Story: A young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
To be fair, I've never been very fond of the animated version of Mulan. I enjoy watching it and I don't consider it a bad movie by any means. I just never really connected with Mulan the way I did other Disney movies. Lately, I've also been cautious of Disney's live-action adaptations because most of them have been bland, soulless, and uninspired, especially The Lion King. But like all movies with a little bit of controversy behind them, curiosity gets the best of me. And here I am. So did I like Mulan? No. Is it a terrible film? I wouldn't go as far as to call it that. To me, this suffers from everything I mentioned above.
First, I'll start off with what I did appreciate. Yifei Liu is really good as Mulan. She no doubt sells the part even if it is more physically demanding than anything else. The music by Harry Gregson-Williams is beautiful and moving, especially when we get renditions to classics like "Honor to us all" & "Reflection". The production values are exquisite and the locations so exotic. I can see this being nominated at the Oscars for those costumes. They milked the budget for all its worth. I do admire them taking a different approach and can see how the singing and Mushu wouldn't fit in this universe. Li Gong who plays Xianniang (a powerful witch who hides a kind heart) is the best character displayed even if (for me at least) she feels out of place (and her redeeming arc forced).
With that said, I feel like Mulan's biggest issue is an identity crisis. It's soul constantly fighting between wanting to be a straight-up remake to the animated version so the hardcore fans will watch, and wanting to do its own thing to attract new audiences. Never really settling down for one or the other.
The tone is all over the place. I feel like the overall tone is dead serious but then we have goofy & silly moments that completely take you out of the story (like a scene near the beginning when Mulan is training to be a geisha). I get it, they were trying to "honor" Chinese classic movies. But the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fight scenes bending the laws of physics don't belong in this world, and was it me, or were the action sequences unimaginative? Like, damn Disney, you have $200 million at your disposal and this is what we get? Especially during the climax which lacked any impact.
The dialogue is damn tacky and in your face (We get it, Mulan is a powerful, independent woman who needs no man. Don't tell me, show me), like trying too hard not to offend anyone in the process. Also, we can definitively play a drinking game; every time someone says "Honor to us all" or "Disgrace" we take a shot. A romantic subplot between Yifei Liu & Yoson An (who plays Honghui) feels forced, underdeveloped and unnecessary. Somewhere near the end of the second act, I was getting impatient because it was dragging. This could've easily been trimmed a little.
Also, I don't see children very much enjoying this. I feel like Mulan is directed to young adults or adults in general.
In the end, Mulan is an okay entry into the Disney Live-action realm. Somewhere between The Lion King and Maleficent. Like most of the remakes, this one feels soulless and bland. Like a cash-in for the woke generation. Mediocre, long, and also lacking the charm which made the original a classic.
Here's the trailer:
Christina Aguilera singing once again "Reflection"
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