A Dull Reflection of a Classic Animation
Disney's live action "Mulan" disappoints after their remake of the original falls short
By Isabella Wight
Disney's live action "Mulan" disappoints after their remake of the original falls short
By Isabella Wight
Despite Disney trying so hard to please their Chinese audience and make a more serious, historically accurate version of the beloved 1998 animated film, “Mulan” still fails to be an accurate representation of Chinese culture, and is overall bland with no emotional depth.
The story follows Hua Mulan, a young village girl living in the Northern Wei dynasty, who disguises herself as a man in order to join the Imperial Army in place of her ailing father. Mulan is played by Liu Yifei, whose acting falls short throughout the movie. This movie felt like a documentary version of the cherished animation, with a severe lack of emotion and constant explanations of what is going on every step of the way. The writers’ laziness is very obvious throughout the film. They even needed to add a narrator to explain things that the original was able to portray naturally. I found myself not caring about any of the moments that were supposed to be emotional, not only because of the way it was written but also Yifei’s acting. Throughout the entire movie she had the same blank expression on her face and said her lines with barely any emotion or energy. The movie overall has a very monotone feel to it, and the few attempts and humor go largely unnoticed. The biggest difference between the animated version and the live action version is the use of qi. In real life, qi means life force and is used in traditional medicine and healing, while in the movie it's used like a superpower that gives the characters the ability to kick and catch arrows in midair, and just be really good at fighting overall. The movie also explains that everyone is born with qi, but some are born with more of it than others and can become great warriors, which is not only inaccurate to Chinese culture but also flushes the “anyone can be a hero” sentiment from the animated movie down the toilet. In the original, Mulan is just an average girl at the beginning, but her determination to bring honor to her family and to take care of her father allows her to become an amazing warrior. As we see from the beginning of this movie, Mulan is already strong and exceptionally good at fighting, resulting in no character development throughout the film. |
Some things the movie did right were its cinematography and several great establishing shots of gorgeous landscapes. The sets and the varied environments were all very beautiful, and the camera angles used were incredibly eye-catching.
However, this movie is ultimately incapable of having the same emotional impact as the original, and doesn’t feel familiar enough to give me any nostalgia. It definitely isn’t worth getting a Disney+ subscription and paying $30 extra for it. If you want to rewatch “Mulan” I suggest you just stick to the original.
However, this movie is ultimately incapable of having the same emotional impact as the original, and doesn’t feel familiar enough to give me any nostalgia. It definitely isn’t worth getting a Disney+ subscription and paying $30 extra for it. If you want to rewatch “Mulan” I suggest you just stick to the original.