'Mufasa: The Lion King' Reviews: Origin Story of Disney Icon Divides Critics

         On December 20, 2024, the world of 'The Lion King' roars back onto the big screen with the origin story of Mufasa in 'Mufasa: The Lion King'. In the film from Walt Disney Pictures, Kiara is told of her grandfather's rise to power from the wise Rafiki as Timon and Pumbaa provide their signature humor in color commentary. The ensemble cast includes Aaron Pierre, Preston Nyman, Thandiwe Newton, Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover, Keith David, Tiffany Boone, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lennie James, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Beyoncé, Billy Eichner, Anika Noni Rose, Mads Mikkelsen, and Kagiso Lediga. With a score of 59% on Rotten Tomtaoes at the time of this writing, critics are currently divided over the film, but predominantly impressed. But what did they say?

        Laura Clifford of Reeling Reviews says, "Director Barry Jenkins ("Moonlight," "If Beale Street Could Talk") takes the reins from Jon Favreau for one of the more convincing computer generated 'live action' films from Disney yet. Jeff Nathanson's (2019's "The Lion King," "Young Woman and the Sea") screenplay is not only a prequel, but an original story for such characters as Rafiki, Sarabi (voice of Tiffany Boone), hornbill Zazu (voice of Preston Nyman) and Scar. Themes of blended families continue, but brotherhood is at the heart of this one as well as providing an emotional explanation for Kiara's parents' absence. Lin-Manuel Miranda provides the songs, but there is nothing as memorable as 'Hakuna Matata' here and several could have been excised for a leaner run time." Adding, "While I'm no fan of Disney's 'live action' remakes, only "The Jungle Book" having really delivered, "Mufasa" is a step up from its predecessor and good programming for families during the holiday season."

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

           Nicholas Barber of BBC.com notes, "Yes, we're talking about a prequel to a remake. And, yes, it's as pointless as that description makes it sound. This contrived cash-in may be worth sitting through on Disney+ if you're a Lion King superfan, but, like so many prequels, it devotes tremendous amounts of thought and energy to answering questions that nobody was asking in the first place. When did Simba's dad Mufasa meet his wife Sarabi? Where did Rafiki the mandrill get his walking stick? How did Zazu the hornbill become Mufasa's right-hand man (or, I suppose, right-paw bird)? The film is directed by Barry Jenkins, who made the Oscar-winning Moonlight, and the songs are by Lin-Manuel Miranda, the most feted Hollywood and Broadway songwriter of his generation, so a more pressing question might be: don't the supremely talented artists involved have anything better to do with their time?"

        Robert Daniels of IGN Movies praises the film, stating, "Mufasa: The Lion King is the best version of a Barry Jenkins-directed children’s film imaginable. That compliment might read as backhanded, but considering many were afraid the Disney machine would chop and screw the visual and storytelling splendor of the director behind Moonlight, such an astonishing result is a mighty win. This photorealistic prequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 remake of The Lion King is a major technical achievement and an emotional leap forward from its predecessor. And while the story of Mufasa and Taka, two brothers turned enemies, isn’t altogether new, Jenkins adds enough twists and turns across varied terrains for their predictable sibling rivalry to have some bite. Seeing Jenkins guiding this material, no matter how assured, will surely rattle many who’d rather he make an original film. But there isn’t the sense Jenkins made Mufasa to satisfy only adult filmgoers (though there is an aching tribute to James Earl Jones that’ll touch many older viewers). This movie is aimed at a younger audience. There's mischievous humour and jaunty show tunes to accompany the campfire-story mood. Sometimes the desire to keep the audience engaged – accomplished through a framing device that sees Mufasa’s story told to his granddaughter, Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), by the sage mandril Rafiki (John Kani) – restricts us from fully immersing ourselves in this digital world. By the end, however, Jenkins works enough enchantment for Mufasa to conjure real joy and urgent poignancy." Concluding, "It helps that unlike Favreau, Jenkins isn’t restricted to making a shot-for-shot remake. As related by Rafiki – and frequently, annoyingly interrupted by asides from sidekicks Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner) – Jeff Nathanson’s script finds young Mufasa (Braelyn Rankins) living in a cracked, drought-stricken land and dreaming of a far away verdant paradise called Milele (a Swahili word meaning “forever”). After a sudden violent flood (which mirrors both the action and emotional impact of the animated original's wildebeest stampede) rips the cub away from his mother and father, he drifts miles down river, where he’s saved by the prince of another pride, Taka (Theo Somolu). Thematically, you can already see why Jenkins would be attracted to this material. His miniseries adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad previously demonstrated his keen interest in kinship, ancestry, oral storytelling, and maternal love. The last of those themes takes shape through Taka’s mother, Eshe (Thandiwe Newton), who raises Mufasa despite the grumblings of her husband Obasi (Lennie Jones), who sees outsiders as a plague to be purged. As portrayed by a commanding Aaron Pierre, the orphan grows to become more like Eshe, learning empathy, imagination, and sensitivity; Taka (a cagey Kelvin Harrison Jr.), on the other hand, learns deceit and laziness from his father."

Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

'Moana 2' Reviews: "a rousing, entertaining, and inspiring family adventure that hits all the right notes"

         On November 27, 2024, Walt Disney Pictures releases 'Moana 2', which has earned a predominantly positive reception from critics, currently holding at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing. In the film, which is a sequel to the juggernaut hit animated film, "After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she's ever faced." The Critics Consensus reads, "Riding high on a wave of stunning animation even when its story runs adrift, Moana 2 isn't as inspired as the original but still delights as a colorful adventure." The ensemble cast includes Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, and Temuera Morrison. But what did the critics say?

        Matt Oakes of Silver Screen Riot was unimpressed, stating, "A limp and uninspired sequel that lacks a reason to exist and memorable tunes, Moana 2 washes ashore with all the grace of a dazed hermit crab—a lightweight spectacle scuttling for purpose. Much ado has already been made about its metamorphosis from a Disney+ series to a full-fledged, theatrically-released tentpole for the animation arm of the studio but it’s fair to point out that this creative retooling can be felt all over the final product. It’s a tedious sequel that doesn’t seek to engage anyone over the age of 12, adrift without purpose, slogging from one unremarkable set piece to the next, unmoored by instantly forgettable musical numbers. It’s one of Disney’s most baffling creative misfires in recent memory – even if it’s not a box office miss like Disney’s previous two efforts – is remains narratively empty and as uncharted as the ocean depths it pretends to explore." Adding, "For children already enamored with Moana, this sequel will likely deliver enough colorful vistas, noisy antics, and action-packed escapades to hold their attention for its 100-minute runtime. Parents might even find themselves swept up in the vicarious joy of their children’s delight – and who can blame them?  But for anyone watching Moana 2 without the buffer of a kiddo’s enthusiasm, it’s an endurance test. Those expecting the animated sequel to present as an actual movie with anything resembling actual movie weight – rather than a distraction or babysitter – will be deeply off put by Disney’s latest effort to pass replication off as innovation. One simply can’t forget that the entire endeavor was calculated as a means to extract maximum dollars from family wallets, a soulless exercise in merchandising masquerading as a movie."

        Andrew Parker of The Gate notes, "Despite never reaching the emotional or musical heights of its predecessor, Moana 2 is a rousing, entertaining, and inspiring family adventure that hits all the right notes. It’s one of those sequels that gets the band back together, takes them out to accomplish a new quest, and wraps things up in a tight, ninety-ish minutes package. Moana 2 isn’t breaking a lot of new ground, but it retains the original film’s dazzling sense of visuals, consistently taps into the talents of its voice cast, and follows an entertaining current from start to finish."   

       Ross Bonaime of Collider says, "2016’s Moana was all about looking to the past to improve the future. This wasn't just because the title character (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) learned from the choices of her elders to pave a new path for her people; it also felt like a step forward for Disney animation, providing a strong female character with her hopes and dreams and not motivated by a love interest. Moana certainly played in the tropes of Disney animation, but it also charted its own course, using those elements to create something much stronger. For all its strengths, Moana often kept moving forward, keeping an eye on what was next. We are introduced to the people of Montunui before Moana goes on her own adventure, leaving them behind. Or after befriending the demigod Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) near the end of the film, we don’t get the opportunity to experience this new dynamic that was formed. And how do you introduce a character as adorable as the pig Pua and leave her behind?? Like Moana, its sequel, Moana 2, learns from the choices of the past to create an intriguing future that allows us to spend more time with the threads set up in the first film. In doing so, Moana 2 expands this world greatly, taking time to play around with these new relationships, and builds this into a universe that demands exploring. In the first film, we are shown Moana’s passion for freedom and the possibilities of what could lie beyond her island. With Moana 2, we finally feel that excitement about expanding beyond what we’ve already seen, making this the best animated Disney film since Encanto."

