Mulan – 4/5 stars
Brave, Loyal and True
Mulan followed the main points of the original story but was different enough that it was refreshing – something The Lion King remake struggled with.
This version of Mulan seemed to focus much more on the character’s “chi,” which really just seemed like magic/ superhuman reflexes (running up walls or catching an arrow, tossing it up and kicking it back at the shooter). It seemed like, in this world, the greatest warriors were those who could harness their chi, and women who had it were expected to suppress it. Once you buy into and accept this idea, it’s pretty cool for the most part. But I found that in the combat, instead of thinking “Wow, that’s awesome,” I thought “wait, what?” The back flips and unrealistic moves were sometimes distracting to me and took away from the action.
I guess that could be some of the Chinese cinema influence but I much prefer how, like in Troy, they explained the legend of Achilles being a demigod by him just being an extraordinary fighter.
Mulan had a great message about the importance of being true to yourself, despite what others think. I think this movie was entertaining and could be enjoyed by anyone, including fans of the original Disney animated film. It wasn’t exactly the same as the original but followed the main points. One difference was that instead of having the talking dragon Mushu, this movie had a phoenix that acted more as a silent guide for Mulan. I think this was fine and that it would have been a poor choice to have the phoenix as comedic relief, like in the original film.
As for the price, $30 seemed a little steep to me. But as it was pointed out to me, that was cheaper than it would’ve been to see it at the theater, and we got to have subtitles and pause it whenever we needed. I still think it was worth it but I guess that depends entirely on you: Are you excited to see a new movie now, or can you wait until it’s released on Disney Plus December 4th?
Overall, I thought Mulan was good and would rate it 4/5 stars. We have been excited for this movie since it was announced and we saw the trailer. Getting to finally see it, it didn’t disappoint. Good action (although a little unrealistic), good acting and a good story with a refreshing take on the original.