Mulan (Disney+) Movie Review & Comments

Casimir Harlow

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Thanks Cas. Great review and this has me more excited to see this than I was. But respectfully I don't agree with your take on the Maths. This will be available in 3 months for 'free'. It will have the exact same presentation and viewing experience, the premium is just for seeing it a bit sooner. I'll just hang on for that. Perhaps if it were a Bond film or something I was more passionate about then I'd pay the twenty quid. I just don't think enough people will pay to make the model viable for big budget releases down the line.
 
Thanks for the Review Cas. You've intrigued me (Wasn't really bothered before). Still, with things as they are, will have to wait for it to be in the low rental price to watch it.
 
Thanks Cas. Great review and this has me more excited to see this than I was. But respectfully I don't agree with your take on the Maths. This will be available in 3 months for 'free'. It will have the exact same presentation and viewing experience, the premium is just for seeing it a bit sooner. I'll just hang on for that. Perhaps if it were a Bond film or something I was more passionate about then I'd pay the twenty quid. I just don't think enough people will pay to make the model viable for big budget releases down the line.

Sure, I agree that it's a a dangerous title to prove the viability with, but it's been a long year. Considering the appeal to families and younger audiences, I can see a why people might pay to see it early now.

My own daughter has been begging me to take her to see something Disney at the cinema basically since the start of lockdown. This had her absolutely enthralled. That's defo worth the premium.
 
My own daughter has been begging me to take her to see something Disney at the cinema basically since the start of lockdown. This had her absolutely enthralled. That's defo worth the premium.
Everything I've heard so far suggests that this is a film for young girls. The structure, story line, ending, everything. So for families like yourself it might be worth it. Glad she enjoyed it :)
 
If you pay to watch this you are helping kill of cinemas, remember that.
They've been doing that to themselves for long enough as it is anyway. Closest ones to me are shocking.
 
Liu Yifei not going down too well in certain quarters due to her pro Beijing stance regards HK. Might have an effect on numbers watching.
 
If you pay to watch this you are helping kill of cinemas, remember that.

That's a little excessive.

Although maybe they should have gone the Bill & Ted 3 (US) route, in offering both options; as honestly, I think they'd have had more success:

"Hey, I could go and see this at the cinema, but that's actually quite expensive, and I could see it at home right now without all the faff."

vs.

"I'm not paying for a premium rental; I'll just wait until it's free."

It puts a different spin on it, and reframing it as an 'option' might have actually sold more Disney+ 'tickets'.

I doubt anybody has actually complained about having the 'option' to watch B&T3 at home, and in fact in the UK people are complaining that they have to wait for a cinema only release, and are not going to have the option to take the PVOD route if they choose to.

So Disney probably played this one wrong.
 
They've been doing that to themselves for long enough as it is anyway. Closest ones to me are shocking.
The one closest to me did get better although the sound quality was variable, so I went up west for bigger screens and better audio.
 
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That's a little excessive.

Although maybe they should have gone the Bill & Ted 3 (US) route, in offering both options; as honestly, I think they'd have had more success:

"Hey, I could go and see this at the cinema, but that's actually quite expensive, and I could see it at home right now without all the faff."

vs.

"I'm not paying for a premium rental; I'll just wait until it's free."

It puts a different spin on it, and reframing it as an 'option' might have actually sold more Disney+ 'tickets'.

I doubt anybody has actually complained about having the 'option' to watch B&T3 at home, and in fact in the UK people are complaining that they have to wait for a cinema only release, and are not going to have the option to take the PVOD route if they choose to.

So Disney probably played this one wrong.
\
Fair point but if the numbers are good for this why do a cinema release in the future, all the money goes directly to Disney no cut from the cinema chain. Also B&T3 was just a TV movie anyhow and not a good one at that.
 
Seems to be a polarising movie. I have always respected Cas's reviews and that of Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann, and they both did not like the move at all. As mentioned above, I might not be their target audience so I will wait until December.
 
