Review: ‘Mulan’
DISCLAIMER: This review was written before the film’s involvement with Chinese Communist Propaganda departments and the region that is involved with atrocious human rights abuses (which you can read about here) came to light.
Despite the many controversies surrounding ‘Mulan’, I was pleasantly surprised with this action-packed cinematic remake of the animated musical. The film takes on a completely different and serious tone that serves the story well and makes it unlike any Disney movie you’ve seen before.
From the first announcement of the ‘Mulan’ live-action remake, I was doubtful of the upcoming film due to the dismal track record of Disney’s other recent live-action ventures. That doubt only worsened when the film’s main actress Liu Yifei, who plays Mulan, tweeted in support of the Hong Kong police who are known for their brutality against their citizens. And to solidify the problematic nature of the film, it became publicly apparent that both the writers and the director of this Chinese ballad brought to screen are all white.
In 2020, I thought Disney would know better than to make such a misstep, but how can anyone be surprised when the live-action adaptation of ‘Aladdin’, itself based on an Arabian folktale, was also directed by a white man?
As an Asian American, I felt conflicted because despite the controversy, I still recognized that this film was a big deal. As a kid, I grew up wearing Mulan costumes for Halloween and feeling prideful that I looked like her. So to take this monumental film and make it into a live-action with an all Asian cast felt exciting to me personally.
From its tense action scenes to its endearing character moments, the film effortlessly takes on its own identity despite stemming from such an iconic animated film. At times, I forgot I was watching a remake and I even managed to avoid constantly comparing the two films in my head. There’s no musical numbers or talking dragon, yet the serious tone makes it obvious why these changes were made. Instead, it doubles down on its action sequences, which reminded me more of ‘Game of Thrones’ than any other Disney movie.
Other than the obvious replacements and tone change, the film follows its original plot with slight twists. Mulan goes off to war in place of her injured father and poses as Hua Jun to disguise the fact that she’s a woman. A beautiful phoenix follows Mulan on her journey which gives her hope in times of trouble. While extravagant CGI usually bothers me, I enjoyed the addition and thought that the ethereal nature of the creature added to the charm of its breathtaking sets. When Mulan confesses her secret to the commander, she is expelled from the Imperial Army but is welcomed back when she warns them of the enemy’s plan to strike against the emperor. She then leads them into battle as her true self, saving the emperor and the country.
The film gets convoluted when it tries to shift focus onto an extraneous plot point that ultimately devalues Mulan’s personal strength. The film uses chi as a gimmick and insinuates that Mulan was born with immense chi, a trait usually reserved for males, which is where she draws her strength from. Mulan’s antagonist, Xianniang (Li Gong), also possesses this immeasurable chi and was exiled due to her witchlike powers, which is why she fights with Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee) to take down the people who rejected her. What I still don’t understand is why Xianniang is able to shapeshift, while Mulan just possesses normal strength? The chi gimmick is enough to make me grimace, but it also just doesn’t add up when the film tries to draw parallels between the two characters, who are nothing alike.
The two go on to have a moment with each other, relating to the fact that they both had to hide their strong chi in fear of being exiled- like Xianniang was. It reminds me so much of Elsa from Disney’s ‘Frozen’, I’m surprised they didn’t start belting “Let It Go” together. I appreciate that they wanted to incorporate more Chinese ideals into the film, but they went about it all wrong by equating chi to a superpower Mulan was born with rather than something she worked for and was able to achieve on her own. I wish they would’ve hired Chinese writers to make the film authentic without costing Mulan her personal strength and leaning on Asian stereotypes.
Despite the disappointing misrepresentation of Mulan’s character, I was impressed with this different take on the animated film and wouldn’t mind seeing more like it. Disney’s pattern of trying to replicate flamboyant animated sequences in real life is obviously not working and I’m glad they tried something different this time. While Mulan is far from perfect, I think it’s a step in the right direction. – Kaila Spencer
Rating: ★★★☆☆