Image Courtesy of ©Disney

       Mae Abdulbaki of Screen Rant states, "Sometimes a movie is only as strong as its villain, and Moana 2 could have used a better one. On paper, Nalo is interesting, though the fact that he doesn’t appear onscreen until the mid-credits scene (yes, really) is a glaring weakness of the film. We’re often told about Nalo — from Maui and Matangi (Awhimai Fraser), a goddess who’s also bound by Nalo’s curse — but the lack of him is strange. The characters claim he gains power by separating the islands, but we don’t see what that looks like from a visual storytelling standpoint, lessening his villainous power overall. I thought about this a lot while watching the film, which took away from the experience of enjoying it. Younger audiences may not be so worried about what Nalo is or isn’t up to and why, but it’s a hole in an otherwise decent sequel that pushes the limits of its main character and how far she’s willing to go to help her beloved island. Nalo’s absence undermines the Disney sequel as a whole. Without his appearance, Moana is left fighting a scary thunderstorm in the god’s place, which is far less effective. It’s a good sequence that ultimately falters."

Movies that Deserved Better: 'Haunted Mansion' (2023)

         On July 28, 2024, Walt Disney Pictures released 'Haunted Mansion', which received a mixed reception from critics, currently holding at 37% on Rotten Tomatoes. While I personally loved the film, critics were less impressed. In the film, "A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters." The ensemble cast includes Jared Leto, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Levy, Rosario Dawson, LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and Danny DeVito. But what did the critics say? 

       Douglas Davidson of Elements of Madness says, "In truth, it’s Ben who is our way in as the grieving widower who keeps looking for evidence of ghosts simply to reconnect with his wife who passed away some time prior to the start of the film. Thus, the film is about Ben recognizing that the time with his wife was valuable and that he’s spending his time in a way that both hurts him and wouldn’t be what he wife would want. To do this, his path connects with Gabbie and Travis, two characters who moved down to New Orleans in order to start fresh from their own loss. The script doesn’t flat-out say this until the last moment, but anyone who’s paying attention to the wordplay can tell that Gabbie’s husband passed, spurring both their move and Travis’s extra fearfulness. Therefore, the Hatbox Ghost, a.k.a. Alistair Crump (Jared Leto), is given two potential victims to use to gain him his freedom. In order for the characters’ arcs to feel complete by the end of the film, the narrative needs to explore their respective plights, however, doing so, especially when Tiffany Haddish’s Harriet (the medium), Owen Wilson’s con-man Kent, and Danny DeVito’s Professor Bruce Davis each need their own mini-arcs to make their involvement more than just support thereby slowing down the momentum just enough to be noticeable. Each performer does get a moment to make their involvement entertaining and none overstay their welcome, but there’s just so much that requires exploring — the characters, the house mythos, the themes — that it can start to feel a little much after some time. We’d do well to keep our eyes on Dixon because his scene in the basement between Ben and Crump is a powerful one, making one forgive the obviousness of the plot and believing in the pain, anguish, and loneliness that this child feels absent his father."

       Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood Daily notes, "Disney’s Haunted Mansion is a fair enough choice for a family night in, experienced from the comfort of your couch, where the flaws are less glaring and the price of admission for Disney+ is cheaper."

Image Courtesy of ©Disney

       David Griffiths of Subculture Entertainment writes, "With some amazing special effects and a story a lot darker than I expected I found Haunted Mansion to be a film that certainly captures the vibe of the attraction. It really surprised me with its tone but that is what made me fall in love with it the most." Adding, "The arc is familiar, but it's comforting, just as a trip to Disneyland is meant to be. My only real quibble is that, as the movie stretches from its middle third to its final third, the energy flags as Simien (Dear White People, Bad Hair) struggles to tie together the various threads, like wrestling an octopus. At one point, I was ready for things to get a move-on. But an adorable coda set on Halloween sent me out with a smile. I loved the easy repartee among the entire cast; the casting director that assembled them is a genius. Wilson and Stanfield both have a laid-back style, Wilson's self-deprecating to Stanfield's quiet cool, and no one (except Leto) goes very big. Even Haddish, who is becoming a better and better performer with every film, tones down her usual style to fit the mood and her co-stars. Plus, they look cool. The costumes are snappy and stylish, in the best way. Indeed, I wouldn't mind getting dressed up with them and hanging out at this Mansion again someday."

