Monday, September 28, 2020

Disney's Live-Action Mulan Serves As Being An Honorable Yet Flawed Reimagining Of Its Classic Animated Original



      When it comes to remaking classic films, the general expectations are usually that the newer versions of the films not only remain faithful to their originals, but also find ways to reimagine the story in its own way for a newer generation of audiences. In the case of Disney remaking their animated classics in live-action form, the set of films made thus far have seen their shares of ups and downs in regards to their overall reception with audiences. Whereas some live-action Disney adaptations managed to meet or exceed expectations in regards to living up to the legacy of their predecessors with 2015's Cinderella, Jon Favreau's  The Jungle Book, and 2017's Beauty And The Beast, others have experienced not so great receptions such as Tim Burton's Dumbo (Which in all honesty is much better than what critics give it, as well as being Burton's strongest film in years. ), Guy Ritchie's Aladdin which always had an uphill battle to overcome with the replacing of Robin Williams as Genie with Will Smith, and Jon Favreau's The Lion King. In addition to those, there's also live-action adaptations that are surprisingly decent yet overlooked like 2019's Lady And The Tramp. With Mulan, the Disney live-action version finally gets its release on Disney Plus after being seeing its release date pushed back twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There's also been much controversy that's accompanied the release of the film ranging from fans outrage over the omission of both key characters from the original such as Mushu (Voiced memorably by Eddie Murphy) and General Shang (Voiced by B.D Wong). The films controversy has also intensified by the main actresses Liu Yifei, coming out in support of the Hong Kong police, prompting much backlash from both fans and pro-democracy activists groups across the world. With the release of Mulan, audiences find themselves pondering over the question of whether the live-action remake lives up to its original creation despite being loosely based on true events, or if the film itself is worthy of the massive hype and controversy it's generated. The most honest question to that is both a yes and no. Disney's live-action Mulan is not a bad film and serves as being a significant improvement over last year's Aladdin and The Lion King, but like those films, it ultimately pales in comparison to its predecessor and can't necessarily be considered a home run for the team behind its production. As a film itself, Mulan is a reasonably decent remake but it could've been a great one if its filmmakers gave it a much stronger effort along with not eliminating some of the originals key elements that made it an animated classic.


      Taking a more serious and authentic live-action approach in comparison to the 1998 animated film along with being based off a legendary Chinese story, the plot focuses on a strong-willed young woman named Mulan (Played by Yifei Liu), who struggles with behaving as a proper young lady. Upon learning that her father's been drafted to fight in the emperor's army, she chooses to take his place while disguising herself as a man in an effort to pass herself off as being her father's son. When her secretive gender is revealed, she's instantly dismissed as a fraud but chooses to return and heroically save the Chinese empire from an invading army. While it's worth noting that both movies maintain virtually the same plots, their overall executions manage to vary significantly from each other. The 1998 animated film is well-renowned​ and is in some cases worshipped among Disney fans for its clever blending of loose history regarding Chinese culture combined with a strong female heroine, a strong touch of feminism with an inspiring message regarding female empowerment, that resonated with audiences along with top-notch animation and an energetic soundtrack to make the overall experience both a memorable and iconic one. With the kind of legacy that Disney's animated Mulan has generated over the last two decades, expectations were high for the filmmakers of the live-action film to do it justice while adding their own stamp to the classic tale of a young woman who became a great and extraordinary warrior. Gone from the newer version is the trademark songs that helped made the original such a memorable experiences with audiences, along with the absence of great characters such as Mushu, Mulan's gang in the Chinese army, and the romance between Mulan and General Shang. On top of those major changes to the story, Mulan's entire character arc has also been altered in comparison to her setup in the animated film. Despite the clear difference in path that the live-action film takes, the newer version of Mulan is not without its level of both respect and admiration for the original as several moments within the film are shown as being direct homages to it. The film never comes close to nor exceeds its animated counterpart in anyway shape or form, but still manages to work as being an honorably entertaining yet flawed film on its own right. What helps the new Mulan work, are the performances from its main cast with Yifei Liu proving herself to be a unique choice for the films main role regardless of how audiences feel about her off-camera controversial statements. The film is also breathtaking to watch visually with its cinematography, art-set decoration, and costume design all going hand and hand together along with an effective score by Matthew Wilder. Although there is more to enjoy and admire about the live-action adaptation as well as its desire to be more respectful towards both the story and the culture it celebrates, one can't help but feel with watching the film that it could've been a stronger effort in regards to diving deeper into the mythology behind Mulan's classic yet inspiring story. Despite the issues that the newer version of the story carry, there's enough shown to make it work as its own film despite the glaring shadow that the original holds over it. 


