Film review: «Mulan» is good and worthwhile, but won’t knock your socks off

First up, there are no spoilers in this review. I’m not going to talk about anything that isn’t mentioned in the trailers.

China is under threat. Barbaric Huns are advancing from the north, plundering village after village. The Emperor of China (Jet Li) reacts and orders that one man from every family enlists to form a large army to defeat the Huns.

Mulan Hua (Yifei Liu) is a young woman. Her place is society is predetermined: being a good wife and mother. But Mulan is different. Defiant. Gutsy. She has a good heart, but her rebellious escapades tend to bring shame on her family.

When a herald announces the emperor's command, Mulan realises that the only man in her family is her father, an elderly war veteran weakened by injury. If he joins the war effort, he won't come back. Out of rebellious zeal and love for her father, Mulan decides to steal his armour and sword to join the army herself – disguised as a man.

The «Mulan» debate

The debates around «Mulan» started incredibly early. As early as 1998, in fact, when Disney's animated version of the Chinese folk tale was released in cinemas. Critics claimed the movie’s depiction of Chinese culture was clearly influenced by Western ideas and stereotypes: dragons, jade, red lanterns... As a result, the 1998 film has never been hugely popular in China.

Fast forward to March 2017. Director Niki Caro announces that her live-action version of the Disney predecessor won't be a like-for-like copy of the animation. It'll be a true depiction of the folk tale. A «graceful, girly martial arts extravaganza».

This means dropping the songs. And there's more. Even iconic characters such as Mushu the Dragon and Lin Shang, the general's son, are gone. Wow. «Mulan» without «I'll Make a Man Out of You»? No thanks.

The pandemic this year was almost the straw that broke the camel's back. First, the film had to be postponed three times, then it was banned from cinemas. «Mulan» is currently only available on the Disney+ streaming service. And for an additional 29.90 francs or euros at that. Not everyone's pleased.

Controversy aside, is the film any good?

Emancipation – almost

Actually, the prospects aren't so bad. The film could even surprise you - precisely because expectations have been cautiously conservative. And the promise once made by director Niki Caro could hardly be more enticing. After all, «Mulan» is finally a live-action film that doesn’t draw heavily on the nostalgia of its predecessor.

I’m thinking of «Beauty and the Beast», «Aladdin» and «The Lion King» here.

«Mulan» is much more grown-up. More mature. Less silly, if only because of the lack of talking animal characters typical of Disney. Then there are the action scenes.

Oh, the action scenes! Sometimes, «Mulan» almost feels like a close relative of Chinese classics like «Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon» or «Hero», especially when it comes to the handmade action sequences. For example, when Mulan flies through the air on clearly airbrushed wires, walks on walls and wields her sword in combat as if she is performing a poetic dance with her opponent.

It looks good and is about as far away from animation as you can get. However, the film fails to maintain this distance well enough over its 115-minute running time. If you're a fan of the animated version, you have a problem: the live-action version rarely withstands direct comparison. It often lacks the charm of its counterpart. The heart. The accessibility. «I liked this part better in the animated version» is a thought that keeps popping up.

Just look at when Mulan decides to take her father's place in the Chinese army, with Jerry Goldsmith’s incredibly beautiful music playing in the background. In the animation, they argue. In the live-action version, father and daughter make up before she decides to go. The decision to go into battle is much harder. The knowledge that she is bringing shame on the family but will save her father in return is simultaneously more tragic and heroic.

Maybe this is down to Harry Gregson-Williams' soundtrack for the live-action film.

His music is often epic, sometimes intense, but too often generic. And he keeps sampling snippets of Goldsmith's score from the animation. As if he lacked the courage to stand on his own two feet. Or the inspiration. Particularly in the big, emotional scenes, where the wonderful «Reflections» theme blares from the speakers.

It's these musical elements that thankfully keep bringing the audience back to the animated film. And drawing comparisons. Comparisons where the live-action version rarely comes out on top. The emancipation we were promised is there, it's just not consistent enough.

Mulan, feminism and strong women

I don't want to criticise director Niki Caro. Her direction feels solid. She captures the wonderful, poetic choreography with a calm, skilful hand. Just as she does with the world that she and her set designers have created for Mulan.

Time-wise, we are transported to feudalistic China. Lush green fields stretching over hills like waves on the sea alternate with gleaming deserts in tones of red and orange, snow-capped mountains, opulent wooden palaces and army barracks. All this is interspersed with cattle, markets, colourful costumes, spices, grains, silk, fabric, straw hats and teapots.

It's a feast for the eyes.

Admittedly, sometimes the whole thing looks a bit too perfectly put together. A bit of dirt on the costumes now and then would have looked a bit more realistic, at least. Or under their fingernails. It's almost like being at a fancy dress party on a monumental scale.

But that's a next-level grumble. In the end, most of the sets and scenery look like they were really built for the film and not computer-generated. That's rare. This backdrop enables Yifei Liu to give a brilliant, strong performance as Mulan.

That’s important. The animated «Mulan» is so valuable because it shows what feminism is about. Not fighting. Not women against men or men against women. It's about gender equality. And Niki Caro also gets this across in her live-action version.

Both films portray traditional family values of the man being the hero and the woman being nothing more than a quiet housewife and mother. Values that are wrong, but entrenched. And when the emperor asks for his subjects' help, he only asks for one man from each family. He didn't stop to think that men could be replaced by women.

Mulan thinks this is unfair. She breaks all the rules, dispenses with tradition and serves in the army in her father's place. She's not just doing it for him. She's doing it for herself too. To find her place in society. A place that society isn't even aware could exist.

Mulan is never the typical 1950s Disney princess who is «just» beautiful. It's not about what's on the outside. It's about inner values. Mulan is sincere, spirited and strong. She's sometimes scatterbrained and clumsy. However, when she has to be, she's a rebel fighting unfair rules and conventions. This has nothing to do with what gender she is. Heroism has no gender.

And when she defeats all resistance and gains the recognition of the men against all odds, it doesn't feel like «conquering» or «being conquered». It feels more like «understanding». Mulan becomes a warrior. Then a legend. Suddenly, this man-dominated world is a world where gender divisions no longer exist.

That's equality.

What a shame: beautiful opulence but bland characters

What remains is a film that is thoroughly worth watching and delivers an incredibly important message: equality. Then there's the intense action, which is masterfully composed and choreographed, and storybook production design – even if it's sometimes too perfect.

But the 2020 version of «Mulan» doesn't excite. It's not down to the production. It's more because of the really inaccessible actors, who seem likeable, but are just not memorable. Take the film's villain, or the witch who assists him. They're nothing more than marginal figures. That's why I haven't even mentioned them yet. And then there's the generic score, which is only really good when it samples the soundtrack of the animated version. Ironic, huh?

Right, I'm off to watch «Mulan». The 1998 version, that is.