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Reviews: “Hugh Jackman is having the time of his life. Because of that, so is Ryan Reynolds. Because of that, so are we.”

         On July 26, 2024, Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel Pictures released ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, which is currently holding fresh at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, Deadpool is recruited by the Time Variance Society to protect the multiverse and partners with Wolverine that alters the MCU forever. The ensemble cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Karan Soni, Aaron Stanford, Matthew Macfadyen, Stefan Kapicic, and a bevy of guest stars that would fall under spoiler territory. But what did the critics say? 

Johnny Oleksinski of New York Post writes, “Director Shawn Levy’s laugh-a-second movie is easily the best Marvel has delivered since 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and provides similarly nostalgic pleasures in its whiplash-inducing number of retro cameos — none of which I’ll spoil, for fear of my own life.” Concluding, “Everything is. The third film is somehow even funnier than the sidesplitting previous two entries, and goes buck wild with risque humor and self-referential jabs. “Either you help us,” Deadpool yells, “or my friend here is gonna sing the entire second act of ‘The Music Man’ with zero warmup!” Broadway’s Jackman, of course, knows his way around a jazz square.”

Chris Evangelista of Slashfilm was less impressed, stating, “Unfortunately, as the excellent movie "Logan" showed us, Logan is dead. That film was meant to be Hugh Jackman's swan song as the character after playing him for 17 years. But Disney found a way to bring Jackman back (I'm guessing a hefty sum of money was involved — an idea that "Deadpool & Wolverine" isn't afraid to joke about), and thanks to the multiverse, Wade is able to team-up with a suitably grumpy and still-living version of Wolverine. The stage is set for a classic buddy comedy — mismatched characters who hate each other at first but then grow to like each other in the end. You know, like "Midnight Run"! Or "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"! Unfortunately, the lazy script doesn't really do much character building. It simply thrusts these two together, sends them on a needlessly convoluted mission, and hopes for the best.” Adding, “Along the way, they encounter plenty of other characters, which means lots and lots of exhausting cameos that will no doubt all be spoiled before the movie even hits theaters. They also have to deal with the villain Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin). Corrin seems to be having a lot of fun sinking her teeth into her antagonist role, but the character is rather bland, prone to little more than long monologues and arched eyebrows, and her motivations make absolutely no sense. But no one is coming to this movie for the villain, right? They just want to see Deadpool and Wolverine mix it up! And they'll get plenty of that — the movie is wall-to-wall scenes of the characters bickering non-stop. The jokes come fast and furious ... but none of them are very funny. Reynolds can play this character in his sleep at his point (and he seems to play the character at all times, even in non-"Deadpool" movies), and by now, you're either on board with his motormouth vulgarities and fourth wall-breaking antics or you're not. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman is on hand to save the day.”

Krysta Fauria of Associated Press notes, “A fun, generally well-made summer movie. The sole MCU release of 2024, “Deadpool & Wolverine” proves it’s not necessarily the source material that’s causing so-called superhero fatigue.” Continuing, “A defining feature of “Deadpool” has been its R rating and hyper violent action scenes. Whether thanks to more money, Levy’s direction or some combination of the two, these scenes are much more visually appealing.”

Peter Bradshaw of Guardian says, “Basically, Deadpool is quite right – he is Marvel Jesus, he is the guy elevated from the ranks here to be the heroic saviour, the wacky character who is going to make sense of the whole MCU business by repositioning it as gag material and keep the whole thing ticking over, perhaps until the MCU in its original fundamentally serious mode comes back into box office fashion. It’s amusing and exhausting.”

Sherin Nicole of RIOTUS praises the film, saying, “As the song says, Hugh Jackman is having the time of his life. Because of that, so is Ryan Reynolds. Because of that, so are we.” Adding, “What you’ll get is everything that made you love Deadpool to begin with. But wait, there’s more. For the MCU faithful, the fan service is so juicy you won’t know whether to giggle or pretend you’re not crying (you are, you’re crying). Better than that, this team-up gives you ALL the Wolverine moments that FOX deprived you of. I mean, ALL OF THEM. Finally, if you love the X-Men, you may need to carry a tissue.”

Image Courtesy of ©Disney