      One of the key elements that helps bring some much needed life to the live-action version of Mulan's story is the performances from its main cast. The ensemble group of actors and actresses chosen for this film deliver performances, that come across as feeling both energetic and respectful towards the story and legend the filmmakers are telling. The best performance hands down goes to Yifei Liu in a career-defining performance as Mulan. She does a terrific job of taking a character whose been engraved in the minds of those who grew up watching the animated film, and playing her in a fashion that feels larger-than-life in the live-action version. She manages to take the version of the character that's given to her with the new film and evoke all the right emotions for the part, making her character arc feel both sympathetic and believable. Donnie Yen shines as Commander Tung, the high ranking leader of the Imperial Army and mentor to Mulan. Although his character isn't as captivating as General Li Shang from the original, Yen still makes his character appealing. Jason Scott Lee both surprises and proves to an effective villain as Bori Khan, a Rouran warrior leader whose bent on avenging his father's death. His character is essentially Shaun Yu from the animated film. Despite both characters being different overall yet bearing similarities, Lee is perfectly cast in the role as the films menacing antagonist. Yoson An impresses as Chen Honghui, a confident and ambitious recruit in Commander Tung's unit who becomes Mulan's ally and love interest. Although Honghui's character comes across as feeling rather bland in comparison to Shang's from the original, he manages to make his character interesting enough for audience to somewhat care about his relationship with Mulan. Gong Li is stunning to watch as Xianniang, an ally of Bori Khan as well as being a powerful witch who possesses shapeshifting abilities. Jet Li surprises with his minimal yet cleverly casted role as the wise benevolent Emperor of China. Other noteworthy performances include Tzi Ma in a heartfelt performance as Mulan's aging father and war veteran Hua Zhou. He does an admirable job of playing a father who loves his family, but willfully chooses to serve his country despite his frail health. Rosalind Chao and Xana Tang both make the most of their screentime as Mulan's mother Hua Li, and the formers younger sister Hua Xiu. As a whole, the cast for Mulan does a very good job of bringing both energy and realism to their roles as well as the story. None of the performances shown are bad with everyone appearing​ to be fully aware of the significance of the story they're telling both in pop culture and historical terms. Even though the film has clear issues, the acting remains one of the best elements of the live-action version of Mulan.


