Mulan Teaser...worth watching?

[Coolboy]

I thought about putting this in the movie thread, but seeing how this movie (in it's original form) became a link in a "causation chain" that brought me eventually to Asia and Hong Kong, I thought a thread of its own might be worthwhile. Disney has just released the teaser for the Mulan live adaptation of their original animation. Do you think it will actually be worth seeing?



Funny thing about Mulan, I met my wife through it all those years ago. We weren't dating then, we just met up to watch it because of our shared interest in Asian culture (I still remember my father's admonishment on wasting my time studying for a minor in a "useless subject" like Asian Studies back in college), we only officially dated years later, but Mulan in retrospect was the start of our relationship. I did minor in Asian Studies, and what seem like a useless minor turned to be an asset when my knowledge of the region made my employer to picked me to go to the region and eventually landing in HK.

Speaking of the movie, it looks interesting, a bit different from the animation. I actually like the difference, otherwise why bother watching essentially the same movie with real actors? The Disney live action remakes have done better when it can stand on it's own (i.e Cinderella (2015) directed by Kenneth Brangh had no songs and a different time period). In contrast, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin seems just like a mere rehash of the original animation, nothing new or innovative there.

Of course, Disney did not invent Mulan (her full name is Hua Mulan), but it originated as a ballad traced to the Northern Wei period of 386 to 534 AD. The Disney film was true in keeping to the essential basic frame of the story (Mushu I am afraid, was not in the original). In the context of Chinese wuxia literature (martial art novels), it is not that radical or feminist, there is a parallel universe, the "jianghu" where traditional restrictions on female's place in society are loosen and relaxed, where female characters are strong and powerful.

The actress playing Mulan here is Liu Yifei. Western audience may have seen her in the Jackie Chan and Jet Li movie "Forbidden Kingdom", but she is familiar with Chinese audience where she has starred in many TV series and movies. She is known as a "女神" (nushen), translated literally as a "goddess". In this case, this is not meant as a reference to an actual deity, but as a way to describe a female posessing ethreal beauty. Not slutty or sexualized but refined and pure, giving an air of elegance and great intelligence. Liu is known for those nushen roles:




Liu shot to fame in China playing "Xiao Long Nu" in the wuxia series "Return of th Condor Hero":



She has been criticized in China playing these one-note goddess characters, but does she have it what it takes to play Mulan? What do you think?

[Plutark]

I hope she's not going to be on the same level as the other chinese actresses in the past few blockbusters (Kong Skull Island, Independence Day 2 etc....), they are so bland you can swap any of them and you get the same (non) performance.

[si0001]

I watched the earlier Chinese version of Mulan (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1308138...5?ref_=nv_sr_5) years ago, that was pretty good.

If this one matches up to that one then I'd watch it. Maybe not pay to watch it in the cinema but certainly on a flight or something.

[si0001]

As for the actress Liu Yifei, from what I've seen her in, she is an average actress or perhaps the roles I've seen her in are just fairly one-dimensional. Wouldn't have been my choice to play Mulan but I believe her ability to speak english factored into the casting decision.

[shri]

@Coolboy that was almost a term paper

[Coolboy]

@Coolboy that was almost a term paper

My apologies. But since the movie had an impact on my life, I felt a need to explain it a little more.

[Coolboy]

As for the actress Liu Yifei, from what I've seen her in, she is an average actress or perhaps the roles I've seen her in are just fairly one-dimensional. Wouldn't have been my choice to play Mulan but I believe her ability to speak english factored into the casting decision.

I heard she has been criticized for the same thing by Chinese audience too. But like you said, her fluency in English (she holds an American citizenship) does help a lot. Hopefully we can see her express more emotions than simply the refined "goddess" roles she is known for.

I will say this, she does have ample experience in wuxia film and tv series, that should help her with the martial arts action.

[si0001]

There are worse things in life than watching a pretty girl kick guys in the face.

[Andy SNK]

My apologies. But since the movie had an impact on my life, I felt a need to explain it a little more.

should sell your story to Disney and they will make another movie and you will count dollar, man!!
don't forget to buy us here some round of beers when it launches

[Coolboy]

should sell your story to Disney and they will make another movie and you will count dollar, man!!
don't forget to buy us here some round of beers when it launches

Hehehe. If making a buck can be that easy...