THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
When the animated film Mulan first came to theaters in 1998, it arguably became the definitive film of female empowerment throughout the early 21st century. With impact like that and the fact that Walt Disney Pictures was remaking their animated classics, it was a matter of time for this story to be retold.
PLOT
This 2020 live action interpretation follows Hua Mulan who is an active and adventurous woman in Imperial China. After she fails to impress a matchmaker, she secretly takes the place of her injured father Hua Zhou, to be a soldier and fight Rouran warriors led by Bori Khan and a witch named Xianniang. As her journey progresses, she is watched over by an ancestral phoenix. She trains at a camp under the leadership of of Zhou's acquaintance Commander Tung. During her training, posing under the name 'Hua Jun' she befriends with Chen Honghui. As Khan continues to advance, Tung must end training early and send his troops to battle. When they find the valley where the opposing army is located, the battle begins. During this conflict, Mulan encounters Xianniang who deduces who she really is. She claims that they are alike because of how they've been shunned. She also admits that she is only align with Bori Khan because of his acceptance. She attempts to kill Mulan but her armor protects her, fleeing in the process. Once removing the armor, she returns to the main conflict and provides the upper hand. When she gets involved, she tricks Khan’s Rourans to fire into a mountain, causing an avalanche. She does reveal her identity to the troops and her life is spared by Tung. But he tells her to leave the army or be killed. As she attempts to go home, she encounters Xianniang again who tells her that the outpost attacks was a diversion and plans to attack the Emperor of China in his own palace. She goes to tell Tung and despite his hesitance to listen, his troops convince him to join her because they all believe in her. When they get there, Tung’s unit fights off other Rourans while Mulan goes to save the Emperor. When she confronts Khan, he shoots an arrow but was intercepted by Xianniang due to her newly found sympathy towards the warrior. After she dies of her wound, the fight continues between the villain and hero. As they fight on an unfinished building under construction, Mulan loses her sword but is able to knock Khan down and fall into the building’s center. He attempts to shoot an arrow at the Emperor but the Emperor himself catches it and Mulan kicks it back, killing the Rouran in the process. With the Emperor safe, he offers a position as a personal guard but she turns it down, preferring to go home. After reuniting with her family, the film ends with Mulan changing her mind and joining the Emperor’s company after Tung makes a personal request, along with the offer of a new sword.
THOUGHTS
I recall having such hype in 2019 when the first trailer dropped. It would’ve been likely for me to see it in theaters but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was open minded with the decision to stream it on Disney+ for Premier Access. Having said that, I think this movie lives up to the hype. This is one of those remakes that is far from better from the predecessor but holds it own nonetheless. I think director Niki Caro succeeds in representing the original message on how people should know their goals, defy gender expectations, take a risk and make your voice heard. If you display that big of a message in a setting where it’s supposably impossible, that makes it more empowering. I see that this film’s many changes pissed off the audience whereas there is no musical number nor is the presence of the comedic relief that is Mushu. While I was surprised of that not making the cut, I was on board with it because it would’ve been a mirrored remake like Psycho and The Lion King. If that was the case, it would’ve not felt fresh and instead be easily predictable. Those pieces were worth subtracting because it helped handle the dramatic tone it was going for. Sure it would’ve been cool to hear a cover of “I’ll Make A Man Out of You”, but the score of Harry Gregson Williams is good enough. It is really hard to deny this film’s beauty because while Bina Daigeler’s costume designs are one thing, but it’s the cinematography by Mandy Walker that ensures it to be stunning throughout. I give this movie more credit than one would expect but after all the praise, I admit that there were still some things in the movie that bothered me a lot. I actually liked Christina Aguilera’s song “Loyal, Brave, True” but I do not like that she remakes ‘Reflection’. I prefer hearing someone else do a cover for that classic than hear the same one I heard before. Getting into the story, I don’t think Xianniang needs Bori Khan. If she can shape-shift, then she should’ve killed the Emperor herself, turn into him and make a decree for supporting women with chi. I want to feel bad about her death, but her sympathy was so rushed that I just couldn’t care like I’m supposed to. I mean did she even have to die? I feel like could’ve turned into a swarm of birds and disrupt the arrow’s pattern. Of course it’s funny how things go awry with the matchmaker, but Mulan should’ve just told her about the spider’s presence before making a scene of it. Also, I know she wants to be herself but she could’ve removed her armor after beating the troops. Of course it’s badass how she took down Khan’s troops by causing an avalanche, but how the hell did she travel behind enemy lines unnoticed? I mean if she took down a few on the way, it would’ve been cool to see that in display, in order to raise the intensity of the battle. I like that Tung’s troops side with her to stop Khan but when they all say “I believe Hua Mulan”, I could not stop thinking about “I’m Spartacus” from Spartacus. If you have me thinking about other movies, I’m outta here. And lastly, I know Bori Khan wants to soak it in when he attempts to kill the Emperor, but he should’ve shot down Mulan immediately after killing Xianniang who intercepted the last arrow. If he did that, no one would’ve stopped him afterwards. If can ignore all of these flaws, I believe you’ll still enjoy this movie for what it is. Going back to the goods, I think we had a solid cast that held this movie down. Yifei Liu did a great job with titular lead because within every second of her presence, she succeeds in expressing what Mulan is all about: Independence, confidence, selflesnness and adventurous. I was surprised how Li Shang was split to two characters but I think it played out very well because Donnie Yen represented firm leadership with Commander Tung while Yoson An depicts the courageousness through Chen Honghui. Bori Khan is this film's equivalent of the original foe Shan Yu and here, I think Jason Scott Lee is also great at reflecting the character's original traits of being ruthless and barbaric. He was someone who wanted to avenge his dead father and didn't stop until his dying breath. For someone who can catch an arrow, it's hard to not be intimidated by him. Xianniang is also an equivalent to Shan Yu's falcon but with a bigger twist, she is not a bird but a human witch. I think Gong Li surprised me a lot on making this character the most conflicted. She is basically presented as the polar opposite of Mulan whereas she is willing to go low to show her worth. While I do think her change of heart was rushed, it sends a good message on how people can return from a dark path. Lastly, Jet Li was the perfect choice for the Emperor because not only did he look the part but also owns the wise, benevolent presence the character is all about. Considering that Li is an action star, it's hard to deny how badass it was to see him catch that arrow. In short, Mulan is a remake that was worthwhile due to successfully sending the same message from the predecessor, while also feeling like a new story. If you love the animated classic, than I think you'll like this one as well.
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