Mulan

After Disney’s 1998 animated feature of the same title, here comes the live action period piece of the legendary Chinese folk heroine Mulan, who disguises herself as a soldier (as you do) in order to defend her nation and bring honour to her family.
Mulan (Wei Zhao) is a young woman from a military family without a male heir who – as flashbacks demonstrate – already was a bit of a tomboy in her childhood. So, when the emperor issues a decree that all families in the Northern Provinces must defend their home turf against intruding Rouran barbarians, it’s little wonder that Mulan – now a grown up – sees her chance to play tomboy once again. Only this time round the playtime has turned very serious indeed and results in an epic that has battle after battle roll across the screen. She enlists in the army in order to prevent her aging father from having to face the horrors of the battlefield and her remarkable courage and understanding of war tactics gradually see her promoted to the position of a general. Only her love for one of her fellow generals, Wentai, brings everyone in danger, as an emotional attachment could cause defeat during battle.

Boasting stunning costumes and landscapes, not to mention atmospheric settings and action galore, the film seems to have all the right ingredients. Unfortunately, it is seriously flawed by the fact that Wei Zhao’s ‘Mulan’ is not for one second believable in her male disguise as General Hua. Her voice is soft-spoken and feminine even when she/he shouts orders on the battlefield, while her facial features, body height and especially her delicate hands wouldn't fool an idiot that this General is of the opposite sex! Whether the story is based purely on folklore or has some truth to it is irrelevant. What is relevant is that here is a story that makes it difficult to care about because its main character is non-believable. Then again, if you are able to see beyond that, Mulan delivers good entertainment that you can enjoy in the safe environment of your living room and with a bowl of Bami Goreng to tuck into.
The ‘two-disc Ultimate Edition DVD’ has an array of Extras on disc 2, and the ‘Single disc release’ has the movie and some extras. Language is Mandarin with English subtitles.