Barry Jenkins' take on The Lion King lore in sequel Mufasa hasn't won over critics, earning a soft rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Disney musical serves both as a prequel and a sequel to the 1994 animated movie The Lion King and its live-action remake, directed by Jon Favreau and released in 2019.
Penned by live-action screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, Mufasa: The Lion King kicks off with Rafiki telling Kiara – Simba and Nala's daughter – the story of her grandfather Mufasa.
Mufasa has a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 120 reviews at the time of writing, faring better than its predecessor as the first live-action instalment only got 51% approval.
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In the meantime, the first reviews are praising the photorealistic CGI and Jenkins' direction whilst some critics wish the Moonlight filmmaker's authorial style would have transpired more in the Disney flick. Let's take a look at more reviews below.
What to Read Next
Slant Magazine
"The film, unbound by having to recreate large swathes of the original Lion King whole cloth, was clearly allowed to be a product of its director."
BBC.com
"This series of unfortunate events raises more questions than it answers."
iNews.co.uk
"Jenkins is the kind of talent who can turn his hand to almost anything and Mufasa is a respectable film as a result."
IGN Movies
"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."
Rolling Stone
"We tell ourselves stories in order to live. Corporate movie studios tell you stories in order to keep their board happy and make their bottom line. Find the Venn diagram centre between the two, and that's where this Hakuna Matata 2.0 lies."
Empire
"If the intention was to distract younger audience members with some inoffensive and well-meaning adventure, the movie delivers. It's a shame Jenkins wasn't able to personalise it more, but, as they say, that's just the nature of the beast."
Screen International
"The CG images still impress, and there are gripping moments during the film's second half as the insecure Mufasa embraces his destiny. But like too many origin stories, Mufasa often rehashes what was once stirring about this material."
The Independent
"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."
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RogerErbert.com
"Mufasa never quite bursts free of the constraints placed upon it, but those constraints never stop it from moving, or from being moving."
Newsweek
"While it's not as unrestricted and original as a filmmaker like Jenkins is capable of, Mufasa: The Lion King has enough woven in there that will serve families this holiday season, even if it may not resonate with all of Jenkins' usual audience."
IndieWire
"Despite Jenkins' track record and clear artistic touch, the light of Favreau's semi-success taints everything all it touches here."
Mufasa: The Lion King is out now in cinemas.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
