Charmaine Yalong DTI-FTSC

There were many unexplored sub-plots in this adaptation like the backstory of the witch, the mentor-mentee relationship of Mulan and her commander, the deeper meaning of Mulan’s relationship with her family and how her going to war meant to them other than being terribly worried, and her being a woman as in the love department (I’m trying not to divulge too much). There were so many Mulan-showing-off-her-chi montage that weren’t very smooth in terms of transition. This is what happens when a movie tries to honor the character (and maybe even the actress) too much that they forget that her tales of failures are as important as her successes. What was great about the animated Mulan (and the Chinese Mulan movie from 2009) — Mulan’s weaknesses made her very much human that the audience would want to sympathize with her, go on a journey of self-discovery with her, triumph with her. I really want to love this movie but it just felt short. Thank God for the wonderful supporting cast members!