Hanh Kim

I have grown up watching several adaptations of Hua Mulan. This is another successful one. It entertains, surprises, and feels more Chinese than the cartoon. I found Liu Yifei’s acting to have greatly improved since her days playing Xiao Longnu. Donnie Yen steals the show in many of his scenes, Jet Li’s there to shock you at the end, the matchmaker is a beloved actress I love to see on screen, the character of the Witch/hawk was a nice addition as she provides a nice contrast to Mulan’s unwavering loyalty, and the action/fight scenes are well executed. I felt it was toned down a bit to appeal to the western viewers so I guess it was a good balance between realism and wuxia fanfasy. The soundtrack was beautiful and paid homage to several favourite songs of the cartoon. This is a must-watch among the Disney live-action films. I don’t consider this a remake. This is just another adaptation of the legend of Hua Mulan.