Niki Caro’s Mulan is an interesting beast.
As a piece of production, it’s impressive. It lands neatly among the best of Disney’s live action adaptations of its classic animated films, simply by virtue of its willingness to offer something new. It avoids the limp and slavish devotion of films like The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, even if it never quite transcends its origins like Pete’s Dragon. It is vibrant and dynamic film, one that leans into what is possible in live action rather than animation, with cinematographer Mandy Walker ensuring that colours really pop off the screen.
Claws for concern
However, there’s also something slightly frustrating about Mulan. It often feels like the changes from the animated film were not made with the intention of improving the film or finding a new angle, but instead to render Mulan more palatable to a targetted Chinese audience. After all, for all the attention paid to the film’s video-on-demand release, its box office prospects have always had one eye on China. The result is a film that feels more cautious and more conservative than an animated film produced over two decades ago.
Mulan is clean and stylish, but feels a little too calculated and sterile to be its best self.
A prime cut?
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: blockbuster, China, feminism, Movie, mulan, niki caro, non-review review, queer subtext, review, romance, sexuality | 1 Comment »
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