Early Mulan Reactions Praise a Stunning Live-Action Remake
Everything we’ve seen from Mulan, via trailers and featurettes up to this point, has been ravishing. Director Niki Caro’s upcoming live-action remake of Mulan revisits this warrior’s tale with the kind of sweeping, epic grandeur the story deserves. Yet like any live-action remake, Mulan had the difficult task of living up to its animated predecessor and striking new ground. Now we know that Caro’s Mulan doesn’t just look good, but the early reactions hail what might be Disney’s best live-action remake yet. If you weren’t excited for this film before, or, if you weren’t a devotee of the animated original, now you have ample reason to check it out.
The story is centered on a young woman (Yifei Liu) who disguises herself in order to take her father’s place in the upcoming war with China. Joining Liu as Mulan are Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jet Li as the Emperor, Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan, Yoson An as Cheng Honghui; and Gong Li as Xianniang.
Caro’s film comes from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin, and Lauren Hynek, based on the narrative poem “The Ballad of Mulan.”
Here’s a brief round-up of the early reactions surfacing online. Mulan hits theaters on March 27, 2020.
#Mulan is the best of the Disney live-action remakes since Cinderella — I didn’t even miss the songs. Finds new notes in a story we already know while delivering gorgeous action, heart, and humor. Liu Yifei is ???
— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) March 10, 2020
#Mulan is absolutely fantastic. Different enough with great action scenes, but with the heart of the original film. It doesn’t even matter that it’s not a musical. If you’re a fan of the animated, there are subtle nods to many of the songs. Can’t wait to see this again.
— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) March 10, 2020
#MULAN is shockingly great?? The music really works and there’s an action sequence I’m sure audiences will be talking about for a long, long time. Wouldn’t dare spoil it but let’s just say that Mulan devours a million mile hoagie and if there was any CG used it was invisible. A+!
— ben mekler (@benmekler) March 10, 2020
Honestly, my face says it all ????????? #Mulan pic.twitter.com/6rZ0CYy3Fa
— Laura Marano (@lauramarano) March 10, 2020
#Mulan is one of the best live-action adaptation of a Disney animated classic. It honors the 1998 film and the ballad by modernizing themes of female empowerment and iconic scenes, while also standing out w/ great cinematography & battle sequences are reminiscent of Wuxia epics. pic.twitter.com/2DUjzX1M1h
— Michael Lee (@IamMichaelJLee) March 10, 2020
Disney’s Mulan remake leaves a lot behind, but offers much more in its absence. Plenty of 1998 throwbacks pepper a story full of incredible action, humor, and heart.
Oh, and the romantic chemistry gets STEAMY. Like chanting “kiss” in a silent theater steamy.#Mulan2020 #mulan pic.twitter.com/soILc7OdTm
— Alison Foreman (@alfaforeman) March 10, 2020
I’ve seen MULAN twice now and I must say it is grrrreat. Easily Disney’s best live action reboot. I think it’s also Disney’s first battle epic? It is beautiful & absorbing & rich & empowering. The cast is excellent and Niki Caro’s direction is just breathtaking.
— Kevin Polowy (@djkevlar) March 10, 2020
#Mulan is exciting, vibrant, emotional, and different from the animated version. It’s definitely its own thing, which I dug – a more mature Disney film, featuring stunning production design & fight choreography. Director Niki Caro & star Liu Yifei are the big stand-outs, imo pic.twitter.com/p6IEQUDNBu
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) March 10, 2020
The cast of Mulan is fantastic in the film. There are lots of little moments that nods to the animated that’ll make the fans happy. Very beautiful & epic cinematography. It had more fantastical elements than I expected. Overall, a great re-telling of the animated and very fun ??
— Wendy Lee Szany (@WendyLeeSzany) March 10, 2020
Featured image: Disney’s MULAN..Mulan (Yifei Liu). Photo: Jasin Boland. © 2019 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
