#YOUTUBE REFLECTION MULAN MOVIE#

Sure, itРІР‚в„ўs the narrative machinery that drives MulanРІР‚в„ўs transformation, but it gets bogged-down and talky, and itРІР‚в„ўs not nearly as compelling as the characterРІР‚в„ўs ultimate acceptance of her undeniable inner strength.

#YOUTUBE REFLECTION MULAN MOVIE#

(Li also gets to wear the most fabulously ornate costumes, including ones inspired by XianniangРІР‚в„ўs ability to transform herself into a hawk.)Р”В«ut the movie loses some momentum when itРІР‚в„ўs about the actual nuts and bolts of the plot against the emperor. Despite her malevolent nature, she and Mulan have more in common than the young woman would like to admit, and the complicated and uncomfortably honest nature of their relationship gives the film an intriguing, feminist spark.

She also struggles to avoid the shapeshifting sorceress Xianniang (Gong Li), Bori KhanРІР‚в„ўs menacing right-hand woman who keeps finding her. In the tradition of gender-bending movies ranging from РІР‚Сљ YentlРІР‚Сњ to РІР‚СљJust One of the Guys,РІР‚Сњ Mulan must find convoluted ways to avoid changing clothes and showering in front of her fellow soldiers, including the handsome Honghui ( Yoson An), with whom she enjoys a verbal and physical spark. Instead, Mulan grabs his sword and rides her horse under cover of darkness, reporting for duty to the stern commander (Yen) with her hair tucked under a cap and her voice slightly lowered. MulanРІР‚в„ўs family has no sons, so her father-a wounded warrior himself-must join to maintain honor. When invaders led by the villainous Bori Khan ( Jason Scott Lee) threaten the emperor (Jet Li) years later, the imperial army fans out across China to amass soldiers to protect the palace, gathering one man from each family. Her father (Ma, as warm a presence here as he was in РІР‚Сљ The FarewellРІР‚Сњ) seems proud of his daughterРІР‚в„ўs plucky nature, but her mother ( Rosalind Chao) reminds her that РІР‚Сљa daughter brings honor through marriage.РІР‚Сњ A meeting with a matchmaker (the veteran Pei-Pei Cheng) that goes comically wrong is one of many indications that a traditionally servile, female path is not in MulanРІР‚в„ўs future. We first see the character as a playful, acrobatic young girl (played by Crystal Rao), climbing up and leaping across rooftops in her village to chase a chicken in a bit of foreshadowing of the action to come. The bones of РІР‚СљMulanРІР‚Сњ remain familiar, though. As gorgeous as the film is-the work of countless talented women behind the scenes, including cinematographer Mandy Walker and costume designer Bina Daigeler-itРІР‚в„ўs not quite the same watching it at home, even on a giant TV, even with an enthusiastic, movie-loving kid on the couch next to you.

One particular moment of solidarity and validation caused my heart to get caught in my throat, and itРІР‚в„ўs one of many instances that made me wish I was watching РІР‚СљMulanРІР‚Сњ in a packed theater. LiuРІР‚в„ўs performance might have been more powerful if sheРІР‚в„ўd been a bit more emotive, but the steeliness and physicality she displays make her a convincing fighter.Р”В¬aro is a perfect choice to helm this live-action РІР‚СљMulan,РІР‚Сњ having made her name nearly two decades ago with another story of a determined girl who dared to buck the patriarchy, 2002РІР‚в„ўs РІР‚Сљ Whale Rider.РІР‚Сњ Working from a script by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek, Caro interweaves the storyРІР‚в„ўs ancient poetic roots with Easter eggs from the 1998 animated film-although thereРІР‚в„ўs no wacky dragon sidekick, alas-but itРІР‚в„ўs very much its own artistic endeavor, and is by far the most effective and necessary of all the live-action remakes of DisneyРІР‚в„ўs animated catalog that weРІР‚в„ўve seen in recent years.Р”В¬aroРІР‚в„ўs take on the tale, as mainstream and family-friendly as it is, also carries the unmistakable spirit of the #MeToo movement: women standing up for themselves and each other and demanding that men hear and believe them. Just as important is the fact that she finds her voice over the course of this journey-a phenomenon specific to this character and this story, but one that couldnРІР‚в„ўt be more resonant for women of all ages watching all over the world, right now. At the center is the lovely Yifei Liu, whoРІР‚в„ўs called upon to show a great deal of range as Mulan transforms herself from brazen, impetuous rebel to mature, commanding leader.

Youtube reflection mulan