Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009)

I just recently found out that the story of Mulan did not originate from the 1998 Disney animation. That being my favourite Disney film, I went in search of other Mulan movies, and found this. While the length of the film made me hesitate, I found it quite enjoyable.The film did not have the Disney/Hollywood touch to it, and as much as I still spend time watching Hollywod movies, it gives a fresh new take on Mulan (or new to me anyway). Quite a lot of the film diverts from the Disney Mulan, but the foundation of the story is still there. Note: The legend of Hua Mulan is actually based on a poem.The film starts off with Mulan caring for her father, and progresses to the familiar calling for soldiers from every family and Mulan running off in her father's place. In this film Mulan already knows how to fight before going to war, so I guess that makes it more believable that she will be able to keep up with the others. However, her voice and appearance are still noticeable that of a woman which annoyed me a little (this isn't an animation after all), but after awhile I got used to it. I still think they could have made her character try more to fit in with the characteristics and the like, even if they couldn't manipulate her voice or appearance much.The fighting scenes, though very elaborate was a bit too bloody for me. It wasn't excessive but I could have done without some of them. The war lasted a long time and I guess this is reminiscent of wars in those times.I wasn't really fond of the character of Modu (Jun Hu), who like the enemy in the Disney film, is very exaggerated in his evilness. The way he acts too is pretty stereotypic. Wei Zhao and Kun Chen as Mulan and Wentai (character of Shang in Disney's Mulan) had pretty good acting, but at times I felt the chemistry between them was too forced, and some parts were also a little cheesy. Jaycee Chan (son of Jackie Chan) did a great job as Mulan's friend and his acting is actually not bad. In addition, I found it very awkward and random that they had to have a white person in the film for no apparent reason. OK he is actually Russian (Vitas who plays the character of Wude), but still he didn't do much and he actually doesn't speak except for one sentence I think. Makes me wonder.The ending I liked, but I also disliked. If you watched it, you probably know what I'm talking about.Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

Although I like films that depict the legendary Mulan, I feel that in this particular film, the producers did a rather poor job in concealing Mulan's gender while she was in disguise. For example, unlike the Disney version, in this version Mulan does not use an alias when enlisting in the military. This immediately caught the attention of a close friend of hers, who recognized who she was, thereby causing Mulan to blackmail him into keeping her true gender secret. Since "Mulan" is a decidedly feminine name in Chinese, it beggars belief that more people didn't question Mulan's gender upon hearing her name. In the film, there were only two people in the military who knew Mulan's true gender before her self-disclosure at the end, but this seems very unrealistic in real life given the facts/circumstances of this film.

So much for an epic about the life and achievements of the legendary woman warrior. The film cannot be duller. The script is full of tired clichés and the writers have felt compelled to turn it into a sentimental love story more than anything else.The character of Mulan is supposed to be strong, tough and courageous. The Mulan in this film (and half the male soldiers) spends most of her time in tears, wringing her hands and whispering sweet nothings. She looks, sounds and acts every bit like a girl. It is hard to believe that the whole army of soldiers who spent 12 years with her did not catch on. The two leads look like they belong in a rom-com, rather than playing generals on the battlefield. All in all, a ridiculous and disappointing film.

By all rights, MULAN should be THE definitive retelling of the story about the famous woman warrior: it's a big-budget Chinese historical war film, made with a huge crew and cast, actors who have previously excelled in other movies, and a thoroughly serious look at a woman out of place in a man's world. Yet it turns out to be a total flop.The blame should be laid at the door of scriptwriter Ting Zhang, whose leaden and obviously obvious attempts at emotion and characterisation drag this one into the mire from the very beginning. Unlike recent, rousing fare from China such as RED CLIFF or THREE KINGDOMS, MULAN is a maudlin and pondering exercise in narrative that doesn't really seem to be about anything. Those hoping for spectacle and battle will be sorely disappointed, as Jingle Ma's appalling direction sees the war scenes glossed over and dealt with in a purely defunct way.Instead, at least half of the (oh so lengthy) running times chronicles Mulan's descent into an endless depression as she laments a lost love and wishes she were elsewhere. The viewer will sympathise. Zhao Wei's acting can't be faulted, but the attempts at character and personality are so poorly conceived that the audience couldn't care less about any of the characters, from Jaycee Chan's irritating attempts at a buffoon to Kun Chen's bawling crybaby.Although the cinematography makes this film look good, it's far from entertaining. The dull-as-dishwater storyline means there's no decent action, the choreography is frankly terrible, and aside from a thirty-second segment at the climax, there's no excitement or suspense to speak of. MULAN should be an instant classic; instead it's a crashing bore.