Anthony's Film Review - Mulan (2020)

Disney's live-action remake of Mulan is simple yet entertaining...

Disney's 2020 version of Mulan continues the trend that it started a few years before: going back to its library of animated films and remaking them into live-action movies. They did The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin so far. For me, results ranged from awesome to just good. It depends on the specific movie and how much it followed the animated original, like The Lion King, versus deviating from it and adding new stuff, like Aladdin. Now we add Mulan to that list, and it falls in the category of deviating from the animated original more than following it. However, I do like this version a little more than the 1998 animated Mulan, which was decent.

For one thing, this version, though intended to appeal to audiences both young and old, is not trying to be too kid-friendly. Unlike the animated film, there is no talking fire-breathing dragon as a nonhuman sidekick. Instead, this one focuses on being a historical drama. The only bits of fantasy you'll see here come in the form of one specific character: a witch with powers of dark magic and the ability to morph into other beings. Otherwise, the story is simply about an enemy army from the north threatening to attack and overthrow the Emperor of China, and a young woman's choice to fight in this war in order to prevent her father from doing the same.

In the beginning, Mulan is like any other young woman in ancient China, expected to follow traditional customs and gender roles, including arranged marriages through a matchmaker. But that doesn't mean she is all feminine. For one thing, she has natural talents in martial arts and even acrobatics. She reaches a crossroads when, one day, the Emperor issues a decree requiring that each family enlists one male family member to join the army and defend China against the northern invaders. In Mulan's family, the only male member is her father, who had served in the military in his earlier years but is now approaching old age. To save her father, Mulan steals his armor and sword, then disappears to join the war effort.

The rest of the movie is simply a two-part war tale. The first centers on the training of the newly enlisted young men, plus one woman posing as one. Mulan has to do her best to sound masculine enough when she speaks, just so she could pass off as a young man whose voice really hasn't deepened. She is also careful not to bathe when all the others do, in order to avoid displaying her bosom. Through it all, she advances quickly in her training, and soon, everyone faces the first real test, when they engage in their first battle against the invaders. And after that, it's a race against time to save the Emperor from a final blow by the enemy.

The action in this movie is good. It's not epic and spectacular, but it's still entertaining. That said, there are really just two battle sequences here, with the climactic one being not as climactic as you might expect. As for the cast, Yifei Liu does an admirable job in both acting and choreographed fighting. The supporting cast is interesting, and includes Tzi Ma as Mulan's father, plus Rosalind Chao, Pei-Pei Cheng, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Jason Scott Lee in various roles. Overall, this nearly two-hour movie has plenty of stuff to enjoy.

Of note, this film was originally going to be released in theaters, but forced to be released only on the Disney+ streaming platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But even on a small screen, this film is enjoyable.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Mulan, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of the 1998 animated version of Mulan.