[7.0/10] *Mulan* is fine. It is a gorgeous thing to look at. Its action set pieces are thrilling. Its story is solid. The core components are there. It does nothing to embarrass the legacy of the 1998 original and takes enough chances on its own to make it more than just a lazy live action restaging.

That’s the film’s greatest strength. Unlike other Disney remakes of its animated classics, *Mulan* has the gumption to chart its own path. You still have the story of a young woman running away from home, pretending to be a man to join the imperial army, and saving China from foreign invaders. There’s some familiar beats and remixed characters and musical stings that call to mind the animated predecessor.

But there’s also scads of new setups, new storylines, and new twists on the old scenes. Say what you will about what parts of the movie succeed or fail, but the film has the good sense to follow its protagonist’s lead and do so on its own terms.

Unfortunately, for all that independence and laudable effort to do something new and different, the 2020 *Mulan* can’t hold a candle (let alone a torchlight to let all of China know it’s here) to the 1998 *Mulan*. That a remake can’t quite live up to the original is nothing new, and the new movie makes commendable attempts to update the old one for a new era. And yet, despite all those praise-worthy efforts to make the current release its own thing, its very existence invites comparisons to the film’s animated precursor, comparisons which aren’t flattering.

Most notably, the 2020 *Mulan* is an emotionally flat movie. There’s tension in fight scenes and a few heightened moments. But for the most part, the performances and the characters are all restrained or even flat here. That leaves them feeling like action figures to be moved around a beautifully-constructed game board. You rarely get a sense of the major characters’ inner lives, rendering the emotional arcs that were the core of the 1998 release and nominally the core of this one too, much more inert and uninvolving than they should be.

The major exception is Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Mulan’s military boss and mentor, who manages to inject some life and interiority into a character who could easily come off as just another generic leader guy. And most of all, Tzi Ma as Mulan’s father, Hua Zhou, gives an award-worthy performance, showing an inner turmoil within the Hua family patriarch and, frankly, conveying more of the tension between who Mulan truly is and who she’s expected to be better than the character herself. His screen time is brief, but Zhou is the heart of the film, and its best emotional asset.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for most of the other characters, who have flattened or generic personalities. That’s truest for Mulan herself, who comes off reserved to the point of being a cipher, staunching the inner conflicts that are typically communicated through other characters rather than Mulan herself. But it’s also true for the standard issue soldier buddies, the snarling antagonists, and the bland love interests. One of Disney’s trademarks, even in its less-availing films, is a richness of character, something the new *Mulan* lacks.

That said, it almost makes up for that deficiency with an abundance of stunning images. Director Niki Caro and cinematographer Mandy Walker deliver what is arguably Disney’s best-looking live action production ever. The film provides so many colorful settings, rich with detail and strong choices in lighting and composition that communicate the terror or grandeur of a particular moment. Aside from some conspicuous CGI creatures, the cinematographic approach nicely heightens the reality of this fable while still giving it enough of a root in the genuine to make it feel real. On aesthetics alone, *Mulan* is a homerun.

The same goes for its superlative fight scenes. Whether it’s plucking arrows from the sky, raiding multi-colored markets, or going toe-to-toe on a perilous set of scaffolding, Caro and company craft an array of breathtaking action sequences. A willingness to rotate the angle of a skirmish, embrace some Wuxia tropes, and give hand-to-hand combat interludes time to breathe makes those larger than life set pieces the highlight of the film and almost worth the price of admission on their own. They work as the equivalent to the musical numbers in the 1998 release as a showcase for what the filmmakers are capable of.

But that’s not the only major divergence from the animated forebear. The 2020 *Mulan* adjusts the themes of the piece in subtle ways. At heart, both movies have an “embrace who you really are” mentality. But the remake spends more time focusing on the expectations placed on women in these societies, more specifically how they are supposed to hide their power, or chi, because it’s considered unfeminine, when embracing that power makes them stronger and more self-assured than their male counterparts. It’s a more directly feminist movie in its up-front themes, feeling of a piece with *Captain Marvel*’s similar point made from beneath the Disney umbrella.

