Movie Review: 'Mulan' Feels Alive and Vital in Live Action Adaptation

Mulan 2020 is a handsome production, an epic of classic Disney imagination. Directed by the outstanding Niki Caro (Whale Rider), the story feels vital and alive and the production design is spectacular. Whether or not you’ve seen and loved the animated Mulan of the 1990’s I can imagine you falling head over heels for this splendid family adventure that empowers not only women but children in general to follow their hearts and engage in imaginative, heroic, adventure.

Mulan stars actress, singer and model, Liu Yifei in the title role, a headstrong young woman with the kind of Chi, as described by her father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma), that until now only advanced male warriors possess. Sadly, the conventions of society dictate that Mulan must hide her gifts away. She can never be a warrior, despite her immense talent, and she must only look forward to marriage and honoring family and village traditions.

That changes when the malevolent forces of Rouran, led by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee), begin to attack the forces of The Emperor (Jet Li). To counteract the Rouran forces, which also include a powerful witch, Xian Lang (Gong Li), The Emperor calls upon every village in China to send at least one male family member to fight to defend the capital. Though he is badly wounded, with a leg that can barely hold him up, Mulan’s father is prepared to go to war.

That changes when, on the morning when he is set to leave, Mulan’s father finds that his eldest daughter has taken his sword, armor and conscription papers, and fled. Mulan is on her way to war with plans to bind her breast and hide her femininity behind a wall of fierce, fighting,determination. On her journey, Mulan will find strength in the form of the Phoenix, the legendary bird of fire that watches over her village.

Act 2, of course, is preparing for war and we watch as Mulan is challenged physically and emotionally by Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), who comes to respect Mulan’s prowess so much that he considers introducing Mulan’s male persona, Hua Jun, to his own daughter and a matchmaker. This creates quite a conflict internally for Mulan who wants to serve and impress the commander but feels the weighty burden of her lie.

Honesty is part of the warrior code and the conflict Mulan feels between her desire to serve and that code of honesty is powerful. The committed belief that Liu Yifei invests into Mulan gives weight to honesty as a core theme of the film right alongside equality and empowerment. The burden is clearly on the young actress to make these themes resonant and she does a remarkable job. You can’t help but feel for the burden Mulan carries.

I cannot praise the production design of Mulan enough. These sets are spectacular and the color and vibrancy of the production carries echoes of Zhang Yimou far more than your typically handsome Disney productions. It’s much more down to earth than Yimou’s films such as Hero or House of Flying Daggers, but similar in terms of the brilliant employment of color and the detail of the production design.

Then there is the action which is surprisingly gritty for a Disney feature. Don’t get me wrong, it’s bloodless, but the violence of Mulan has an impact. For as much as the movie cannot engage in too much viscera and some of the danger is dialed back to care for the youngest of the young viewer, Director Niki Caro does a wonderful job crafting the danger and suspense within the action along with establishing dramatically what is at stake amid the chaos of war.

I genuinely adore Mulan. It’s a little self-serious at times and perhaps a little heavy handed, but that did not ruin the movie for me. I loved the style, the action, the performances, I was completely won over. Not since Kenneth Branagh gave Cinderella an epic feel with a blockbuster sheen, has one of Disney’s live action adaptations felt so vibrant and alive. The meticulous care for detail in the production design is every bit as satisfying as the strong emotional and visceral moments of Mulan and that, for me, is a wonder to behold.

Mulan debuts on Disney Plus on September 4th, 2020.