"mulan" (2020) film review
the live-action film "mulan" is the latest remake of an animated classic by disney. originally scheduled for theatrical release in march 2020 and then summer 2020, "mulan" went to streaming on the disney+ subscription service due to the covid-19 virus outbreak that occurred in the united states in march 2020. the film is a retelling of a young chinese woman discovering her strength, but is clumsy and joyless compared to the animated 1998 classic.
hua mulan was a female warrior during the northern wei dynasty that ruled northern china from 386 to 534 ad. in the legend, mulan took her elderly father's place in an army conscription by disguising herself as a man. after a long and distinguished military service against nomadic rouran tribes on the northern frontier, mulan was honored and offered high office by the emperor but she declined. she retired to her home village, where she reunited with her family and revealed her identity as a woman to the amazement of her comrades. her legend is first recorded in the folk song "ballad of mulan," written during the northern wei dynasty.
the original animated 1998 "mulan" left an impression on a generation of girls who took heart from a dutiful, ordinary daughter overcoming her fears to fight for her father, her family, and her kingdom. in the animated film, mulan found it within her to become a dependable, if not brilliant, warrior. the new film directed by new zealand female director niki caro, who helmed the 2002 "whale rider" film of female empowerment, offers an action adventure story that lacks the joy and slapstick silliness of the classic original. mulan now has a younger sister, xiu (xana tang), who serves no purpose. the exuberant dragon mushu voiced by eddie murphy is gone. disliked by chinese audiences in the animated classic, mushu was left out of the live action film and was replaced by a phoenix voiced by nobody that periodically appears to guide mulan along. additionally, mulan has no love interest in the new film unlike in the animated classic where she fell in love with her commanding officer, li shang. the closest candidate is mulan's fellow army recruit chen honghui (yoson an) with whom she has a contentious rivalry, but nothing develops after her true identity is revealed. in the new film, mulan doesn't need a man.
mulan as a girl is portrayed charmingly by crystal rao, who shows abundant chi, vital life force energy, and a penchant for acrobatic flight. rather than be thrilled by their daughter's gift, though, mulan's parents constantly admonish mulan to hide it. her father hua zhou, played by tzi ma, says to mulan, "your chi is strong, but chi is for warriors, not daughters." mulan is to bring honor to her family by getting a good marriage.
mulan bearing family sword with hanzi characters "loyal," "brave," and "true."
the older mulan is played by the controversial liu yife who voiced support for the suppression of democratic rallies in the city of hong kong. we first meet the older mulan as she rides through a field alongside two rabbits. she speaks of them to her family to note you can't tell the difference between a male and female rabbit. the moment is a nod to a section from the "ballad of mulan" which foreshadows the coming events. just as one can't tell the difference between a male and female rabbit from afar, it's difficult to see the difference between mulan in disguise and an army of men.
"the he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
the she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
two hares running side by side close to the ground,
how can they tell if i am he or she?"
mulan first goes through a comically failed tutorial in domesticity by the village matchmaker. a call for men from the emperor (jet li) to enlist against rouran invaders then arrives in the village. mulan substitutes for her father, who answers the enlistment call though his leg was injured in a previous war against the rourans. mulan enlists as hua jun and goes through basic training while concealing her identity from the army's general, commander tung (donnie yen), and her fellow recruits. she at first hides her ch'i, but lets it emerge to allow her to stand out among her fellow recruits. the new film follows the original folk song in which mulan was a skilled warrior before enlisting. the reinterpretation in the new film is heavy-handed and disneyfied, though. at one point, sergeant qiang (ron yuan) tells mulan and her fellow recruits a tai chi ch'uan proverb during their training, "when employed correctly, four ounces can move a thousand pounds." mulan later repeats the proverb to commander tung, after having revealed her true identity, to urge him to lead a small force to the rescue of the emperor. the tai chi ch'uan proverb is credited to wang zongyue, a shaolin monk/taoist sage who lived in the 13th century or 15th century, at least 900 years after the time of the film. mulan goes on to lead her comrades to victory.
mulan posing as male recruit hua jen
mulan posing as male recruit hua jen
the rouran tribesmen are led by the warrior böri khan (jason scott lee). böri khan seeks to avenge the death of his father in the previous war against the northern wei and bring loot to the rouran tribes. he has enlisted xianninang (li gong), a shape-shifting sorceress who can morph into an eagle as well as a flock of bats. xianninang features sleeves with throwing knives she uses with deadly effect against northern wei soldiers. having been cast out by her family and village in the northern wei kingdom, xianninang found a niche at the side of böri khan, who values her only as a living weapon. xianninang and mulan at first clash, but later see one another as kindred spirits. xianninang sacrifices herself for mulan to follow the "noble path" and help turn the tide against böri khan.
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