Mulan (2020) Review A Good But Not Great Disney Adaptation

Mulan (2020) Review: A Good, But Not Great Disney Adaptation

Mulan is a perfectly fine live-action adaptation, delivering some Disney magic and gorgeous visuals, but it’s ultimately just an average action movie.

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Mulan (2020) Review A Good But Not Great Disney Adaptation

In recent years, Disney has taken to reimagining their animated catalogue in live-action, and the latest of these is Mulan. Originally based on the Chinese folk tale “The Ballad of Mulan,” director Niki Caro’s live-action film pulls inspiration from both the legend and Disney’s 1998 animated feature. The result is a much more serious telling of Mulan’s story that attempts to interpret some of the sillier, fan-favorite scenes of the animated movie, while introducing its own elements to the world and Mulan’s character. And though the movie was meant for a theatrical release, Disney is set to release Mulan on Disney+ in the U.S. and certain other locations, but at a premium price. Mulan is a perfectly fine live-action adaptation, delivering some Disney magic and gorgeous visuals, but it’s ultimately just an average action movie.

The story of the movie follows Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei), a young girl who doesn’t have much potential as a quiet and obedient wife, but whose rare ability to connect to her chi makes her a promising warrior. When her injured father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma) is conscripted into the army, Mulan steals his sword and armor and poses as a man to take his place. While training in the army, Mulan learns from Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) and befriends some of her fellow recruits, including Chen Honghui (Yoson An). Before their training is complete, their regiment is called to battle enemy warrior Bori Kahn (Jason Scott Lee), who is helped by the shapeshifting witch Xian Lang (Gong Li). With Mulan’s connection to her chi hindered by her lie, the young warrior must decide whether she’s willing to risk her life and her family’s honor to save China.

Mulan (2020) Review A Good But Not Great Disney Adaptation

With a script written by the duo of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (War for the Planet of the Apes) along with Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek, Mulan does a fair job of translating the 1998 animated movie to live-action while introducing enough elements that it doesn’t feel like a shot-for-shot recreation. In fact, while the main story is still the same and certain scenes in particular are adapted, Caro’s Mulan is perhaps the Disney live-action adaptation with the most new material – for better or for worse. At times, Caro’s film can feel as if it’s checking off scenes from the animated film, including them simply in an effort not to offend those who love Disney’s tale. But that means the new material isn’t given its due. Since the resulting movie isn’t a particularly spectacular film in its own right, perhaps it would’ve been better if Mulan had been even less beholden to the animated film.

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For her part, Liu makes for a graceful and dynamic warrior in the action scenes, but it’s the actress’s more subtle comedic performance that really shines in Mulan – from the deepened voice she uses when posing as a man to her delivery of a joke to entertain her sister. These moments when Liu brings personality to Mulan are some of the film’s brightest spots, as otherwise it can get bogged down in the action and letting character development fall by the wayside of moving the story forward. There’s very little depth to the majority of the characters in Mulan, with most of them being one-dimensional or getting single scenes that showcase more well-rounded characters. The exceptions are Li’s Mulan and Ma’s Zhou, and their scenes together are some of the movie’s most special. Yen also brings some sly humor to his role of Commander Tung, and An’s Honghui is a compelling enough love interest, though that’s down to the actor’s natural charm rather than anything in the script. Altogether, Mulan has an extremely talented cast, and it’s a shame they aren’t given more to do.

Where Mulan truly excels is with Caro’s beautifully realized vision for the film, bringing some stunning visuals to life and highlighting the natural beauty of the China landscape (the film was shot on location in both China and New Zealand). And while some of the action in Mulan is exhilarating, the movie may have been stronger if it didn’t present Mulan’s ability to connect to her chi as a kind of superpower, allowing her to perform feats that are clearly aided by wires. Perhaps younger viewers will be entranced by Mulan’s awesome precision, but it’s difficult to look past how these abilities undercut some of the movie’s own themes. Mulan attempts to teach the lesson of needing to be true to yourself in order to find your place in the world, but Mulan being extra-special implies – perhaps accidentally – only the truly special girls who have something tangibly useful to offer the world of men will be accepted for who they are. The heart of Mulan is in the right place, but its execution is somewhat lacking.

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Still, there’s plenty to enjoy in Mulan for families seeking new entertainment for their children, who may be won over the bright colors and neat action sequences in Caro’s film. There’s also enough of the 1998 animated movie in Mulan to appease fans of Disney’s original offering, though depending on the viewer, there may be too much or too little of the cartoon in the 2020 film. Certainly, Mulan is worth checking out for those already interested in doing so, even for the Disney+ Premier Access $30 price point. It’s a shame this film isn’t releasing worldwide in theaters, as Caro’s cinematic visuals do lend themselves to a particularly enjoyable theater experience. As such, those in areas where Mulan is debuting in theaters would do well to give it a shot. In the end, Mulan may not be Disney’s best film, but it’s one of the Mouse House’s better live-action adaptations of its animated offerings.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/mulan-2020-movie-reviews/

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