Disney’s “Mulan” animated movie which came out during the tail end of Disney’s renaissance in 1998, has become one of the all-time Disney classics. Well, Disney has attempted to remake another animated classic. *sighs* The good news is, this one is actually good, despite what some of the internet is saying.
Originally due to be released back in March 27, Disney’s “Mulan” re-make was released on a premium access basis for Disney+ on Friday, September 4. Subscribers to the streaming service can watch the movie if they pay a one time $30 fee.
Directed by Niki Caro, this PG-13 version of “Mulan” does well to differ itself from the original animated movie with a few key changes (some of which really angered fans). The most notable thing missing was an animated dragon played by Eddie Murphy. The absence of Mushu did not sit well with fans after it was revealed early on that a CGI phoenix would be Mulan’s guide. Another thing absent from this remake is that there are no musical numbers. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams, did do a good job in remastering the animated movie’s classic song instrumentals into the new soundtrack. There were moments when the instrumental for “Reflection” started playing that would bring a tear to your eye. Another element introduced in this remake is the power of chi which is essentially life energy that warriors use (and Mulan), which creates pretty awesome choreography and special effects during the masterful fight scenes of this movie.
Disney does well to make sure the cast represented the country of China well. The warrior of Mulan, played by Liu Yifei, brought kick ass action to the star role showing off impressive martial arts as well as swordsmanship. I was surprised by the comedic range Liu was able to give in her performance as there were moments, especially within the war camp, where Mulan was caught in an awkward situation. Other notable stars included: Tzi Ma, whose performance as Mulan’s father was by far the most invigorating. Other good performances were carried out by Jason Scott Lee as the villain Bori Khan, Donnie Yen as the commander of the army and Jet Li as the emperor of China.
One brand new character that was created just for this movie, is played by famous Chinese/Singaporean actress Gong Li. Li plays a witch who is looking revenge against China for banishing her from China because of her powers. She ends up becoming a very vital character within Mulan’s arc in this movie as the two enemies find common ground on being “different” from the rest of society and taking their places in it.
To me, this movie’s main intention was to give a telling of Mulan who already knows how to fight, along with fantastic visuals/camera work similar to that of Asian cinema. The visuals in this movie were unbelievable, from the special effects (such as an avalanche) to the way the colors were presented (Red vs Black plays a large role in thematic visuals).With a reported production budget of $200 million Disney took a high risk-high reward shot at this movie and it pays off… visually at least.
Whether you want to spend $30 on it is up to you. I will say, this is a very enjoyable movie if you are ready for a slightly more matured version of the Mulan story that differs significantly from the animated original. If you LOVE the animated movie, and want something similar to it, this movie may not be for you.
3.5/5