My Movie Review on Mulan (1998) · 6:28pm Nov 10th, 2019
Yo, what's up, my fantabulous friends?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
And, by golly! I'm at my 80th film review! I can hardly believe it myself, really.
I couldn't have picked a better film for this occasion either. For my 6th "Thanksgiving Treat" to you guys, I'm gonna be reviewing Disney's "Mulan".
Here's the summary of this tale:
Mulan is a girl who has a very independent spirit, and she's the only child of the Fa family. Sadly, she also has trouble trying to uphold the family honor, with her failure to please her village's matchmaker only adding to that.
However, when an army of Huns, lead by the malicious Shan-Yu, manage to infiltrate China's borders, the emperor takes immediate action by ordering that the army be ready and that recruits be assigned to help. One of which includes Mulan's father, Fa Zhou, whose health is weakening.
Fearing that her father wouldn't be able to last the war, Mulan decides to disguise herself as a man and take her father's place. To help her along the way, Mulan is accompanied by a fast-talking and rather eccentric dragon named Mushu, and his sidekick Cri-Kee the cricket.
How long will Mulan be able to keep up being a male recruit for the army? Will she be caught red-handed and bring dishonor to her family? And what's to stop the Huns from reaching the imperial city and killing the emperor?
I'd like to be honest with you guys:
THIS FILM IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST DISNEY FILMS I'VE EVER SEEN!!!
Everything about this movie is a masterpiece from start to finish.
For instance, the voice acting, casting, characters, and character development were all-out awesome! The dialogue that they were accompanied with, even if it's just the simplest of lines, was fantastic to boot.
Eddie Murphy and his character of Mushu were among the elements I couldn't help but highly admire. Murphy was literally born for the role of Mushu, because every step of the way, I found myself laughing. I love how Murphy was able to translate his animated comedic style into the character, and how much his voice really resonated. The amount of heart, personality, and development Mushu had throughout the film made the character all-the-more alive and lovable.
James Hong, I'd like to add, was also quite a scene-stealer, even though his character of Chi-Fu wasn't exactly the most lovable of characters.
Likewise, Miguel Ferrer gave an awesome performance as the character of Shan-Yu. Every line he was given, he delivered with a classic-villain feel and sense of personality. And the way he was able to throw himself into portraying the character was astounding. The character himself is quite an intimidating force to be reckoned with, and there's an undeniable sense of dimensionalism about him that's so intriguing.
Finally, the character of Mulan was a truly amazing protagonist. Among the most commendable things about Mulan is that she's brave, kind, loyal, independent, smart, and free-spirited. She puts the needs of others above her own, and when in the face of danger, she's definitely no damsel-in-distress. She's also relatable, because she wants to prove to herself that she's someone who's worth something and can do great things for the world. Ming-Na Wen did an incredible job portraying her character.
The rest of the vocal ensemble and characters, I'd like to add, were excellent too.
The direction by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, the story by Robert D. San Souci, and the screenplay by Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Rita Hsiao, Raymond Singer, and Eugenia Bostwick Singer, were fabulous with a capital 'F'.
The team was able to capture an emotional essence that didn't feel forced. Everything a character was feeling, the audience could feel too. And like I already said, the dialogue that they incorporated into the characters was stupendous.
Additionally, the humor that the team put into the film was laugh-out-loud hilarious! Every joke landed with stunning timing and execution, and they gave the film a sense of fun and wit.
The animation that was created for the film was breathtaking. I found myself noting that the visualization was like that of a watercolored painting, with an added sense of realism and wonder. The intricate detail and colors that the animation had, as a plus, is powerful enough to have audiences feel like they're inside the movie itself. The computer animation that was used for the charging Hun army, and the crowd in the imperial city, was outstandingly accomplished too.
Finally, the music score that was created by Jerry Goldsmith, and the songs that were made by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel, were melodiously divine. Whoever said that the film's songs were unmemorable must literally lack a brain, because I thought that they were the opposite of that. They were fun, especially because they were undeniably full of heart and wit. For example, the song "True to Your Heart" was enjoyable enough to dance to and upload to your music app, and Stevie Wonder's singing chops for the song were top-notch too. As a plus, Goldsmith's work as composer of this film is quite likely the best he's ever done. Unique even for a Disney film. He incorporated a majestic instrumental Chinese rhythm with an added cinematic-feel.
In conclusion, "Mulan" is what I happily classify as one of Disney's crowing jewels, and from what I've read, one of Disney's most underrated as well. The vocal performances and dialogue are fabulous, the animation is wonderful, the music is stupendous, everything!
So, I rate Disney's "Mulan" a solid five out of five stars.
I certainly hope that the upcoming live-action remake that's set to be released on March 27, 2020 surprises me in terms of sheer awesomeness, because I'd be disappointed if Disney didn't do so.
I hope the live action is good
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Same here.
I haven't seen Mulan.
This movie is in my sister's top 2 and my top 5.
Really love this film! You plan on doing Mulan 2 next?
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Maybe. I’ve never seen it, but I’m not sure if I want to considering the negative reputation it has.
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But on the bright side, Mulan and Shang formally get married!
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True.
I’ll probably see the film for myself someday to be my own judge of it.
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Mulan 2, while not as good as the first, is...better than most of the direct-to-video Disney sequels. You know, I wonder what the reviews will say for the live action remake
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Here’s my review on the sequel, in case you’re interested:
My Movie Review on Mulan II