Film

“Disney’s Best Live-Action Adaptation”: The Reviews For ‘Mulan’ Are In And It’s Looking Good

"Disney’s 'Mulan' remake leaves a lot behind, but offers much more in its absence."

by Michelle Rennex  11 March 2020
mulan live-action reviews positive

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One of Disney’s most anticipated live-action remakes has been Mulan — the tale of a Chinese warrior who disguises herself as a man in the army in place of her elderly father.

The film faced backlash when it was first teased for its lack of classic songs featured in the original film. But in an attempt to show a less-stereotypical depiction of a Chinese folk tale, the remake promised to focus more traditionally on the legend behind Mulan itself — Hua Mulan.

Hua Mulan was a likely fictional female Chinese warrior who’s story was told through the ‘Ballad of Mulan’ in the sixth century. In Hua Mulan’s story, the martial arts-trained Mulan enters the army for 12 years as her father is too old and brother is too young. Only once the army returns and the warriors head to their homes do her comrades realise that Mulan was actually female.

It’s this traditional retelling that the trailer for the 2020 remake of Mulan conveyed, over the romanticised, comedic and musical animated version from 1998. Long gone were the catchy tunes and ramblings of little red Mushu — instead we were presented with all the bad-ass action Mulan was known for.

And according to critics who left the world premiere of the film last night, the new Mulan delivered on everything it sold.

The Remake More Mature Than Disney’s Animated Story

When the original Mulan launched in China two decades ago, it performed abysmally in the Chinese market. The film was more stereotypical than it was true to the cultural elements of the Hua Mulan legend. It was easy to tell that the depictions of Chinese culture came solely from a Western viewpoint — complete with lanterns, red dragons, and even a panda.

Thankfully, it seems that the 2020 remake fixed a lot of these mistakes. Now that China has moved up the ranks to become the second-biggest movie market in the world, it makes sense that Disney has corrected their earlier animated version.

But for fans of Disney’s original Mulan, this doesn’t mean the film is dry or boring. Mashable‘s Alison Foreman states that while the remake “leaves a lot behind, [it] offers much more in its absence.”

“Plenty of 1998 throwbacks pepper a story full of incredible action, humour and heart,” Alison continues.

Fandango’s Erik Davis holds a similar sentiment calling Mulan a “more mature Disney film”. Describing the remake as “its own thing” that’s “exciting, vibrant, emotional and different”, most critics who left the premiere were fans of Disney’s new offering.

The Cast And Cinematography Are Stellar

With the film’s $200 million budget, it’s no surprise that Mulan’s cinematography is being praised online. Directed by Niki Caro with Yifei Liu leading the film as Mulan, people praised the “fantastic” cast and crew for bringing “new elements to life while maintaining the classic nostalgia we all know and love.”

Movie critic Michael Lee even went so far as to call Mulan the “best live-action adaptation of a Disney animated classic” to date. While Michael does find fault in the film’s somewhat fast editing, the themes of female empowerment and cinematography throughout make Mulan a generally great film.

“I had a lot of fears going into Mulan, but the balanced screenplay, powerful performances & gorgeous cinematography laid most of them to rest,” another early viewer shared. “Yifei Liu is a force of nature, Gong Li’s sorceress is an awesome addition & I squeed over Yoson An.”

There’s No Song Breakouts, But You Won’t Care

One of the remake’s most notable changes is the shift away from the musical aspect of the classic. But according to Insider’s Kirsten Acuna, you won’t mind. “It doesn’t even matter that it’s not a musical,” Kristen tweeted. “If you’re a fan of the animated, there are subtle nods to many of the songs.”

Similarly, Angie J. Han from Mashable claims she “didn’t even miss the songs” but still believed it was the “best… remake since Cinderella.” 

But that isn’t to say that Mulan isn’t without fault. Screen Rant’s features editor Mansoor Mithaiwala shared that the remake felt like too many films in one. “It’s two movies in one,” Mansoor tweeted.  While a fan of the new character portrayal of Mulan, Mansoor felt that the film “needed to decide which direction to take, not both.”

As with most early movie reviews, thoughts shared on social media tend to lean more positive. But until the full-length reviews roll in, it sounds like Mulan is going to be a huge hit.

Mulan opens in Australian cinemas on the 26th of March.