MUFASA: THE LION KING – The Red Right Hand Movie Reviews [Matthew Stogdon]

Starring
Aaron Piere
Kevin Harrison Jr
Tiffany Boone
Mads Mikkelsen

With their next cub on the way, Simba and Nala depart Pride Rock for a time, leaving Timon and Pumbaa in charge of their eldest cub, Kiara. To assuage her fears, Rafiki tells the story of how her grandfather became king. We learn that the young Mufasa [Pierre] was separated from his parents but taken in by another pride; ruled over by the fearful and distrustful Obasi [Lennie James]. Befriending the heir apparent, Taka [Harrison Jr], the two adoptive brothers share a bond. But, owing to Obasi’s distaste for outsiders, Mufasa is relegated to hunting with the lionesses. One day, while on a hunt, a group of white lions attack. Mufasa fends them off but kills one in the process. And when word gets back to Kiros [Mikkelsen], head of the ferocious pride, an unrelenting chase across the plains begins, with Mufasa and Taka forced to find a new home.

It has to be said that the impetus for a story between Taka (later Scar) and Mufasa as adoptive brothers is genuinely fascinating. Most prequels run afoul of telling a completely superfluous story but the core here is strong enough that it merits exploring. That said, while Jenkins is one of the true masters of cinema, this production feels so far out of his comfort zone that it just doesn’t hold together. Resulting in a surprisingly straightforward and rushed story peppered with solid characterisation and emotional interplay.

One thing that really stood out was the strong messaging of putting aside differences and working together. And it’s something that is repeatedly returned to from various perspectives: the dangers of isolationism, banishing and ostracising unorthodox individuals, and looking beyond external dissimilarities. There’s also a thought-provoking exploration of the toxic qualities Taka inherits from his father; namely byproducts of his self-serving lessons combined with a paranoid worldview. But unfortunately, despite the two hour runtime, the opening chapter and the bookend framing device, all feel very rushed. The film is desperate to get to the meat of the conflict between the two lead lions but it has to do so much setup in the process that if you went for an early toilet break, you’d miss so much vital information.

Moving onto the performances, one of the biggest criticisms of 2019’s The Lion King was that it was so obsessed with photo-realism and nailing animalistic behaviour, that it jettisoned all form of personality. Thankfully, Jenkins has restored a significant amount of expressiveness to said performances, meaning it feels less nature documentary and more dynamic to watch. I also can’t really fault many of the voice actors. Yes, some of the deliveries don’t line-up as well as I would like (by which I mean, the pacing of the exchanges loses a natural rhythm and cadence) but Pierre and Harrison Jr’s respective portrayals add a decent amount of emotional weight to proceedings.

You’ve also got Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen returning as Timon and Pumbaa – but your enjoyment will rest entirely on how much of their colour commentary interruptions you can stomach. On the other hand, Mads Mikkelsen as the adversarial Kiros is wonderfully intimidating and in fact, the entire white lion pride have a good villainous menace to them. Granted, it lacks the same Shakespearean impact of familial betrayal and a gang of miscreant hyenas but at least it’s not a straight retread. Regardless, the real MVP is Kagiso Lediga masterfully stepping in as the young Rafiki. Once his character finally turns up in the flashback narrative, things genuinely pick up.

Now, I like to discuss scores and music in film because I feel it’s one of the most important elements, as well as an often overlooked on. To me, your cinematic score is what deems a movie make or break. And The Lion King has a lot of truly powerful auditory elements to live up to. While the Hans Zimmer leitmotifs should be a welcome treat, they’re actually quite heavy handed. Need a flashback? We can use this theme as a callback. Have a stampede? We’ve got a familiar theme for that too. What about a majestic reveal? Say no more, it’s all in this bin marked “Lion King.” Which is a real shame given how spectacularly capable Nicholas Britell has proven himself to be. What’s more, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songs aren’t bad but feel like a rehash of his better works. The villain song “Bye Bye” has notes of We Don’t Talk About Bruno, whereas “We Go Together” feels like the opening of Moana (Where You Are) with an added brass presence.

In truth, there’s a lot to love in the film and I was hoping the opening was simply a stumbling, an outlier. But no, it’s just a frustrated release that never reaches its full potential. Yet, if you lay out all the plot points, on paper everything should work. Which has me feeling it’s just the execution that somehow falls flat. There’s a genuinely fantastic movie in here somewhere, it’s just buried under too many missteps.

Release Date:
20 December 2024

The Scene To Look Out For:
**spoilers**
It always feels odd to mark down spoiler points when covering a prequel but consider yourself warned. Taka’s redemption and the event which gives him his namesake is pleasingly done; if only because it makes it establishes why he is still around in the story of The Lion King but also makes his later betrayal even more devastating. Essentially illustrating that the wounds he harbours never truly heal.

Notable Characters:
Mufasa is one of those characters in cinema history who is uncomfortably perfect. He’s a classic dad surrogate and that image has endured for decades. But seeing how he rose to power, that he learned how to hunt with the females of the pride, that he is inherently brave, and that he resists being gifted leadership at every point, makes him special and rounded. In other words, it’s a story of role models, good and bad, earned and inherited.

Highlighted Quote:
“The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.”

In A Few Words:
“There may be a good film fighting to the surface, but it’s ultimately drowned by the sheer weight of corporate officiousness.”

Total Score: 2/5

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