After a long delay and much drama, the live action Mulan is finally up on us, and I’m happy to say the exhausting experience during these unprecedented times are worth it, because this is a good movie.
I want to keep this review about the film, but if you want to read up on the various challenges it took for us to finally see it, you can read about it HERE, HERE, and HERE.
You’re all probably familiar with the animated Mulan film from the 90s. There are some changes here but it’s still mostly the story of a young girl and gifted warrior, who must pretend to be a man when a draft is implemented in her village. She must conceal her true self while still becoming the leader who must help battle an evil warlord with plans to conquer her people and destroy the emperor of China.
For a Disney film it’s actually quite the competent action adventure movie. Director Niki Caro brings us some exciting battle sequences in a vivid world of beautiful colors that create some truly exceptional visuals. Yifel Lu, who plays the title character, is a likeable heroine who we become easily invested in and has us rooting for her the entire way. The rest of the cast is also excellent especially Tzi Ma, who is the heart and soul of the film as Mulan’s proud father.
There are some unnecessary scenes and the film could have been a little shorter, but the movie looks so good and the pacing is kept so well, it moves quickly enough.
Overall, Mulan is a wonderful addition to the live action remakes Disney has been turning out and I was surprised at how much I liked the film. At the end of the day, it was certainly worth all of the trouble and I’d watch it again if it was re released in theaters.
Mulan
GRADE: B+
Rated PG-13
Running Time: 1 Hour 55 minutes
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