That comes through in Mulan’s counterpart, Xian Lang, a “witch” in the service of the antagonist who encourages Mulan to stop hiding her true self and embrace that power, intimating a bond of sisterhood that connects them across the opposing sides of this war. There’s an implicit battle being fought by both of them to be able to take their place in a male-driven society, albeit one they fight with different means. It leads to some Jedi-like pronouncements here and there, but it’s one of the more compelling new wrinkles in the 2020 film, even if the idea’s not quite realized to its full potential.

Similarly, rather than rooting Mulan’s journey in the assertion of individuality, the remake takes on a more collectivist ethos. This Mulan is less motivated by the chance to self-actualize than by her loyalty -- to her fellow soldiers and, most importantly, to her family. There’s a sense of her taking chances and making sacrifices for the communal good rather than as part of personal fulfillment that’s lacking elsewhere. The new Mulan still embraces her true self and self-actualizes by the end of the film, but the framing of it is different.

Difference is good in remakes. The 1998 movie will always still be there for fans and new generations to enjoy, so finding new spins on characters, stories, and arcs is vital to making the 2020 film seem worthwhile in its own right. Some of those choices irk the former preteen with sentimental affections for the original, but I also admire them. This *Mulan* is its own film, with its own takes on the story and setting, and its own points to make.

It’s just ultimately a less engaging movie than the one it’s following up. Aside from some of the emotional dampening, there’s little to complain about in *Mulan*. It’s a well-made, visually stunning, thoroughly sound rendition of the legend on the big screen. The movie marks its own territory while bringing just enough honor to the production that came before. But the inevitable comparisons can’t help highlight what this new movie lacks, making a perfectly good film seem like a mere pleasing sparkler in the shadow of a brilliant eruption of fireworks.

I think that Mulan (2020) and Mulan (1998) are different beasts and are made with different audiences in mind. The original animated Mulan is made with a Western audience in mind whereas the new Mulan is very clearly made with a Chinese audience in mind based purely on the emphasis on the values and also just the whole vibe (idk lol).

As we quite well know, Mulan (2020) does not have Li Shang, nor the songs, and has added a supernatural element through the character of the witch, Xianniang. There’s an homage to the music in the score with the notes of Reflection playing at some emotionally poignant moments. Lowkey I’m not into the love interest in this new Mulan and I missed Li Shang to be honest. I didn’t quite mind the supernatural element so much as I have problems with Xianniang’s character, narratively.

[spoiler]So basically there’s the whole concept of chi in this movie wherein it’s the mark of a warrior and it makes the person very graceful but also kind of has extra powers? And because both Xianniang and Mulan are women who have chi, they’re ostracized because of it since women aren’t allowed to be warriors. Xianniang is set up as Mulan’s reflection (lol) basically. She’s an older woman who has chi and has developed her powers and because of it she’s exiled and has taken up with the Rourans (who seek to overthrow the Chinese emperor) so that she may have her own place where she will not be ostracized because of her chi.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]So the problem I have with her character is basically that since she’s set up as Mulan’s reflection, I was expecting there to be a big showdown between the two and for Mulan to really struggle as she faces this person that she could potentially become. But while there is a fight, it was near the beginning and near the end when they face off, Xianniang gives in because Mulan has been accepted by her peers and is leading the men to defend the emperor. She even dies to protect Mulan which I guess is nice because she wasn’t bad and just doing what she’s doing because she’s been oppressed. But like. idk I was just hoping for more from her character y’know? [/spoiler]

In any case, while it follows the same bones of Mulan (1998), this movie is markedly different and should be enjoyed as two different entities I guess, rather than a remake.