      Directed by New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro who previously helmed the critically acclaimed 2002 drama Whale Rider, Caro succeeds in delivering a story that's more somber than what audiences are accustomed to in regards to the tale of Mulan with the visual outlook of the film being purely breathtaking to watch. Caro directs this version with both a clear admiration and respect for the main character with her intentions being to play it as a more straight-forward family/military drama. The films cinematography as well as its costume and set designs compliment each other brilliantly, and helps deliver feelings of nostalgia to the audience regarding certain scenes that have been directly lifted from the original. The films action and fight scenes are well-choreographed, giving the live-action film a grittier and more intense feel than the other Disney remakes (Most notably due to this one in particular being rated PG-13). Caro presents the film as looking and feeling epic with the entire production of the story feeling grand from top to bottom with its brilliant showcasing of Chinese culture to its moving score by Matthew Wilder, that greatly adds to the films emotional core (Though his work despite being solid, ultimately pales in comparison to Jerry Goldsmith's masterful work in the 98 version). The added piano version of the song Reflection from the original is a nice touch to the newer film.
While filmmaker Caro does great in regards to bringing the animated world of Mulan to life in live-action mode with its overall look being visually stunning, her directing struggles when it comes to the films uneven pacing along with her controversial decision to remove the singing from the storyline. The films editing serves as being a mixed bag with the story sometimes feeling as if it moves too fast for its own good with the film carrying an exact running time of just two hours. The first act of the film is properly setup and does well with establishing all the key characters along with the main plot with the films middle act being the area where it struggles the most with Mulan trying to fit in with the emperor's army. The film also experiences moments where it carries a lack of energy, that could've been provided by the main characters doing their iconic musical numbers like in the animated film. The absence of such element doesn't do the newer version any favors as it sometimes feels like the movie stalls in regards to excitement with its plot feeling padded, almost like the filmmakers didn't know what else to do with Mulan in the Imperial army before things begin picking up near the films third act. In terms of overall directing, Niki Caro delivers on the films technological front with her efforts of bringing the story to live-action mode along with giving it a more mature tone with a historical touch, being fairly successful for the most part. Her directing provides the film with the much needed style to make the live-action version appealing to fans of the animated cartoon. Although it feels at times that the level of style she displays on the screen exceeds the amount of substance the actual film has, she could've enhanced the experience even further by keeping some of the main essential ingredients that made the animated film as beloved and iconic as it is today. 


      The films writing by Rick Jaffa, Amanda silver, Lauren Hynek, and Elizabeth Martin is where the films main issues arise and ultimately hinder it from being something truly special within the realm of faithful live-action remakes of animated Disney classics. The script maintains virtually all of the key themes from the original film such as responsibility, honor, pride, combating of sexism, the following of traditions, sacrifice, loyalty, bravery, courage, legends, and devotion to one's family. The message that the script for the new film carries is similar with the remake ultimately saying that gender is of no consequence when it comes to bravery and martial arts skills. What the script does well is maintaining all of the original films important themes and messages along with emphasizing both the independence and strength of Mulan's character. Unlike the original where she had both Mushu and Cricket to help guide her with the latter serving as a confidant, she has to rely on her own skills and personal strength to succeed in the army with Mushu being replaced by a Phoenix like force that watches over and aids Mulan in her journey. While this change up serves as being a significant departure from the original in regards to Mulan's overall character arc in an attempt to make her character appear more independent as well as her struggle being more personal, it also robs the remake of a portion of the heart and inspiring message that made the original such a powerful experience for young audiences. What made the first film such a motivational experience for young children was seeing the character of Mulan willfully sacrifice herself to save her dad, while transforming from being a poor soldier and bride-in-grooming to becoming China's greatest warrior. That subplot was backed by powerful key moments, which are completely absent here such as Mulan watching her father train for battle with his sword only to realize his failing age makes him unfit to serve, or hard-hitting moments such as Mulan storming back into her home in the rain when deciding she'll take her fathers place and cut off her hair in an effort to disguise herself as a male soldier in order to serve in the emperor's army. These moments along with others such as the audience seeing the progression of Mulan becoming a better soldier through the musical montage titled: Let's Get Down To Business, are minor ones in the original story but helped give it significant power in regards to showing Mulan's​ transformation from being a smart and determined young girl into a warrior. The remake misses these key moments and presents both similar or exact scenes from the original with them feeling less effective and half-hearted in comparison to their originals. One clearly see's the approach that the filmmakers intended to take with the story with them wanting to show Mulan's​ success in regards to both becoming a strong warrior as well as saving China with her being able to accomplish both on her own along with adding more realism to the story. While this approach is a more interesting and accurate take on the real-life story behind the character, it also robs the film of the charm and welcomed feel that the original story possessed. It's also worth noting that the side characters in the story don't feel as thoroughly developed in terms of having distinct personalities like their original counterparts possessed such as the side characters in Mulan's army for example. The newer soldiers that both befriend and fight alongside Mulan aren't as compelling to watch this time around with them feeling like generic counterparts, who lack distinct personalities of their own. The love story between Mulan and Chen also doesn't work as effectively as the one in the original between both her and Shang, because the audience isn't shown enough of the new romance to become fully invested in it. The newer villains are interesting and give audiences the impression that they're menacing but Lee's Bori Khan isn't fleshed out well enough to be as fearful as Shaun Yu. The newer additions and character subplots added to the story come across as being interesting such as the film showing young Mulan as a young girl being both skillful at fighting, along with separating herself from the other girls in the village. Such a sequence proves effective in showing the rest of the village looking down on Mulan's family for what they essentially view as being improper and defiant behavior on her part, with the audience getting a foreshadowing of her destiny. The character of Mulan is also given a sister in this version, Hua Xiu, who serves no other purpose than helping motivate the former towards her decision of joining the Imperial army. The character subplot of Xianniang serves as being interesting with her character shown to wrestle with both good and evil in regards to choosing whether to follow Bori Khan or side with Mulan. The script for Mulan both wants to and tries to honor the work laid out before it with the animated Disney film, along with aiming to distinguish itself by going down a more realistic and authentic approach in honoring the real-life story of the character. As noble as its intentions are at doing so, the film ultimately feels as if it becomes lost midpoint in what direction it wants to go in telling its story with it feeling like it wants to have both worlds but ultimately loses a sizable chunk of the original's heart, energy, and charm that made it such a well-rounded classic that still stands as being the superior film of the two.


