By Jackson Wolff
After numerous delays and a step away from the silver screen, Disney’s live action adaptation of the classic Chinese folk story Mulan released on September 4. Mulan is available on the Disney Plus streaming platform for $29.99 to current subscribers.
Disney’s 18th live action remake was originally planned to release on March 27, 2020, but following multiple delays, in late August, a decision was made to distribute Mulan through Disney’s home streaming platform. Considering the film’s 200 million-dollar budget and underwhelming public anticipation compared to their two most recent live action remakes (The Lion King and Aladdin), the decisions to bypass a more lucrative box office release was especially risky for Disney. Having both joined the billion-dollar box office club, Mulan had a lot to live up to. While the movie drove traffic to the streaming service and made 35.5 million dollars its opening weekend on Disney plus, it only grosses 70 million dollars internationally, and was a financial failure for Disney.
Critically, the film was given a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to The Lion King’s 52% and Aladdin’s 57%. However, audiences were much higher on Disney’s previous two live action remakes than they are for Mulan. This could be because of the home release, the numerous controversies surrounding the film – it is a film that has already been made. Typically, a theater experience is a more enjoyable way to view a movie than at home, and with the film’s crew under criticism for a lack of diversity, audience may have been down on the film to begin with. Either way, it’s worth it to look at Mulan.
When a band of northern invaders led by a sorceress using dark magic invades China, each family is called upon to send one man to defend the country. Because of her father’s old age, Mulan, played by Liu Yifei, disguises herself as a man and takes off on a quest filled with courage, peril, friendship, and growth.
Even with a two-hour runtime (the remake is a half-hour longer then the 1998 animated film), Mulan has great pacing. The story delivers its exposition and messages cleverly, going neither too slow for people of all ages to remain interested nor too fast to be understood by children.
Though the plot of Mulan is simple enough for young kids to understand, it is also touches heavily on feminist themes of arranged marriage, women’s place in society, and gender roles. These issues are dealt with naturally through the story without feeling preachy or out of place. This makes these messages not only more powerful, but easier for children to understand.
Unfortunately, Mulan does make some significant mistakes. Notably, the film gives Mulan a sort of “chosen one” status that she did not have in previous adaptations. This is not explained in the movies, and detracts from the emotional impact and themes of her success. For example, when Mulan faces adversity and succeeds, rather then hard work, courage and teamwork being the driving force, her special powers are the reason for her accomplishment. This makes the emotional elements of the movie cheaper and the messaging becomes skewed.
The remake also removes Mulan’s dragon companion Mushu, that was originally featured in the animated movie and voiced by Eddie Murphy. The character’s exclusion is a significant blow to the comedic potential and charm of the movie, which already suffers from many jokes that fall flat. On top of that, Mushu’s crude humor was a metaphorical wink to adult audiences, and the absence of that does make the film less enjoyable for many parents.
Mulan’s visuals also are beautiful. Skillful cinematography often utilizes wide panning shots to showcase the stunning scenery of the movie’s Chinese and New Zealand filming locations and draw the viewer in. Enhanced by postproduction technology, the environment contrasts royal elegance against the gritty hardships of war. The re-coloring enhances the light and dark of the setting changes.
On a smaller scale, the movie looks even better. As Mulan is very action focused, the fight choreography was key to keeping audiences interested, and the film excelled in that arena. From quick cutting scenes to slow-mo martial arts, the action keeps viewers glued to the screen and on the edge of their seats.
Another major change from the original animated picture is the absence of some musical numbers sung by characters. Unlike other Disney classics from the same era such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin, the original Mulan has four songs, which fits in with Pixar’s two earliest films, Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. The disappearance of characters breaking out in song forces the viewer to focus more on Mulan’s perilous journey and does not distract with happier songs that a younger audience might need. It also enhances how a female character can fully embrace a traditional masculinity.
Despite a lack of characters’ musical solos, the original score of Mulan excels. Orchestral elements elevate the setting, emphasizing the grandeur of the film’s major set pieces. There are no catchy “sing-alongs,” but Mulan’s composers use music cleverly as a secondary element. Most instrumental, but there were also star vocalists. For example, Christina Aguilera sings “Reflection.”
Is the movie good? Yes, but not for the price. So, one not only pays for Disney’s streaming service but all and additional 30 dollars—it is a steep price for one movie that you watch at home. However, Mulan is designed for family audiences, so the cost is offset since multiple people can view it multiple times! On the bright side for most families, $30 is less than three tickets to the movie.
Mulan is a movie that was made for large theater screens with premium audio systems. While most families do not have that technology at home, a television is the next best thing. I would not recommend watching this film on a phone or tablet.
Though Mulan is a fun and beautiful movie with a good message, I personally do not think it is worth the premium. So just wait until December 4 when it is free to all subscribers.
Aside from the artistic merits, Mulan had quite a bit of controversy surrounding it because a large portion of the movie was filmed in Xinjiang, China, a region holding over 1 million Uyghur Muslims in internment camps. To make matters worse, Mulan’s credits thanked the police force of Turpan, a government agency responsible for overseeing many of these camps. Many human rights activists have called Disney out, and this was only the start of the movie’s issues.
There was even a campaign to boycott the movie because many people took issue with the filming location and the crew behind the camera. With an almost all-white leading crew, people were understandably frustrated and even outraged that a Chinese folk story had little Chinese representation. Following this controversy and the upswing in human rights activism, the Oscar committee made some important and long due changes.
The new changes come to the “Best Picture” category, one of, if not, the best award a film can earn. Starting in 2025, for a film to be nominated for “Best Picture,” it must meet two of four requirements. The requirements deal with representation in cast and story, representation with crew, opportunities given to minorities, and diverse marketing.
The academy hopes to “encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the movie-going audience.” While a majority of “Best Picture” nominees and winners have met these guidelines, it is still a major push forward within the industry.