Mulan (2020) Movie Review

Hello guys and welcome back for another round of movie reviews, quarantine edition, with Movie Nerd, a place where you can be nerdy about movies, even in a pandemic:)))

So, I thought that I will not be able to do this review tonight as well, originally this one I planned to post tomorrow night but I remembered that, apart from my job, I got some other stuff happening after I clock out so I have decided to write it and post it tonight.

Before I start the review, a bit of a synopsis for those who haven't seen the live action and, also, the animated one: a woman disguises herself as a man in order to become a warrior.

First of all, I must confess that I haven't seen the animated version so I went to this one blind and without any knowledge of the plot or it's characters and their backstories. Second of all, this movie should have come out in theaters but Disney decided to release it on Disney+, which was not that inspiring to be honest.

Back to the review and, as you can see from the very slim synopsis that I have written a few sentences ago, it's the classic story of a woman posing herself as a man to join an army but, in this case, it is told with style but without depth and character perception. But, make no mistake, what it lacks in storytelling in makes up for it, in a big way, in visual effects, costume design and very well choreographed fighting sequences.

Some people have told me that some characters from the animated version were taken out of this one, like the dragon Mushu plus the songs have been taken out and, in my opinion, it makes the movie feel a bit more grounded, a bit more relevant for today's standards. It feels more alive and full of vitality. It combines very well the traditional aspect with the more modern one by the use of amazing special effects and fight choreography that dwells into gravity defying aerial work inspired by the wuxia martial arts style and very elaborate fighting sequences.

Another thing that gives the movie a more emotional and grounded feel are the array of Asian actors that show up on screen like Donnie Yen and Jet Li. Plus a short cameo from the actress Ming Na-Wen, from the Marvel Tv Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and, also, the voice of Mulan in the animated version. Also, Yifei Liu, despite her social commentaries, was perfectly cast as a live action version of Mulan.

Overall, the strength of the movie is not in the story department but more in it's relevance, visual style and fighting sequences. The movie feels familiar but it is an update from the animated version. 7.8/10

OK guys, this was the review for this one. Hopefully, in the remaining weeks of September I will manage to do reviews for Tenet and New Mutants. Until then, take care, stay safe, stay clean, stay movie nerdy and keep on reviewing!