Paula Donald

I've long considered the 1998 version of Mulan one of the top two Disney movies I've ever watched. Now that I've seen the 2020 version, I know why. Maybe if I hadn't watched and loved the animated version, I could be kinder, but here it is: In comparison to the 1998 version, this one was 27 minutes longer, had none of the songs (and even stole some bits from the Prince of Persia soundtrack), had no drama AT ALL, relied heavily on magic and was almost entirely lacking in humour. So it basically it lacked everything that was good about the animated version. After the disastrous remakes of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and the Lion King, my hopes weren't crazy high, but they sucked me in by doing a good job on Aladdin (my other favourite). Just a real shame they failed to deliver.

I was 20 when I first watched this version of Mulan and I've never stopped thinking it was one of the top two Disney movies I've ever seen. Now that I've watched the underwhelming remake, I can explain what makes the animated version great. Firstly, it's funny. Eddie Murphy in his last actually funny role, IMO, but also lots of little bits and pieces from other characters that are hilarious too. Secondly, an awesome soundtrack. Musicals can get a bit too tiring to watch if the music isn't spot on, and they nailed it with tracks like "A girl worth fighting for". Thirdly, ACTUALLY girl power. Like, she may have had a dragon buddy, but she actually did all the hard work herself. No magic needed. Fourth, there was a plot. With tension and feelings and other important plotty things. A much more realistic reaction to the revelation that she's actually a woman. And last, because I was raised on Disney, I like that she gets a very traditional happy ending (caveat, I've never watched the sequel because it sounded like they ruined the HEA). And all of this was packed into 88 minutes. For reference, the remake was 27 minutes longer, had none of the songs (and even stole some bits from the Prince of Persia soundtrack), had no drama AT ALL, relied heavily on magic and was almost entirely lacking in humour. So basically it lacked everything that was good about the animated version.

My first suspenseful K-Drama and I have mixed feelings. Overall it was really good. Tension filled with a bit of romance on the side. There were some real badass Hyun Bin moments, and some real tear jerker moments. My only frowny face is about the ending. But given that I'm only satisfied with about 10% of K-Drama endings, this is not terribly surprising. They did drag some episodes out and I did a lot of skipping over repeat info, but overall I'd recommend the story.

I knew going into this that it would be an emotional ride, and I expected to have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. But it was flat out love/love. The dark bits were pretty dark, but the stories of healing woven throughout were just beautifully done. The acting was brilliant, the plot was punctuated with laugh out loud humour and even the soundtrack was great. I would definitely watch again. ❤

While the first few episodes were a bit on the silly side, LoTBS very quickly became a show that I couldn't wait to see more of. The premise, the characters, the acting - everything was just brilliant.