MULAN (2020) REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Like a lot of films due for release this year, Disney's live action adaptation of their 1998 feature, Mulan, was postponed after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closing of cinemas across the globe. However, instead of releasing Mulan in cinemas, Disney made the decision to release the film on their streaming site for an additional fee (£20 in the UK). I was disappointed by this decision as I was really looking forward to watching Mulan on the big screen. Since its release on Disney+ earlier this month, Mulan has received a mostly positive reception from critics, however, I've noticed a more negative response on social media. 

Mulan (Yifei Lu) is a fearless young woman who risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors China has ever known. When the Emperor of China (Jet Li) issues a decree that one man per family mist serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders. Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honoured warrior, Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma), steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua June, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner strength and embrace her true potential. It's an epic journey that will transform her into an honoured warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation and a proud father.

While Mulan isn't as great as I was hoping, it's not a bad film. I think I'm one of the very few people who don't mind Disney's live action remakes of their animated features, however, I can understand why people think they're pointless. 

One of the problems with many of Disney's live action remakes is that, because the story has already been told, they are predictable and unoriginal. However, Mulan features several changes in order to prevent it from feeling like an exact copy of the original animated film. One of the highlights of the animated film was Mushu who was a small dragon voiced by the comedian, Eddie Murphy, and stole every scene he appeared in. In the live action remake, the character doesn't appear. I think that this was a good decision as I think Mushu would have felt out of place. The live action remake has a more serious tone and, unlike most family films, can be enjoyed by older viewers. By making several changes, Mulan doesn't feel like an exact replica of the original animated film. Another significant change in the live action remake is the lack of musical numhers. While the songs, including Reflection and I'll Make A Man Out Of You, in the original animation were memorable and one of the highlights, the live action version focuses more on the story. I think a random musical number would have been too distracting.

Although the original animated is superior, I felt that it lacked in action. This minor flaw is improved in the live action remake. The action sequences are exciting and where Mulan is at its best. They highlight Mulan's impressive fighting skills. The stunts are over the top, however, they added to my overall enjoyment of the film. Mulan features several martial arts scenes and Liu handles them all with grace, Whilst I was watching the film, I often thought about how great it would have been to watch Mulan at the cinema which has high quality sound and high definition picture. Cinemas provide audiences with unique viewing experiences that can't be replicated at home. Although I'm fortunate to own a good quality television with speakers, I know that a lot of people and families with smaller televisions struggling to watch Mulan. I would advise familes to wait until December to watch Mulan when it will be available to watch on Disney+ without paying the premium access fee.

The original Mulan represents one of Disney's best animated features as its story highlighted the inequality between women and men and sent out an important message that the former could be as strong as the latter. The live action remake also highlights this issue. Because Mulan is a female, she is seen as nothing more as a potential bride for a male suitor. Unfortunately, after her clumsiness leads to an embarrassing incident with a matchmaker, Mulan is told that she will never bring honour to her family. She soon proves her wrong though after taking her father's place to fight in the war. Over the course of the film's 115 minute runtime, Mulan develops into a fierce and brave individual, making her one of the best female characters. She's a great role model to young women who feel inferior to men.

Many of Disney's live action remakes starred famous actors in many of the roles, including Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Will Smith as the Genie in last year's Aladdin. While I think that these actors delivered solid performances, the decision to have a cast of Asian actors portray the characters in Mulan was the right choice. Prior to watching, I was familiar with only a few of the actors as they've appeared in Hollywood films. As the titular heroine, Liu Yifei delivers a strong performance and captures the character's bravery and strengths. The rest of the cast is ethnically appropriate and features several of the best Asian actors, including Jet Li, Donnie Yen and Jason Scott Lee who take their roles seriously, despite appearing in a Disney film. 

While the main villain in the original Mulan was intimidating, he lacked enough screen time to make him memorable. However, the live action remake have replaced the character with a shape shifting witch, Xian Lang (Gong Li), who I felt was far more interesting and more threatening because of her unique powers.

Although it's not as great as it could have been, I don't think that Mulan is a bad film as it provides viewers with exciting action sequences and an empowering story that highlights the issue of gender inequality. 

7/10