Mulan (2020)

I have questions about “Mulan.”

What relationship does the live-action version have to the animated film?

A significant part of the viewing audience comes to this movie because they enjoyed the 1998 original. This isn’t a blank slate.

I don’t have an issue with the live-action film dropping the animated version’s singing and dancing. The songs would been out of place. But if you’re going to remove high-energy set pieces, you’ve got to replace that energy elsewhere through action and drama and comedy. You can’t just cut the musical numbers.

How much was the story shaped by a need to appease censors?

To be clear: It’s important for films to embrace cultural understanding. Collectively, we should strive to make and support stories that hold up under scrutiny decades down the line.

However, cultural sensitivity isn’t the same as box office–and money is what drives studios. A lot of movie revenue is generated outside of the United States, and China is a big market. A need to appeal to everyone everywhere creates a storytelling problem for films that don’t rely on action and bombast.

“Mulan” suffers from contradictions because it’s trying to have it all ways. The lead character is independent, but she never questions authority. She’s powerful, yet subservient. And the very institutions that prevent her from becoming her full self are what must be protected at all costs.

This film fails to ascend because the narrative isn’t allowed to make a choice, less it offend an audience. Or, more likely, less it offend censors.

Where’s the score?

I know there is a score, but it leaves no impression at all. It’s a shame, because there’s so much opportunity for powerful music to carry this film.

Why is this film so somber?

This is the story about a young woman coming into her full self–and this version of Mulan is a borderline superhero. Yet, there’s no triumph or joy. There’s no defining moment. My biggest disappointment with “Mulan” is that the payoff that feels imminent never arrives.