Seems to be a polarising movie. I have always respected Cas's reviews and that of Jeremy Jahns and Chris Stuckmann, and they both did not like the move at all. As mentioned above, I might not be their target audience so I will wait until December.
Cas, Jeremy and Chris are reviewers I always read/listen to. I've not included their reviews here as this is Cas' personal review of the film. But I have placed them somewhere else ;)

The more I read about it, the more I want to watch the animation. So far the best word I've heard to describe this film is efficient. Watching it, that is how I would describe it as well. So far there's nothing particular wrong with it, but it has no soul. The sound track seems to be a Junkie XL amalgum of previous Disney sound tracks or Kung Fu Panda. The main actress doesn't seem to have much emotional range, no expression. As others have said, she is a cypher.

But it does have Jet Li and Donny Yen :thumbsup: Nuff Sed!

For a film designed to please the Chinese audience, it does seem to be going out of its way to please American ones.

Let's see how this goes.
 
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If you pay to watch this you are helping kill of cinemas, remember that.
Utter twaddle. Let's be clear about this, cinemas need NO help with their own suicide right now. That's coming from someone who's had a Cineworld Unlimited pass for the last four years and regularly spent an entire day cycling through three or four films while risking forty days and nights of stomach trouble by indulging in a hot dog. They're expensive and are increasingly falling back on gimmicks like 4DX, D-Box and Screen-X to get people into the building. Meanwhile there seems to be zero investment in basics like aligning projectors with the screen, making sure focus pulls properly in the shift from ads to movie, working air conditioning etc. All that came before Covid-19 and should have been addressed *years* ago.

If cinemas are to survive it ain't gonna be films being available day and date for home rentals that kill 'em. It'll be a fundamental failure to adapt and offer something *better* than sitting at home in front of a big HDR-capable TV and decent sound system. A few have started (mainly by copying what places like the Electric Cinema have offered for years, namely big comfy seats, proper food, at-seat service etc) and those changes shift it back into a proper 'event' that the home experience struggles to match. Offer something that makes people want to go there not just for the film but everything that goes around it. But if the only 'solution' offered is to point at home rentals as the tool of the devil... well, how did that work out for video rental shops when digital services came along?

While I really hope they figure this out and the big screen experience stays around this is *very* much a case of customer tastes changing and for the big cinema chains with huge buildings, equally huge rent bills and the cunning survival plan of charging £5+ for a sausage inna bun it's simple: Adapt or die.
 
Utter twaddle. Let's be clear about this, cinemas need NO help with their own suicide right now. That's coming from someone who's had a Cineworld Unlimited pass for the last four years and regularly spent an entire day cycling through three or four films while risking forty days and nights of stomach trouble by indulging in a hot dog. They're expensive and are increasingly falling back on gimmicks like 4DX, D-Box and Screen-X to get people into the building. Meanwhile there seems to be zero investment in basics like aligning projectors with the screen, making sure focus pulls properly in the shift from ads to movie, working air conditioning etc. All that came before Covid-19 and should have been addressed *years* ago.

If cinemas are to survive it ain't gonna be films being available day and date for home rentals that kill 'em. It'll be a fundamental failure to adapt and offer something *better* than sitting at home in front of a big HDR-capable TV and decent sound system. A few have started (mainly by copying what places like the Electric Cinema have offered for years, namely big comfy seats, proper food, at-seat service etc) and those changes shift it back into a proper 'event' that the home experience struggles to match. Offer something that makes people want to go there not just for the film but everything that goes around it. But if the only 'solution' offered is to point at home rentals as the tool of the devil... well, how did that work out for video rental shops when digital services came along?

While I really hope they figure this out and the big screen experience stays around this is *very* much a case of customer tastes changing and for the big cinema chains with huge buildings, equally huge rent bills and the cunning survival plan of charging £5+ for a sausage inna bun it's simple: Adapt or die.

Maybe you need to change your cinema venue why stay with them for years with an unlimited pass lol.
I never buy food from a cinema i go to tesco's over the road and take food in with me oh and cost £4.99 to watch a movie at all times.
Yes i agree with the projectors been out of focus i am constantly up to complain when a movie starts. One person is operating projectors with up to 12 screens in some cases even more in America.

So yea improvements can be made in my local cinema i do not go bad seating no surround sound i have to travel 1hr to a decent cinema but it's worth it.

