sky_sam

I wanted to like this more because it gave definite ''ancient epos" kind of vibe and there were hints of a warrior culture you don't see represented often in media. Unfortunately the cultural aspect remains on the background ... we are never explained the beliefs and traditions that inform the narrative ( there was a lot of emphasis of the quest for glory and the importance of honor and the tie to one's tribe... yet no matter how often those things were mentioned, you are never truly gave a real insight on why or how those things work within the heads of the characters so you don't really leave the movie having learned much of new, this feels like a wasted opportunity as I was genuinely curious) .

The revenge arc closed with a cop out so I didn't even feel the boy hero was actually transformed by his experience. He goes to a quest, he learns something new, struggles with his mentor figure that does most of the real work and then ... when he might actually finish what he started he draws back and proves he has not internalized much of his lessons and is in fact the same he was in the beginning. That is the most reason I don't feel I can appreciate the movie as a whole. I felt the mentor had more of a journey than the protagonist, but he also didn't get what he really was reaching for by helping the protagonist. I was less disappointed with his arc, because it was more emotional and deep, but it also wasn't a rewarding watch.

Pace was slow with moments of crude violence where the action picked up, and there were moments it felt too sluggish and boring to keep watching.

The storyline was very different from what I expected going it, but quite well crafted all the same : it balanced Mufasa's origin story with the descent into darkness of Scar, and a winsome introduction to secondary characters like Sarabi and , while bringing the whole group on a journey to reach a not-so-mythical land, on the run from a strong enemy.

Rafiki in particular mantained intact his original, eccentric charm while being given more depth through his backstory. Also his scenes where he confused lions while playing the crazy shaman were comedic gold.

I loved how the group came together and Sarabi and Mufasa fell in love , and the adventure main story.

Catching songs were a good treat so, and I was genius to introduce Mufasa's story by framing it as a tale Rafiki tells little Kiara while she waits for the return of her parents.

This movie had a lot of elements and so it would be easy to mess up and end in a confusing mix, instead everything connects nicely and melds in an organic way.