My Review of Mulan · 12:58am Dec 9th, 2020

Rating Scale:

12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made

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Hey there, folks! Here is my review of Disney’s Mulan! This is yet another classic Disney movie I can actually watch over and over and really enjoy. This is my fourth favorite Disney film of all time, and one of those classics that have a great story, plot, character growth, and nostalgia. Now, just to let you guys know, I have not watched the Mulan remake as of yet. Thus, I will not be making any comparisons between this original film and the remake. So here are my thoughts on this classic gem of the Renaissance Era:

1). The titular character herself is full of fun and charm. Not only is she a strong female character but also a very well-developed character at that. This story is about a young lady who sees that her father is too weak to fight in battle against the enemies of their homeland: the Huns. Thus, she disguises herself as a solider and travels to the Chinese army to fight in the battlefield to save her father. We see her struggles, her difficult situations, and how she had to adapt to a new environment around her. Everything she had accomplished ultimately brought honor to her family. I really love her character. Oh, and if I am to be completely honest... she is basically Rey but done right.

2). Let’s talk about Mushu! Guys, this little dragon is hilarious! If any movie in general has Eddie Murphy in it, you KNOW you’re in for a hilarious ride. His voice acting was top-notch, his humor was spot on, and his character was very entertaining to watch. He is one of the best parts of the whole film. I especially love his “DISHONOR ON YOU, DISHONOR ON YOUR COW!” line. It makes me laugh every time!

3). Shang is a good character as well. The thing I liked most about him is his determination and firmness to lead his men and to walk in his father’s footsteps. We see his relationship with Mulan (Ping) go from a low level to a high level especially after the revelation of her identity. He also has a sense of respect and honor as a warrior. Not once was he boring or generic. So I really enjoy watching him.

4). The animation is great (and it’s definitely not overdone just like its sequel), the soundtrack is goosebumps-inducing and epic (such as the villains’ theme), the editing is good, the voice acting is top-notch, the action is awesome, and the character designs look very impressive.

5).

Yep, this dude is a complete badass. Shang Yu is one of my favorite Disney villains of all time. In my opinion, he is criminally underrated as a villain, and deserves to get more spotlight and recognition. His character is so menacing and very intimidating; you can actually take him seriously and is not like those other Disney villains who are more high-minded, goofy, or even bombastic. He even doesn’t have a Disney song! Not every villain has to sing a villain song to get their motivation and point across. A simple personality with a dark presence, decent dialogue, a menacing design, and a good motivation is good enough. It’s good to have more evilly ecstatic villains like Scar, Jafar, and Ursula, but sometimes we need to take a break from such baddies and have some villains who have a no-nonsense attitude.

So Shan-Yu is awesome! Miguel Ferrer did an awesome job voicing him. It’s sad that he passed away in 2017. May he rest in peace.

I don’t really have many nitpicks at all with this film. It’s an awesome movie. My only issue is some of the minor characters being annoying and irritating. As for the supporting characters, these guys—