We need to admit, Disney is a studio that is quite instrumental in giving us childhood happiness. The studio, which is located in Hollywood, United States of America, always manages to entertain children around the world through its animated films. For example, many Asian children feel happy when watching the animated film Mulan .
In addition to making those in the east of the world proud, the animated film Mulan which was released in 1998 has a strong story, depiction of myth and culture that educates Western society. After 22 years have passed, now our memory of watching the film Mulan as a child is replaced by the live-action film Mulan which was released in 2020.
Many say that the live-action Mulan movie is good. There are also those who say that this film spoils the character's image. Between the two camps, Popculture.id has its own opinion on this film. Instead of lingering, let's just take a look at our review below!
Plot
Disney is a studio that has always been fairly careful in working on a live-action project from an animated film. This is the main reason the studio has always produced great-paying films. Disney is almost always successful in bringing the spirit of its animated films to live-action versions .
Unfortunately that has to change. I can't see and feel that positive breath when I watch the live-action Mulan movie . The film, which was released on March 25, 2020, is enough to make me sigh.
Almost like in the animated film, Mulan 2020 tells the story of a girl from rural China who sets out to defend her family when the empire is attacked by the opposing party.
The core of this film is the story of Mulan's indecision because she is restrained and forced to hide the power of her chi. On the other hand, the empire is under threat from a tribe of barbarians who are assisted by a super-powerful female magician. In the midst of the war, the empire ordered each family to send one man to join the war
Since Mulan's parents don't have a son in their family, Hua Zhou, Mulan's father plans to go alone despite his weak and old condition. Seeing her father, Mulan decides to take on her father's duties and disguise herself as a male figure and take part in warrior training. (In this film, women are not allowed to be soldiers)
The training went smoothly, even Mulan became the strongest warrior among the others. The long awaited time has finally arrived. War erupted. Mulan, who has been keeping her identity a secret, decides to reveal herself as a female soldier. The enemy can be defeated and Mulan becomes a hero.
As you have read, Mulan's story doesn't have anything special at all. This is a standard 'heroic' film with a standard message too.
Lack
Prior to its release, the film Mulan was quite controversial. This is because the film Mulan was boycotted by Hong Kong protesters . This incident began when the main character Liu Yifei made a controversial statement saying that he supported the actions of the Hong Kong police.
As a result, Mulan's film rating was poor even before the film was officially released. It turned out that the bad rating given by the Hong Kong protesters was proven. Mulan's film is arguably a 'failed' and 'raw' film.
Starting from the lack of variety in shooting, writing that seems random, the many plot holes and fillers to the rigid acting of the actors. Instead of giving a breath of fresh air to colossal films, Mulan actually fell because of the immaturity of the fundamental aspects of filmmaking.
However, I think Mulan was quite successful in describing the patriarchal character of that era. The character is described by the resistance of men against women who want to become soldiers. And Mulan finally kicked the stigma. Although in the end the message was 'revolutionary; this does not save the fate of the film Mulan at all.
Conclusion
Finally, what I felt while watching the film Mulan was just awkwardness. After watching this film, my childhood memory was disappointed. I, who hoped to see the action, was given Mulan, who pretends to be strong and wise and even looks like a crybaby.
In addition, there are many settings and properties that deviate from the historical truth. This adds to a string of Mulan's shortcomings , which if discussed in this article will snake their way from China to Hollywood. Yes, with the film Mulan, we finally realized that handing over our childhood characters to someone who wasn't serious and controversial would only lead to disappointment.
