Film Review – Mufasa: The Lion King

The world didn’t need a remake of “The Lion King,” but director Jon Favreau attempted something technically challenging in the picture, offering a photorealistic animated production, dazzling with the creative effort. The feature looked amazing, but it remained restrained by re-do familiarity, refusing to do something a little different with the story and world-famous songs. Alas, audiences didn’t seem to mind, turning 2019’s “The Lion King” into a box office behemoth, and, naturally, Disney is going to try again. They go the prequel route in “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which follows the tale of O.G. royalty around Pride Rock. Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson has new dramatic freedom in the film, but he doesn’t stray far from formula, as the offering isn’t a bright display of originality. However, it’s a more active, action-y, and emotive movie, and director Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) tries to keep it lively, also benefitting from a fresh round of tunes, most written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which puts a little spring into the step of this endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com