And for all the progressive, culturally forward progress of having Mulan’s central character be a fearless warrior heroine, instead of a lovestruck princess, there are still some durable, dependable Disney-touchstone throwbacks. I was disappointed that the movie didn’t do more with the idea that “chi” warriors could run on, up and down walls, like spiders it’s more of a gee-gosh gimmick than a concept that could have been really cool to explore more visually. Some action scenes seem a bit clunky and choreographed, like they were staged for a Broadway production instead of film. The rest of the cast is similarly pedigreed, with many actors who are already stars in Chinese cinema, though they may be somewhat unfamiliar to mainstream U.S. Related: 10 Disney Princesses Who Need a Live-Action Remake Mulan’s father, Hua Zhou, is played by Tzi Ma, a Hong Kong-born actor with a long list of American acting credits, including TV’s Bosch, Veep, Madam Secretary and The Man in the High Castle. But at 33, she’s already an established, award-winning actress, singer and model who’s starred in two dozen films and television shows in China. Liu, who stars as Mulan, may be a newcomer to most Americans. There are clash-y showdowns, chop-socky throwdowns and one especially acrobatic battle atop what looks like a bamboo construction site, with a face-off on a piece of lumber hanging precariously by a strand of rope I halfway expected Tom Cruise or Daniel Craig to step in and take over for a Mission: Impossible stunt or a James Bond cliffhanger. An early scene where Mulan and her sister get “made up” for a meeting with their village’s matchmaker is a spectacle in itself, a quick-course lesson in Chinese tradition. Characters pop, parade and promenade in all sorts of fabulous costumes, from suits of shiny amour to a spectrum of raiment in all colors of the rainbow I’m sure Disney hopes to sell a ton of ruby-red Mulan cloaks. There are teeming plazas, ornate palaces, fortress cities, snow-capped mountains and training montages on wide, windswept plains. Steeped in Chinese culture and capably steered by director Niki Caro ( The Zookeeper’s Wife, Whale Rider, North Country and McFarland U.S.A) in China as well as her native New Zealand, Mulan is truly something to see-too bad COVID-19 kept it out of theaters, and off the big screen. But Mulan struggles with the pillar of truth-she knows she’s living a “lie” hiding her true identity from her fellow soldiers, her commanding officers and herself.īut like the flaming red phoenix-the mythological bird-Mulan keeps seeing, we know Mulan, too, will soon rise up and reveal herself, in all her splendor. Related: The Animated Mulan’s Lea Salonga Talks Travel, Theater and Disneyĭisguising herself as a young man, Mulan goes off to training in preparation to meet the vicious warlord Böri Khan ( Jason Scott Lee) and the shape-shifting witch Xianniang ( Li Gong), his partner in crime.Īlong with all sorts of rigorous exorcises and combat skills, Mulan and her fellow soldiers are taught to be loyal, brave and true, the three “Pillars of Virtue.” Those pillars are so important, they’re etched into the shiny steel blade of Mulan’s sword. Mulan (Chinese-born actress Yifei Liu), the eldest of two daughters of an honored veteran warrior who has no sons, takes her ailing father’s place so he doesn’t have to hobble onto the battlefield. The setting is ancient China, where the Emperor issues a decree that every family must send “one man” to serve in the Imperial Army to fight against a ruthless horde of advancing invaders. Starring Yifei Liu, Tzi Ma, Li Gong and Jason Scott Lee (You do get to hear Aguilera sing “Reflections” again, though.) Related: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the New Live-Action Mulan
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