The live-action movie remake of Mulan isn’t exactly awful. It’s actually decently pretty, and it suffices as a source of diversion. In addition, it does things well enough to the point that it can trick you into thinking that it’s more enjoyable, thoughtful, and touching than it really is – particularly if you haven’t recently re-watched the original animated movie or don’t maintain a fond retention of it, and thus, it isn’t fresh in your mind to serve as benchmark.
In my case, Mulan – the 1998 animated feature – is easily one of the Disney films that I’ve re-watched the most. It’s because, firstly, it came out in the 90’s. I adore the stretch of Disney animated films that came out from that era, and thus, have come to re-watch them a couple of times. Secondly, during our sophomore year in high school, our class did a stage play adaptation of it (I played Chi-Fu, the pompous, cowardly advisor to the emperor), which led us to re-watch the movie over and over again. As a result, at that time, I got to memorize its order of scenes and much of its dialogue (when my sister, a toddler back then, was watching Mulan in Disney Channel, I would say the lines before the characters said them, impressing her a lot).
Hence, having watched Mulan many times helped me see past the remake’s dazzling presentation to recognize how severely lacking it is of the nuance and depth inherent in the original. In addition, the narrative doesn’t quite flow smoothly, neglects to let poignant occurrences marinate effectively, and fails to recognize potentially striking points so that it could give them the proper push for optimum effect.
At one point, I was actually anticipating for Mulan to overtake The Jungle Book as the best Disney live-action remake. When it was first announced that it wouldn’t be a musical, I was initially disappointed. But after some consideration, I actually quickly got over that disappointment. Yes, I would have loved to see “Reflection” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” be performed in live-action, but if foregoing them is the cost of turning this live-action Mulan into a legit Chinese period piece epic a la Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, it would definitely be worth it. I salivated from the thought of seeing stunning ancient China aesthetics and spectacular martial arts sequences. And with the additional announcement that Mushu was not going to be around in this remake, signifying the absence of a go-to comic relief and a supernatural character, the idea that the remake had a more grounded, dignified, and culturally rich vision was enforced in my mind.
I was genuinely rooting for it, so it’s such a letdown that it turned out being just like the other Disney remakes that came before it – just contently competent to be a piece of entertainment, but has nothing truly transcendental to offer.
It’s neither a Hero nor Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are some fun martial arts scenes, sure, but I expected more gripping action from a cast that includes martial arts legends like Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, and Jet Li (in a role that I didn’t recognize him in). Visually, the movie does look good in general, but it shows nothing that can really take your breath away. In relation to this, there are scenes in which I feel the sets deserve to be grander and should have had more extras. Also, the idea that omitting a comedic dragon like Mushu from the remake allows it to become a more realistic, intellectual, and culturally significant take is made laughably moot when it instead features super powers, a shapeshifting witch, and a depiction of the phoenix that’s based on Greek mythology rather than Chinese mythology.
This remake is arguably more hokey and dumber than the cartoon.
Its biggest failing, however, is its attempt to portray a theme of woman empowerment through Mulan’s arc. In the original animated movie, Mulan managed to hold her own – and earn success – in warfare, an arena typically and naturally exclusive for men, notby emulating men and their strengths (although, this was initially her approach), but by using her wits and embracing her femininity. In the live-action remake, Mulan wins because she has in-born superpowers, which ruins the appeal of Mulan as a relatable heroine. And even though live-action Mulan is portrayed as a badass, she doesn’t have a “girl power” moment that’s close to being as nuanced, powerful, and beautifully poetic as animated Mulan beating a sword-wielding Shan Yu with a fan.
To sum it up, the live-action remake of Mulan is just okay. When it comes to entertaining as a movie, it delivers. But when it comes to offering something genuinely lasting and meaningful, it falls short.
Miscellaneous musings:
- Only die-hard Mulan fans will quickly understand what’s being referenced by the title of this review.
- The nickname of my classmate who played Mulan during our high school play is “Dada.” Liu Yifei a.k.a. Crystal Liu, the actor for live-action Mulan, played “Dada” (Xiaolongnü) in The Return of the Condor Heroes (2006 TV series), which was known in its Filipino dub as “Love of the Condor Heroes.” Full circle. Lol.
- Ming-Na Wen, the original voice actor of Mulan in the animated movie (also, Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), has a cameo near the end of the movie. It was just fleeting, but I did enjoy it.
- Another major area where this live-action remake pales in comparison with the original animated film is the music. And I don’t mean just the songs. I’m referring to the soundtrack as well. Seriously, the soundtrack of the animated film is a total banger.
- One thing to dislike about this remake’s production is it’s pro-CCP. Many of its cast members, including Liu Yifei and Donnie Yen, are notable CCP supporters. Also, this film was actually filmed in Xinjiang, the province where China’s notorious internment camps are located. And during the end credits, several CCP entities are given special thanks. I had to watch this movie with a “separate the art from the artist” mindset.
- For a movie that’s designed to pander to Chinese audience for profit, it actually flopped in China. Lol.
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