(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 6.6
Director: Barry Jenkins
Douban Comments: “Mufasa’s story may follow a familiar pattern, but if you look at it from Scar’s perspective, it feels quite different.
Scar was timid from a young age – he didn’t even have the courage to save his own mother. He was never the kind of man who could earn recognition. The only person who ever gave his life meaning was Mufasa, because Mufasa once saved him. In a way, his brother was his whole world.
That’s why Scar couldn’t stand the thought of Mufasa falling in love with the girl he liked. That’s why he couldn’t accept being abandoned by him. To Scar, Mufasa’s actions felt like betrayal.
That betrayal shattered Scar’s sense of purpose. Destroying Mufasa meant destroying himself too. But even then, how could he just stand by and watch Mufasa die at the hands of an enemy?
Maybe, in that moment when Scar risked his life to save him, he finally saw who he really was deep inside.
In the end, Mufasa had everything the world could offer, while Scar was left with nothing – forced to walk away. Being cast out and wandering the world – that was Scar’s fate.”
“Simba’s son is too adorable – who doesn’t love watching a little lion cub tumble around? Hope they didn’t make that kid shout too much though. Also, I cracked up when he came back from grandpa’s story time with a new sibling – surprise second child!
The whole ‘brother saves the family’ thing was sweet. No long-lost outsider brother swooping in to steal everything this time.
The princess falling for the smart and kind one – classic. Meanwhile, our golden-boy prince (athletic, noble, top of his class) has to leave the stage with a sigh. Taka (Scar) was basically in ‘quietly watching and getting emotionally wrecked’ mode the whole time.
His character shift was fast though – from loyal brother to villain just because of a breakup/rejection? And then straight into scheming court official mode? A bit sudden. But as a prequel, it actually fills in a lot of blanks pretty well. Still felt like it ended too soon – I wanted more.
It’s not exactly The Prince of Egypt vibes. I thought it was going to be a story of jealousy and power struggle, but Mufasa really just went and built his own new kingdom from scratch – self-made king vibes. At its core, it’s still a ‘rivals who were once best friends’ story. And in the end, when Taka pulls Mufasa out of the water again, it’s clear – there’s still love hidden in all that hate.
The visual effects were amazing – looked like they got real animals to act, seriously. And the songs? Actually pretty good. The whole road trip plotline felt a bit rushed near the end though.”
“This film is a prequel to Simba’s story, focusing on his father – how he rose from an orphan to become king, and how his relationship with Scar changed over time. That aspect really reminded me of Transformers One, especially the dynamic between Optimus Prime and Megatron. It’s a similar approach, and it helps explain how Scar became the character we know today.
The story is told in a road movie format, with the white lion villain pursuing them like a predator, invading untouched lands – which gave it a bit of an American Western vibe. But at its heart, it’s really about the shifting relationship among the three main characters during the journey.
The second half, with its natural wonders and adventure elements, is stronger than the first. There are more connections to the original Lion King that start to emerge through little details.
Disney clearly kept younger audiences in mind, using a dual-narrative structure – a story within a story – to gently unfold the plot. It highlights the power of storytelling and the idea of passing down wisdom. Still, I felt the pacing would have been tighter if they’d left out the parts with Simba’s daughter.
I watched the dubbed version, and the sudden switch to singing in Chinese sometimes felt a bit jarring. The original English version would likely feel more natural and immersive.”