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @
https://www.msbreviews.com

As you might now, this remake is one of my most anticipated movies of 2020 (list here). I've at least "liked" almost every remake Disney has delivered so far, so I was incredibly excited that 1998's Mulan was getting the same treatment. Niki Caro made it clear this would be an entirely different version of the story we all know and love. A more realistic take on the Chinese tale, one that removes all songs and fan-favorite characters like Mushu, which instantly impacted expectations, varying tremendously from person to person. People who would love a remake quite similar to the original will enter the film already slightly discouraged. However, to everyone who complained about Disney copying their original IP, Mulan might be their best chance to like a remake from the studio.

In my opinion, a remake should have a bit of both. It must keep the original's essence and message while delivering something that distinguishes it from the former. Any remake must always prove the reasons behind its existence. It must have something that makes the viewers think: "I like this part that's not in the original". Aladdin has a new arc given to Jasmine. Beauty and the Beast provides Beast with a better-developed storyline. Even The Lion King, a remake that convinced many people to call it a shot-for-shot (it isn't), presents a groundbreaking visual experience that's incomparable to the original. Therefore, I was genuinely hyped for Mulan and what Niki Caro could bring with her more pragmatic cut...

I can't deny it: I feel extremely disappointed. In my review of the original movie, I mention how epic and cinematic it feels. It was one of the aspects I looked forward to the most in this new version. Despite the beautiful set design and some painting-like shots, this is the first time a Disney's live-action remake loses to its original regarding its visuals. The 2D animation from more than twenty years ago feels superior in every single aspect. There's only one shot in the entire remake that I would put in the original, and I bet it would look and feel a lot more emotionally significant. The action sequences are unimaginative and incredibly disjointed. Except for a few great war moments, most action scenes are packed with excessive CGI, a badly employed HFR (high frame rate), and overediting.

In fact, the editing (David Coulson) is weirdly overworked throughout the entire runtime, cutting too much and omitting sequences that were supposed to significantly impact the narrative. From character-defining moments to simple connections between scenes, it feels like the film is hiding something. I constantly needed to rely on my knowledge of the original to remember why certain moments are meaningful to a character or to the story itself because this remake straight-up removes these moments without replacing them with something else. Even in chronological terms, it's clumsily put together, jumping from location to location without actually showing the characters moving from one place to another.

Finally, as my last remark on the technical aspects, Harry Gregson-Williams' score is partially also a letdown. Like the rest of the movie, there are some nice touches and lovely homages to the songs everyone cherishes, especially Reflection. I had already mentalized myself to ignore the absence of songs because I believed Harry would find a way to replace them with a similarly grand score that I would definitely enjoy. However, Mulan's score fails not only to elevate a single battle sequence but also to deliver that cinematic atmosphere that I was looking forward to so much. I didn't get chills during the entire film. It didn't transform any big character moments. Maybe watching it on IMAX instead of at home might improve my opinion, but I doubt that.

Story-wise, it's a mixed bag for me. Niki Caro promised a more realistic take, totally different from the original, and she undoubtedly accomplished that. This is the furthest from the original any Disney remake has been, by far. From the replacement of characters to an overall change to the main narrative, Mulan is more faithful to the original Chinese tale than the 1998's flick, but that doesn't mean it's better, much on the contrary. The essence and message are there but told through a distinct perspective, which some people will find hard to accept, especially hardcore fans of the original movie. However, I do believe that Hua Mulan still carries the characteristics that made me care about her.

Her courage and bravery to go to war in order to save her father from certain death. Her love and devotion to her family, who she wants to honor. Hua Mulan doesn't want to just be the wife of some random man nor be imprisoned by dated stereotypes. This is all in the remake but told through the lenses of a protagonist who already has everything she needs to lead a nation. This is the main difference character-wise, but one that doesn't affect the nature of the original. However, it impacts the remake itself. While all of this sounds amazing, Mulan sort of contradicts itself by making her main character feel unique and different from everyone else, distancing her more from people than actually embracing her.

