Mulan (2020): 8.5/10
What a superb film. I have never seen the animated version and was considering watching it before this film just so I understood what the crux of the story was but I decided against it. I love the original Aladdin, Lion King and Beauty and the Beast and as good as the live action versions were the cartoons were better and I wanted to appreciate this film for what it was. I loved it for two reasons. Firstly they did a fantastic job of bringing the culture and time period to life but secondly, and what makes the film special, is that it had meaning. Even though it is Disney and aimed more at a child audience they managed to convey that undertone of loyalty and honour that you see in films like Gladiator and The Last Samurai and in this instance it was even more relevant given the culture and society. No matter what stands in your way, a true heart will keep on fighting. I loved it. The only criticism if I had one is the length of the film. I know it is hard given the target audience but I would have gladly seen another 40 mins added to it to make it a 2hr 30 mins film like The Last Samurai. It deserves it and I would have enjoyed seeing the world, culture and characters padded out a bit more. As it is though, great story, great characters, fantastic costumes and choreography. I just wish I could have seen it at the cinema. I think it is going to do well either way though. The Chinese love stuff like this and it is going to make a fortune in China even if it tanks in the rest of the world (like The Great Wall
)