Mulan

This review may contain spoilers!

We are now striking up yet another lifeless husk of a Disney live-action adaptation. I would give Mulan a 4/10.

Mulan is a live-action adaptation of the Chinese legend and animated Disney film of the same name. Within this film we follow Mulan as she takes her father's place in the Imperial army and risks her own life to stop Bori Khan and the nomadic tribes from invading the Empire. I felt this film did a good initial job of setting up a really threatening antagonist; when first Khan appears onscreen you get the sense that he is capable of a lot of carnage even with a small number. Seeing a villain who is capable of manipulating those around him to cement his power and then utilise all he wields to decimate the heroic forces is really appealing to watch. I also thought the film did it's best in the second act when it was feeling out the camaraderie in the military camp and Mulan was navigating how she would fit in with her fellow soldiers. There were scenes with good humour and even character exploration that left me genuinely interested. The score for the film is this powerful harmonious blend of the original score from the first film and a powerful ballad that speaks often to the setting and the more mystical nature of this film.

Yoson An, who played Honghui, is a rather aloof yet charismatic role in this film; An is a really likeable friend to the protagonist and is a key bridge to her finding her own way as a warrior. Pei-Pei Cheng, who played the Matchmaker, really strongly embodies the cold discipline of this character; the almost comic displays of brutal rage make this one of the more memorable minor roles in the feature.

However, the best performance came from Jason Scott Lee, who played Bori Khan. This was an antagonist who could back up everything he said or did onscreen for almost all the time we saw him. Lee was this relentless, intimidating force throughout; you believed he was a warlord and he filled a scene the moment he stepped into frame. This character wasn't just all brute power either which I liked, Bori Khan used cunning to trick his foes and allies alike and then used his own cunning to control many powerful assets he had at his disposal. I enjoyed seeing Lee play up the themes of vengeance with this role, his hatred for the Emperor was palpable and it was when he allowed this to guide him that we saw the beginning of Bori Khan's descent into defeat.

This movie never really felt like it was in strong hands while you watched it, wjetjer it was narratively or visually the film had a tendency to trip over itself somewhat. This movie paints Mulan as a young woman capable of greatness due to a magic spiritual ability called 'chi', which is a problem for a number of reasons. Firstly Chi is represented as an ability that enhances fighting, allows opponents to move or or fight in ways they couldn't otherwise, use telekinesis and there was one antagonist who used the power to become a flock of birds. Chi was this plot device that allowed the characters to do whatever they wanted or needed to advance the plot, it became a serious crutch for the film. It also de-legitimised Mulan's story, she rises above prejudice because of her own bravery and merits in past stories we've been told. This film paints Mulan as some all-powerful chosen one, who gets to unlock the magical power of Chi once she reveals herself to be a woman to the army she served. The narrative doesn't really paint Mulan as someone who has emerged this powerful and capable warrior in spite of the prejudices against her, rather the film gave her powers and turned her into a magical martial artist with a half-baked female empowerment plot that is never really explored.The film constantly rings hollow and underutilises some key plot elements while extensively over-utilising others. For example, the constant display of the phoenix to represent Mulan's connection to family and sincerity to herself is shoved into scenes rather than functioning as an active element of the film. The film itself only ever looks good when the location looks good, often a scene feels set up and that often makes you feel like you're watching events that have been filmed on a small set pretending to be bigger than it is. The special effects throughout look terrible, with some of the CGI creatures such as the bird or phoenix looking distinctly out of place.

Yifei Liu, who played Mulan, moves through this film doing what a scene requires but never really crafting a character you connect with or care for; Liu's Mulan works to what individual scenes require of her and I struggled to see this role go through any sort of arc that felt personal. Donnie Yen, who played Commander Tung, is wasted in this stoic military leader role; not only is this a role drained of emotion but it felt like a cheap casting to just see Yen do some of his signature stunt work in a smattering of scenes. Li Gong, who played Xianniang, is a relatively new antagonist who function as a poor mirror to a poor protagonist; Gong hurtles from overly sinister to morally conflicted and it becomes hard to believe she fully follows the direction of her character's motivation. Jet Li, who played the Emperor, doesn't display much in the realm of emotional range or character portrayal; Li holds firmly onto stoic delivery and doesn't let go of that guiding principle the entire film. Tzi Ma, who played Zhou, is so much angrier and more reactionary than what you'd expect for a father figure whom the protagonist cares for so deeply; Ma doesn't really seem to know how to play to the father role he's been given and this doesn't make for a very fulfilling relationship played out onscreen. Rosalind Chao and Xana Tang, who played Li and Xiu respectively, are more background figures than Mulan's family at times; Chao is often denied opportunity in favour of Ma, while Tang's sisterly portrayal never has much depth to it beyond a shared family joke. Jun Yu, Chen Tang, Doua Moua and Jimmy Wong, who played Cricket, Yao, Po and Ling respectively, are a signature group seemingly added for comedy and as points of connection for the protagonist during the second act; yet as a group these roles don't live up to the task and it's pretty easy to forget they're even there at all.