For the eyewatering price of £19.99, in addition to your monthly subscription fee, Disney's latest live-action retelling of the 1998 animation Mulan is now available to watch from the comfort of your own home. Forgoing a theatrical exhibition, at least in the UK and US (despite cinema's re-opening), Disney's release strategy has proven to be incredibly divisive - and potentially dangerous to the future of cinema. But, larger industry concerns notwithstanding, is the film any good?
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from invaders, Hua Mulan steps in to take the place of her ailing father - but must masquerade as a man to earn the respect of her nation. Niki Caro directs an all-Asian cast in the remake, becoming the most expensive film from a female director of all time.
Swapping singing for spectacle and sidekicks for super-heroics, this decidedly more "grown up" Mulan - the latest adaptation of Guo Maoqian's 'Ballad of Mulan' - shares more in common with your contemporary adventure flick than the 1998 animation that inspired it. With the four-person screenplay placing a stronger emphasis on destiny over honour, the decision to carve out a 'chosen one' narrative strips Mulan of the touching message that anybody can be, and that no one thing defines, a hero. A major narrative misstep that dilutes its power, greatly misunderstanding the core concept and central message that made the original such a resonant piece of filmmaking, Mulan's detour away from its roots only strays towards something as equally uninspired.
Gone are the beloved songs and a number of fan-favourite characters, and with it, a spark. Resulting in a picture with little personality of its own, Mulan has attempted to diverge so far from the animation that it has lost a number of its charms along the way. Even the cultural ribbons that should be worn with pride seems filtered down through the Disney executives, a group keen to fashion a feature that plays as widely as possible. Director Niki Caro delivers some solid action beats that require some extensive stuntwork but the editing really overbakes and undersells their complexity and impressiveness, arguably demonstrating a weak understanding of the art of kung fu and martial art that would have felt like second nature to a more culturally-versed director
Mulan's greatest strength is its visual beauty; denying it of the biggest screen may be its biggest downfall. Cinematographer Mandy Walker captures the luscious scenery of China (and New Zealand) extremely well, adding to the scale and scope of the scene and really heightening the adventure aspects, something further bolstered by Harry Gregson-Williams' swelling score. It delivers the scope needed for this newly-fashioned adventured but uneven VFX work and production values make it feel like a film set, lacking an authenticity; you're never once swept up by it, absent the magic these stories should possess.
Mulan isn't the copy-and-paste, cash-grab job most Disney live-action remakes have been but that doesn't mean it's inspired either. All the good intentions and pure heart in the world cannot prevent this from feeling like a movie made by the Disney committee, rigidly formulated to a 'chosen one' narrative that downplays the message that allowed the Mulan animation to resonate as it did. When something is starved of its own personality, its own charm, it's very difficult to feel enticed by it, and so Mulan ultimately plays as a once-and-done blockbuster that hardly justifies itself but never damages the reputation of the original.
Summary: The good news? Mulan isn't the live-action carbon copy so many of these remakes are. The bad news? It still can't find a personality of its own, plumping for a bland chosen one narrative that misinterprets the moral and message of the original animation.