Mufasa: The Lion King

the Lion King”. I so wanted to find things to like in this but I’m really struggling. The script and dialogue (with maybe the exception of Timon & Pumba) felt like it was written by AI. Like the movie equivalent of one of those AI generated websites, it has the surface details of what a human would write, but is utterly devoid of any real soul. The foreshadowing to Mufasa’s death is massively overdone to the point of tedium, and the songs manage to be Lin-Manuel Miranda-y whilst also being instantly forgettable. The CGI is impressive but the director has chosen to film 95% of the film in a continuously moving drone shot. It made me feel motion sickness to the point that I had to close my eyes for rest breaks. It’s like being in a 3rd person video game but the joystick that controls your camera angle is broken and just spins 360 degrees continuously. Totally nauseating, I’ve never experienced anything quite like it in a movie. I’m struggling to think of a movie in recent times I’ve enjoyed less (and I’ve also seen Peppa Pig The Movie with my children).

Surprisingly, better than expected. I completely enjoyed the story.