I have a lot of mixed feelings towards Disney’s latest Live action “Mulan”. While in fact, I was anticipating something entirely surreal and out of this world, what I witnessed was unquestionably underwhelming and did not live up to my expectations!

The story followed the exact same path of the animated version: Mulan, who to save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, disguises herself as a man to battle northern invaders in China.

Despite being one of the worst films of the year, I was still able to find some positives in this utterly unsatisfying remake.

For starters and Probably one of the strongest foundations of this film is the message it was trying to deliver about the importance of working hard and working together, being honest, and trying your hardest. The film also explored some additional themes such as humility, teamwork, and challenging gender stereotypes.

Another element that helped this live action was the breathtakingly beautiful and mesmerizing visuals! I mean if it wasn’t for this component, this film would have literally been a total shit show!!

Unfortunately, these factors were not sufficient enough to classify this film as a blockbuster!! You see, the story was slightly inconsistent and the conversion from animation to live action didn’t translate as I hoped it would!

The characters, especially Mulan, were all one-dimensional and soulless. The original film was so well loved and respected because each one of its characters had a story to tell and a message to convey. Here, they just felt “animated”. Their existence did not add anything new or meaningful to the already struggling storyline.

And last but not least, the entire experience of “Mulan” felt extremely unsatisfying due to the fact that Disney tried to commercialize this film as much as possible. In other words, Mulan lost its essence and spirit!!

To save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man to battle northern invaders in China.

Director: Niki Caro
Budget: 200 million USD
Featured song: Reflection
Box office: 37.6 million USD