Like I already mentioned above, this is an entirely altered version of the story everyone knows. I do welcome every change made, including the removal of Mushu, Cri-Kee, and all of the singing. However, if something's removed, something else has to replace it in some shape or form. Once again, I have mixed feelings. Some additions, like the introduction of Chi and the witch Xian Lang (Gong Li), are refreshing but poorly developed throughout the runtime. The vital energy force is connected to my issue with the "be yourself" message, while the character not only follows a predictable arc, but it diminishes Bori Khan's (Jason Scott Lee) menacing presence.

The ending feels remarkably underwhelming as well. Not only the climactic fight between Hua Mulan and Bori Khan fails to live up to expectations, but it's executed in a visually disheartening fashion. I expected this remake to feel grand, magnificent, epic, and cinematic, just like its original or even better. It's far from that. The acting could also be better. Liu Yifei is fantastic as Hua Mulan, Yoson An offers a subtle yet efficient interpretation of Chen Honghui, and the actors who portray Yao (Chen Tang), Ling (Jimmy Wong), and Chien-Po (Doua Moua) are also amusing. However, Donnie Yeng as Commander Tung and Jet Li as The Emperor are embarrassingly bland, while Jason Scott Lee is visually perfect casting as the main villain, but he's not able to shine.

In the end, Mulan is the most disappointing remake Disney has made so far and by far. Even though Niki Caro delivers the realistic, distinct take that was promised, its execution feels inferior to the original animated film in every single way. Technically and visually, it's the first live-action remake from the respective studio that loses in almost every aspect to the 2D animation from more than twenty years ago. The 1998's movie is far more epic and cinematic than its remake. The disjointed editing is overworked to the point of omitting and skipping through character-defining moments. The action scenes are packed with unnecessary CGI that takes away from the war set pieces, which also look small in scale. The musical score isn't able to replace the songs from the original, overflowing the film with a weirdly empty feeling. Despite Liu Yifei delivering a good performance as the protagonist as well as a few of her colleagues, the acting is pretty mediocre overall. Story-wise, it's a mixed bag. It's an undoubtedly unique version, the furthest that a Disney's remake has ever been from its original, which will instantly upset some and please others. I praise the courage and bravery in producing such a different version. There are dozens of new additions that I sincerely appreciate, but their execution lacks emotional impact, ultimately being decisions inferior to the ones of the original. The message and essence of the original are still present through another perspective, which is the best compliment I can give to an otherwise quite disappointing remake...

Rating: C-

Disappointing watch, probably won't watch again, and can't recommend.

I finally see what everyone is freaking out about this movie. Mostly, it is because it just left all the spirit of the first movie behind and started over.

They made a conscious effort to ditch the goofiness, and magic animals of the first one to do a more gritty and real version, like a DC movie. After those decisions, they also chose to reintroduce actual magic, but mostly for the villains, who had slightly better women's rights(?).

I'll be honest, the movie itself wasn't interesting enough to follow completely. For instance, I know "Mushu" was replaced with a phoenix, but I have no idea what happened to it.

Mulan also is outed much sooner in this, but basically skirts execution about 3 different times because of her accomplishments with a much more laid back atmosphere than it was in the 1998 version.

Despite all the money poured into the movie that keeps it from being a bad movie, it just doesn't feel good. While it is wonderous at times, it just lacks the heart warming charm that one would expect from a Disney movie.

I did not see the first movie pertaining to this story so there is nothing for me to compare it to, maybe this was a good thing for me because I went into it with an open mind. I am always apprehensive when I watch a movie with jumps that are not realistic (flying actors with hidden wires attached) but although such things were included, it was bearable. I thought the actors were believable and they filled their roles as expected. I would watch this movie a second and even a third time because for me the entertainment factor was there. I have watched many movies that allow me to multitask, this one required my undivided attention. In a nutshell, the entertainment, screenplay and acting were all there so I give it at least 5 stars.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