You not satisfied go elsewhere problem solved.
 
good review Cas many thx will probably catch it when offered as part of my now paid for disney plus package.
Re the cinema, i dont go anymore, last 2 experiences were, complete power failure ending the show prematurely and threated to be given a good kicking for politely asking a group to stop using there phones, never seem to have either issue in my lounge.
 
This film is a weird dichotomy. The weakest part of the film is also the thing that provides the most interest. She's Wonder Woman (without the charm or empathy) at the start of the film. But this is culturally inappropriate for a woman in that society so she hides it. The inner conflict she faces by not being true to herself is the most interesting part of the film.

I was beginning to like her but then the film reminded me of its problems. Apparently in the original animation Mulan faces hardships and struggles while defeating the stereotypes with her intellect. This film however is "efficient" to a fault mainly because the main character has nowhere to go. She already "is"!

The moments in the barracks are funny, The battles are ok, if a little choppy and totally bloodless which renders them meaningless. I doubt that she had to do much training since there wasn't much real hand to hand fighting. Just lots of edited bits put together like an Olivier Megaton movie. To be fair it is not a bad film, certainly not as bad I thought it would be. But with a little thought, and less proselytising it could have been much better.

For a film designed to please the Chinese audience, it does seem to be going out of its way to please American ones.
"I am woman, hear me roar!". Isn't this getting a little old now? Real heroines don't need this tired old trope. For all its faults, Captain Marvel did this better.

I am a sucker for a happy ending though. A watchable kids movie when it becomes free on Disney+.

6/10

P.S. @Valen Jeremy was maybe a little harsh. It's a kids movie.
 
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You not satisfied go elsewhere problem solved.

That only works if there is a viable option in the vicinity.

Even in the city I live in there is precisely one out of about fifty cinemas I would go to as the rest are all trash. At one I used to go to I reported a mark on one of the screens and it was still there a year later. I never went back again. The cinema I do go to has only about 12-18 seats a screen as it is a premium cinema with recliner seats etc. I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford it, most people cannot and so they are left with a selection of absolutely crap screens at all of the other cinemas.

I used to work in a cinema for a couple of years when I was younger and can confirm the quality fifteen years later is truly shocking.
 
This film is a weird dichotomy. The weakest part of the film is also the thing that provides the most interest. She's Wonder Woman (without the charm or empathy) at the start of the film. But this is culturally inappropriate for a woman in that society so she hides it. The inner conflict she faces by not being true to herself is the most interesting part of the film.

I was beginning to like her but then the film reminded me of its problems. Apparently in the original animation Mulan faces hardships and struggles while defeating the stereotypes with her intellect. This film however is "efficient" to a fault mainly because the main character has nowhere to go. She already "is"!

There moments in the barracks are funny, The battles are ok, if a little choppy and totally bloodless which renders them meaningless. I doubt that she had to do much training since there wasn't much real hand to hand fighting. Just lots of edited bits put together like an Olivier Megaton movie. To be fair it is not a bad film, certainly not as bad I thought it would be. But it could have been much better.


"I am woman, hear me roar". Isn't this getting a little old now? Real heroines don't need this tired old trope. For all its faults, Captain Marvel did this better.

I am a sucker for a happy ending though. A watchable kids movie when it becomes free on Disney+.

6/10

P.S. @Valen Jeremy was maybe a little harsh. It's a kids movie.

It may be a kids movie, but it was sold as an epic for all ages no? On another subject, looking at your PC specs and VR, did you see the new NVidia cards? (RTX 3070 > 3080 especially). I have been waiting on a good card to upgrade my GTX1080 and they seem to be the ticket.
 
It may be a kids movie, but it was sold as an epic for all ages no?
Yeah, they lied.
On another subject, looking at your PC specs and VR, did you see the new NVidia cards? (RTX 3070 > 3080 especially). I have been waiting on a good card to upgrade my GTX1080 and they seem to be the ticket.
If they are anywhere near as good as Nvidia claim, there's going to be a lot of very unhappy Turin owners. Imagine buying a 2080Ti for around £1000, only for Nvidia to produce a £400 card that matches it and a £700 card that destroys it.
 
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This film is a weird dichotomy. The weakest part of the film is also the thing that provides the most interest. She's Wonder Woman (without the charm or empathy) at the start of the film. But this is culturally inappropriate for a woman in that society so she hides it. The inner conflict she faces by not being true to herself is the most interesting part of the film.