      As harsh as the criticisms towards the live-action version of Mulan might appear, it's not a total condemnation of it. When looking at the whole package, 2020's Mulan isn't a bad movie, and actually ranks among being one of Disney's better live-action versions thus far. It stands as being both an interesting and thoughtful reimagining, that could've been a fantastic one had the filmmakers not been so determined to eliminate all of the key elements that audiences loved about the original in regards to achieving more realism (The latter feels like a unreasonable excuse to cut out Mushu and the films music as the whole Phoenix angle, as well as the clear suspension-of-disbelief during the films action sequences make that reasoning feel a bit like a copout). At the core of the animated films story, it was the heart it carried that made it hit home with its audience with the story being constructed in a down-to-earth fashion that they could connect with. The film gave audiences characters whom they could come to care about and root for with the main focus still being directed towards Mulan. The remake doesn't give audiences one of Mulan's fellow troops that they could connect with or distinct from the other in terms of personality. The live-action version is a film that looks great on the outside, but inside the surface is missing some key essential things that made the first film so beloved as a Disney animated classic. Typical moviegoers will enjoy it while hardcore fans of the original will be largely divided on some of the filmmakers critical choices in regards to the films storytelling. The remake simply doesn't carry the same type of power behind its story that the original has with key moments such as the revealing of Mulan's true identity to her fellow troops not being as impactful when handled in the live-action version. The newer film does come with its moments of genuine thrills such as the intense avalanche scene lifted directly from the cartoon along with the climactic fight sequence. Though despite being as interesting to watch as those scenes are, they don't hold the same impact without the presence of Mulan's animated counterparts aiding her. The job of any remake should be to leave audiences thoroughly satisfied by the upgrading of the story, not making them miss certain elements of the original nor lust for that version instead. Having expressed that, the new Mulan isn't a bad movie and just manages to be a fairly entertaining and passable live-action remake, though not an upgrade in any sense of the word. When looking at the quality of the original film, one can't help but feel the filmmakers could've went further with knocking this one out of the park. For Disney, this won't reassure fans that they have a firm grip on bringing their animated classics to the big screen in live-action form and just further extends the debate that Disney fans have on whether the studio should bother remaking their greatest hits into live action or if it's even necessary to do so. While the newer version doesn't dishonor the original work, it never advances it with the end result being an respectable effort at best. 

Final Verdict: For Disney fans, the live-action Mulan doesn't meet nor exceed the standard set by the original, but offers a stylistically different approach to the classic story which at the very least should be watched and judged by those who enjoyed the animated film when it arrives for free on Disney Plus in December as it's not worth the $30 dollar charge plus its subscription fee.

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