Mulan 2020 quick-view

Welcome to the first of my ‘quick-views’, where I examine movies on a (somewhat) more condensed and smaller scale (compared to the usual length of my normal reviews). Today, we’ll be finding out, does this 2020 remake live up to the 1998 Disney animated feature that came before it, or does it bring dishonor upon its predecessor as well as the line of live-action remakes it’s part of?

When it comes to my experience with the original 1998 animated film, which starred Ming-Na Wen (who was more recently in The Mandalorian) as Mulan, I recall watching it several years ago and did like it, but I wouldn’t consider it one of my all-time favorite Disney films, either. With that being said, when I saw some of the promotional media for the remake, I was cautiously optimistic, as while I don’t recall it being a remake everyone was clamoring for, at the same time, I saw potential for it, as unlike its predecessor, the 2020 version of Mulan was doing away with musical numbers and had a cast of (mostly) Chinese-born actors, thus lending a more ‘genuine’ (for lack of a better term) aesthetic compared to its animated predecessor.

Having watched it at last (via Disney+) over the past weekend, I’d overall describe the 2020 version of Mulan as something of a mixed bag (to put it nicely); while it thankfully manages to avoid being merely a carbon copy of the 1998 original (something the remakes of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King have been accused of), the majority of the characters come off as rather stiff and unmemorable, with the exceptions of Commander Tung (thanks to being brought to life by talented martial artist Donnie Yen of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story fame) and the witch Xianniang, in large part due to her backstory and unique combat style. While the cast try to do what they can with their portrayals, they likely could’ve delivered something truly special if they were provided with better directing for their performances. Mulan seeks to examine women’s roles in society, which is certainly a fascinating topic to scrutinize taking into account such social organizations as the ‘#MeToo’ movement that’ve emerged in recent times. However, the movie arguably wastes this concept in that there are multiple instances where the issue of women’s roles is handled in a decisively less than subtle manner.

 Thankfully, this version of Mulan isn’t all bad, as there are certainly two areas where it makes a positive impact: Firstly, there’s the cinematography; this has to be one of, if not the most, visually striking live-action movies Disney has produced in a long time, as the distinctive visuals of the Chinese landscape are spectacularly realized courtesy of cinematographer Mandy Walker: 

On the other hand, Mulan also shines in its action sequences, whether it be the villainous Böri Khan’s attack on an imperial garrison, the various forms of training Mulan and her fellow soldiers undergo, or the large-scale battle between Mulan’s contingent and Khan’s Rouran forces. What makes these set pieces distinct is the kinetic choreography used to bring the sequences to life onscreen, which involves moves (e.g., running along or even up walls, kicking spears out of midair at enemies, quickly maneuvering around on horseback to fire arrows while facing backwards) that wouldn’t be out of place in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, yet don’t seem that absurd given the movie’s fantastical atmosphere. With this being said, however, there were multiple instances where it was somewhat problematic trying to make out the choreography being performed onscreen or blows being dealt between combatants. While one could argue that this is to avoid the pushing the violence past what a PG-13 rating would allow, keep in mind that Disney has been able to get away with displaying some nasty stuff in their live-action films before, with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies being chief examples of this (though the PG-13 rating was also likely justified due to the potential nightmare fuel brought about by the hideously grotesque Flying Dutchman crewmembers and the Kraken from the second film in the series, Dead Man's Chest, for instance); as such, I feel that certain parts of Mulan’s action sequences could’ve been redone to ensure what happens onscreen is discernible from start to finish.

In general, Mulan, while being far from the worst live-action film to come from Disney, is nonetheless a clear example of squandered potential thanks to its forgettable characters, a message about women’s roles in a male-dominated society that has the subtlety of a raging avalanche, and action sequences that needed more ‘polishing’ to truly glimmer. Despite this, if you’re not a fan of musicals (which the 1998 Mulan falls under), you might find some enjoyment in the 2020 retelling, as it’s arguably less padded-out than its predecessor due to not having any songs to cram in. While nowhere as insulting or unbearable as something like The Emoji Movie or The Last Airbender (I'm referring to the 2010 disgrace of an adaptation, not the beloved show), I’d highly recommend checking out the 2016 remake of The Jungle Book if you want to watch an instance of a Disney remake done right; to close out this more condensed version of my regular reviews, here’s the one and only Eddie Murphy as Mushu (in a memorable scene from the original 1998 film) to sum up the 2020 version of Mulan in a nutshell when compared to its animated counterpart: