The obvious first step with a look at a film like Mulan is to do a compare and contrast piece with the 1998 animated version. And, obviously, there will be a bit of that but, bottom line, it would be a bit like comparing and contrasting apples and tractor parts… Other than the name and the outline, these are two different films.
One Mulan is not like the other
Whereas the 1998 Mulan was a comedy/musical in the Disney grand tradition, the 2020 version is neither. OK, in 1998 if you got Eddie Murphy on board you werenโt aiming for high drama, but that wasnโt the reason, that was just how Disney rolled back then. Eddie was the effect rather than the cause.
In 2020 we have more of an action adventure vibe. There is music but only as background and accenting; none of the stop everything letsโs have a song breaks. Similarly, there is some humour but only in the โoh yes, something like that happened with my daughterโโฆ smile raising rather than belly laughs.
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But the action is flawless. Individual moments, small groups, whole armies battling it out; the whole spectrum of action scenes are here. Apart from one glaring omissionโฆ blood! There is not one drop of it shown anywhere, Whether this is to maintain Disneyโs family-friendly reputation, to make sure it hits the right certificate rating, or just to show that you can make a huge, combat centred film without spending a fortune on barrels of fake blood, I donโt know. It could be a combination of all three. And, despite being an admirer of Mr Tarantinoโs work, I have to say that Mulan wasnโt diminished in any way.
Dragons, a phoenix, and Chinese history
The biggest casualty of the change of style: Mushu the dragon that helps 1998โs Mulan along the way. In the animation the familyโs โspirit animalโ (if that is the term in Chinese culture; please forgive my ignorance) is a dragon which is where we get Mushu. However, 2020โs family protector is a phoenix, which we see flying around on the occasions when Mulan needs a boost of confidence, reassurance, or conviction in her path and decisions.
I have seen reports that this version of Mulan is closer to the original 5th century story. Iโm in no position to say whether this is true or not, but elsewhere on this site there is an analysis of the original story by our very own native Chinese RunPee contributor; take a look and decide for yourselves.
I remember taking my daughter to see Mulan back in 1998 when she was nine years old. Will I be watching the new version with my seven year old granddaughter? Yesโฆ eventually. Itโs a good story, well told, but I just think it is aimed at a higher age group than the original. The fact that gender shouldnโt be a bar to greatness is something which needs saying, but I think the live action Mulan may be a bit too mature for a primary schooler.
It is a good film, though, and Iโd give it a hearty B+.
Movie Grade: B+
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Former teacher, lecturer, homelessness administrator, pharmacy dispenser now happily retired, happily married, and a very happy granddad. I live next to the Mersey but on the side Daniel Craig and Taron Egerton come from rather than the side the Beatles came from!
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