I was beginning to like her but then the film reminded me of its problems. Apparently in the original animation Mulan faces hardships and struggles while defeating the stereotypes with her intellect. This film however is "efficient" to a fault mainly because the main character has nowhere to go. She already "is"!

The moments in the barracks are funny, The battles are ok, if a little choppy and totally bloodless which renders them meaningless. I doubt that she had to do much training since there wasn't much real hand to hand fighting. Just lots of edited bits put together like an Olivier Megaton movie. To be fair it is not a bad film, certainly not as bad I thought it would be. But with a little thought, and less proselytising it could have been much better.


"I am woman, hear me roar!". Isn't this getting a little old now? Real heroines don't need this tired old trope. For all its faults, Captain Marvel did this better.

I am a sucker for a happy ending though. A watchable kids movie when it becomes free on Disney+.

6/10

P.S. @Valen Jeremy was maybe a little harsh. It's a kids movie.

Perhaps my expectations were different, living in a Mulan-loving household, I was expecting something insufferably whimsical, replete with unnecessary songs and talking animals.

Gong Li quickly reset those expectations, with the opening assault like something out of Crouching Tiger (only, yes, more suitable for my kids).

That being said, her character is also the reason many might label this like Cap Marvel.

I actually don't think Mulan is supposed to be super-powered at all, just really gifted (albeit almost preternaturally so, but also no more so than the arrow-catching and wall-running we see from plenty others).

But her conversations with Li muddy the waters in this respect (particularly the fact they draw comparisons to each other), which is a shame as I never saw the Marvel comparison, Brie's Marvel was a smug overpowered bore for me, never earning a single iota of her powers.

Mulan's just gifted (like the girl in CTHD), and I thought the "one warrior recognises another warrior" line hammered this home - a son would have also earned this merit, but it was impressive that a woman, in these times, could do so.
 
If you pay to watch this you are helping kill of cinemas, remember that.

Not only that but if you buy this you are also buying into a two tier rental model where Disney will put anything they can get away with behind an additional rental paywall in addition to the subscription fees. The service is pretty sparse as it is without having a premium tier with premium content like the Mandalorian requiring extra charges.
 
I thought the "one warrior recognises another warrior" line hammered this home - a son would have also earned this merit, but it was impressive that a woman, in these times, could do so.
That's a really good line. But a son automatically earning this without any right to do so would have been equally wrong. She's gifted but was not given the opportunity to show it. That's not necessarily a great arc. Saying that I did like the overall familial duty arc but there again she's arguably a cypher rather than a protagonist in her own story.
I actually don't think Mulan is supposed to be super-powered at all,
She has the Mulan equivalent of excessive Medichlorians from the ill fated Star Wars Prequels universe.
Brie's Marvel was a smug overpowered bore for me, never earning a single iota of her powers.
Yes but she was already an airforce pilot, so her attitude isn't out of place. So for me her character fitted well with the backstory they gave her. She was overpowered and I'm not quite sure why I don't have too much of an issue here. Of course in the last part of the film where she because Omega powered was a bit much but again for some strange reason it didn't bother me as much as it has in Star Wars and other films.
 
She was overpowered and I'm not quite sure why I don't have too much of an issue here. Of course in the last part of the film where she because Omega powered was a bit much but again for some strange reason it didn't bother me as much as it has in Star Wars and other films.
Actually I've just realised why Captain Marvel didn't bother me so much. It's probably why as shallow as Mulan is, her "chi" didn't totally alienate me from her and the film.

Both Captain Marvel and Mulan as told have agendas which end up being to the detriment of their respective character arcs. But there's no deliberate demeaning of men. Mulan has just as much respect for her male counterparts as they will eventually have for her. Just a story of a hero, her journey and the people she meets along the way.
 
If you pay to watch this you are helping kill of cinemas, remember that.

Times change. We all have good home cinema kit on here. Big screens, great sound, and we can watch things without adverts, without annoying people looking at their phones, without people continually ramming smelly food down their gullets, and on comfortable sofas with leg room.

If cinemas go the way of Pret then frankly I don't really care. Cinemas had their time. Covid just sped up their demise.
 

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