Disney worked hard making many, many changes to their Mulan live-action remake to make sure it wouldn't offend anyone and hurt box office proceeds. Ironically, it's become their most controversial and offensive recent film and has earned the smallest box office take.
The Good
Scenery and Costumes. The scenery, the costumes, and the production design is really gorgeous to look at.
Villains. The villains in this were really interesting and posed a real threat due to their cleverness, skill, and strength. They were also interesting as characters with believable motivation.
Changes. Unlike most critics, I actually thought the changes from the cartoon were good. Making Mulan magic made the premise more believable (the idea that a girl from a small village could quickly become a great warrior is really farfetched). Not showing her putting on her armor saved unnecessary scenes. Making her military leader an old veteran instead of a young guy she falls in love made more sense.
The Bad
Acting & Dialogue. The acting was very still and emotional less. The dialogue was little more than an exposition dump delivered like they were reciting memorized lines.
Pacing. This movie is very slow and boring with lots of scenes that just sit there doing noting, communicating nothing, and doing nothing to advance the plot.
Music. The pacing and silent scenes would have been much better if the music had told the story and relayed the emotion. But it didn't.
Action. The action was very small and underwhelming. For the amount of money they spent, they should have had some amazing action scenes.
Change of Heart. The Chinese army went from wanting to banish Mulan for deceipt to honoring her as their superior at the drop of a hat for no apparent reason. None of them saw her save them None of them knew what she did. And she did lie and deceive them, a cardinal sin they were warned against. Their change in attitude was little more than a plot device so the movie could go forward. Sloppy writing.
What I Would Like To Have Seen
I wish the filmmakers hadn't been so concerned with not offending people and instead been concerned with a solid story, better acting, and a compelling movie.Overall
Mulan is a 2020 live-action remake of an animated film by the same name. The scenery, the costumes, and the production design is really gorgeous to look at. The villains in this were really interesting and posed a real threat due to their cleverness, skill, and strength. They were also interesting as characters with believable motivation. Unlike most critics, I actually thought the changes from the cartoon were good. Making Mulan magic made the premise more believable (the idea that a girl from a small village could quickly become a great warrior is really farfetched). Not showing her putting on her armor saved unnecessary scenes. Making her military leader an old veteran instead of a young guy she falls in love made more sense. This movie is very slow and boring with lots of scenes that just sit there doing noting, communicating nothing, and doing nothing to advance the plot. The pacing and silent scenes would have been much better if the music had told the story and relayed the emotion. But it didn't. The acting was very still and emotional less. The dialogue was little more than an exposition dump delivered like they were reciting memorized lines. The Chinese army went from wanting to banish Mulan for deceipt to honoring her as their superior at the drop of a hat for no apparent reason. None of them saw her save them None of them knew what she did. And she did lie and deceive them, a cardinal sin they were warned against. Their change in attitude was little more than a plot device so the movie could go forward. Sloppy writing. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.
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