The Mosley Review: Mulan
Once again, Disney has double dipped into their classic and legendary catalog of animated films. I've said it many times before that the live action films, although well made, do not hold a candle to their original versions. Disney has tried to alter the stories for live action and they’ve failed more than succeeded. With their most beloved film, The Lion King, they copy and pasted the same story with a few changes, but it was lifeless. Now comes another adaptation of one of their greatest animated films and I feared the worst. This film had the chance to be brave and not do what everyone expected. Everyone wanted to see the animated film come to life in live action, but I did not. There are many iterations of the original poem of the Chinese folklore heroine and this was Disney's chance to tell that story in a more traditional and epic style. Well, after all of the past mistakes, Disney finally took the step in the right direction. This was the live action treatment the story truly deserved and it was fantastic. It was vibrant, powerful, daring and everything I could've hoped for. Yes the base story is intact, but it feels more grounded even though there is some very heavy handed mysticism in the majority of the film. If anything, that was my only gripe with the film.
The cast was outstanding and has a great number of iconic Chinese actors. Yifei Liu was out of this world as Mulan. She captured the character's power, determination, strength and grace. You feel her struggle with her vow to bring honor to her family and the struggle to fight off the immense shame of her keeping the lie going. Tzi Ma plays her father Hua Zhou and he was a pillar of strength. The scenes between Mulan and Zhou were the emotional core of the film and the most powerful. Rosalind Chao was great as Mulan's mother Hua Li and I liked Xana Tang as Mulan's younger sister Hua Xiu. Gong Li was great as the witch character Xianniang. I liked that she wasn't just one dimensional and she had a few fun comparisons to Mulan. Jason Scott Lee was fantastic as the main antagonist Böri Khan. I liked that he was vicious and on a revenge mission that was fairly typical, but its still fun to see him action. Donnie Yen was another pillar of strength as Commander Tung and I loved his presence on screen. He brings such gravitas and legitimacy to every scene. Ron Yuan as Sergeant Qiang was just powerful and fun. I loved Jet Li as The Emperor of China and he doesn't have to do much to be a powerful presence. Jet Li was a perfect choice and I didn't mind that we didn't see some big fight scene with him. I was happy to see Jimmy Wong on screen as Ling, one of the core group of soldiers around Mulan. I've been a fan of his since Video Game High School and he was great. Yoson An was excellent as the new love interest Chen Honghui. There is a chemistry between that blooms as the film goes along and it was fun to see it pay off.
The score was brilliantly arranged and composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. It was as heartfelt, mesmerizing and powerful throughout the film. I loved how the most iconic songs from the animated film were incorporated into the score and were naturally used in key moments of the story. It lifted and tugged at my heart strings many times and especially in a special moment towards the end of the film. The film was truly gorgeous to behold as the colors and costume design truly pop. The biggest problem I had was the over usage of a mythical creature in the film. I won't spoil it, but they could've toned down the amount of times they beat you over the head with the metaphor behind it. Like all Disney live action adaptations, I do not go into these films expecting the animated version. I go in expecting something different, bold and captivating. This film did all of that and it is in my opinion the best live action adaptation Disney has ever released. If you want to see this film, DO NOT expect the animated version. Put that film aside and just sit back and enjoy the film for what it is. It is now currently streaming on Disney+. Let me know what you thought of the film and of my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
