with lauded independent filmmaker J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year) at the helm. But just in time for the holidays comes Mufasa: The Lion King, Barry Jenkins' sequel to the 2019 live-action remake of the animated original. An Oscar winner for 2016's Moonlight and one of the film industry's brightest stars, Jenkins was a polarizing choice for a Hollywood IP blockbuster, but here he holds his own against the weight of crushing expectations.
Picking up soon after the events of The Lion King, young cub Kiara (voiced by Blue Ivy Carter) has been asked to stay behind as father Simba (Donald Glover) and mother Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) head out on the road. To pass the time together, Rafiki (John Kani) decides to tell his young ward the story of her grandfather. And so Kiara learns about Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), a brave outcast who, when swept away from his pride, finds himself befriended by Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a nearby lion cub with a path to royalty.
For years, young Mufasa and Taka are inseparable, even as they are put on very different paths by the female and male members of the pride respectively. But when the cruel Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen) stalks his way across the safari - killing every lion king in his wake - the two lions must flee across the mountains in search of a fabled land of plenty. Along the way, the two make several new friends, but it won't be long before Taka becomes jealous of Mufasa's newfound respect as a former outcast.
When a well-respected director steps into the franchise factory - tackling a new live-action Disney remake or the latest spinoff in the Marvel universe - it can be a challenge to untangle their contributions from the system that made them. There's no denying that Mufasa is a Jenkins movie; there's an intimacy to each of the characters that relies on Jenkins' ability to capture moments through closeup and expression. If this film is the ultimate showdown between Hollywood house style and auteurist vision, then Jenkins can pride himself on wrestling Disney to a standstill.
But like so many -quels, Mufasa is also at its best when it steps furthest away from its source material. So much of the film's first half is a revelation, tackling big ideas like xenophobia and the threat of toxic masculinity within communities. What's more, Jenkins and company find every excuse to stage the film through water, showing characters floundering in the many rivers and eddies of Africa. Sadly, though, this remains a Lion King prequel, which means there are songs to be sung and love stories to explore. And as the film veers away from the fragile bonds of friendship and towards its preordained outcome, the light begins to drain from its eyes.
Which is all to say that Mufasa: The Lion King is fine - good, even - and overcomes all odds to justify its own existence. It may be the best of the live-action remakes; it may also confirm that there is room for artistry and commerce at the highest levels of the Hollywood box office. But in the end, Mufasa is still a prequel to a live-action remake that few were asking for, and one that commits the cardinal sin of an original Disney property: leaving you in the theatre without a catchy song in your heart, despite seven brand-new compositions from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Mufasa is a small triumph for Jenkins and a small tragedy for Miranda, which means it's a fine movie in an ocean of fine movies. Ultimately, only our kids can decide if this one has the juice.