Mulan (2020) Review

Mulan (2020) Review

Dir. Niki Caro

 

Disney Remake dulls it’s narrative blade and misses the point. 

 

Mulan is the next in a long line of cynical Disney Live Action remakes of their classic animated films. Unfortunately, like so many before it, it too lacks the heart and charm of its source material. I’ve never seen the point in remaking a film that had no problems to begin with, it can only ever get worse. Mulan is on the back foot before the film even begins with its controversial production history; the lead actress openly supporting the cruel and totalitarian Chinese government during the Hong Kong riots, and the film itself crediting a province in the Chinese wilderness that was related to the still unchallenged extermination of Uighur Muslims in the country. It’s hard to put those sorts of things in the back of your mind when watching a Disney film that’s clearly been designed to appease the biggest cinema market in the World; China. 

 

That being said, this isn’t an awful piece of cinema. In its own right as a movie, it’s a competent and well directed family film. Mulan has a lot going for it visually. There are choreographed and flashy action scenes with exciting camera work although some of the techniques like rotating and spinning get old really quickly. If you forget you are watching an adaptation of the beloved Disney film Mulan, you can find yourself enjoying what is a well shot and at times aesthetically pleasing film. There is beautiful scenery abound in this film , matched well with Niki Caro's eye for framing and spectacle. 

 

The problem with this remake is that it increases the dramatics at the expense of the heart and soul. The Disney-ness is completely missing. Iconic songs and supporting characters are omitted in exchanged for a story that takes itself too seriously while expecting viewers to still suspend their disbelief just as much as they did for the cartoon. The end result is underwhelming. 

 

A tip for live action remakes that cut out the songs. Don’t incorporate elements of those songs in the score of the new film. It helps remind the audience of what they’re missing out on and why this remake is a sub par adaptation. Without the songs, certain montages and moments of character fall flat and feel empty and soulless. 

 

The changes they decided to make add nothing to the overall story and in most cases take away good elements from the original. Aside from Mulan herself, the side characters lose all of their charm and development. Aside from a few recognisable faces, pretty much every character has been replaced by a transparent archetype that the film doesn’t find time to develop. Despite not having time to develop these original elements, the new film adds in a secondary villain that adds nothing. The Witch character feels like a B tier Marvel Villain, lacking a purpose, with the movie expecting you to care about a side plot that has no relation to the Mulan we know, and feels out of place for it.

 

 

This new Mulan's biggest offence is that it completely missed the point of what made the animated film so endearing. Mulan is a story of bravery in the face of unsurmountable odds. Mulan is an ordinary girl who defied tradition and found a hero within herself that rivalled any man on the battlefield. This new Mulan is instead a mystical legend who has powers and destiny. Ordinary heroism is replaced by Star Wars-esque notions of destiny and force. The nuance and charm of Mulan is lost and replaced with a generic story of the chosen one we’ve seen in every fantasy story in the last 50 years. It’s a real shame.

 

 

Mulan 2020 is another case where the original didn’t need remaking. But alas, Disney will continue to redistribute its library of classics for a modern audience. It keeps falling into the same pitfalls. Cutting all the heart, and padding out the narrative with empty new plotlines that fail to make up for a lack of music and whimsy. Mulan is one big meh, which does a disservice to a director who clearly has an eye for beauty and spectacle.

 

5/10. 

 

Review by Elliott Thomas Griffiths