Image provided by Disney
Disney's newest live action remake of the popular animated film "Mulan" has been released on Disney Plus for the steep price of $30 in addition to a Disney+ subscription. For me, I have mostly enjoyed Disney's live action remakes. I loved 2016's "The Jungle Book" and 2019's "The Lion King" while finding "Cinderella" (2015), "Aladdin" (2019) and "Beauty and the Beast" (2017) very enjoyable as well. Really the only one I haven't enjoyed is "The Lady and the Tramp" (2019) remake that debuted on Disney+ but I get the sense that Disney wasn't counting on that being a major success for them. So how is "Mulan"? Well to be completely honestly, I thought it was okay. It surely is a enjoyable film and I give Disney some credit for a few choices they made, but ultimately this is probably my least favorite (besides Lady and the Tramp) when it comes to the other live action remakes.
Lets start with this positives first. Like I mentioned above, this film is certainly enjoyable and not terrible. Disney did a really great job with the action in the film and there are a few action set pieces that were well filmed and riveting. I was also impressed with the scope of the film. It definitely feels like you are watching a real army prepare for war and I found that interesting. The set pieces are also well crafted and very beautiful. They really tried to put you in the world of "Mulan" and for me I loved it. The actors all did a fine job as well. I wouldn't say anyone gave a performance that was "incredible" or "amazing" but no one was awfully bad either.
With the good comes the bad and I think the worst thing for me personally was the changes made. I won't get into spoilers but the changes from the animated film to this was definitely a mistake. Some of the choices they make that are different are eyebrow raising and baffling to say the least. For me, the changes were not only unnecessary but also hindered the film. One thing I like about the animated film was the message the film presented. It wasn't only a good message especially for young women but there was substance and a purpose that validated it. In the live action version, the validation is gone and the message is not only different but has less substance to it as well. A few characters are also changed and that hindered the movie as well. Along with that, the choice of not making this a musical was a mistake. I commend Disney for trying to make this film different and making changes but for me it fell flat.
The new "Mulan" is a enjoyable watch, but also a forgettable one. Although the film has its positives, I couldn't help but be frustrated with the changes Disney decided to incorporate. With all that being said, I feel this film will be quite divisive. At the end of the day, if you watch the new "Mulan" and enjoy it don't feel bad. The best thing about film is the subjectivity of it. We all have different opinions on movies. For me however, I found this film about average and I'll probably stick with the animated feature.
Grade: C+