Been always a fan of Historical epic films, so was with quite big expectations that I was awaiting the 2020 Disney Mulan's life action.
In my memory there was still the vivid and fun images of the original Disney animation film (1998) and more recently from the Chinese action version of 2009 (Mulan: Rise of a Warrior from director Jingle Ma, whose actress Zhao Wei won several best actress awards due to this film).
So, where does a film with all to go right goes wrong?... The plot, for starting, transformed Mulan in some type of "magical girl" instead of a determined young woman, that wants to save her father from a certain death and deep down wants as well bring honour to the Hua family, her family.
Legends and specially myths have always in it some magical features, added here and there throughout the ages, wile they are told generation after generation, but Mulan deserved a bit more than that.
(and... c'mon a Disney version without the dragon Mushu?! Shame!)
Unfortunately, the new Disney film came out surrounded by polemics, from the bad acceptance in China (people even mock the film), to "suspicious" of some kind of political propaganda in the west causing people to want to boycott it.
Fortunately, for me, I watched it before knowing much about the above issues, sometimes is better, so we are more aware of other things in the film. But even so it did not make it sparkle in my eyes. I classify it as a "lame version", a pretend to be cool film in a somewhat wǔshù style sprinkled with glitter all over.