Here's What the Critics Have to Say About Disney's Live Action Remake of 'Mulan'!

At LONG last (and we mean long, long last), after a nearly six-month delay due to the pandemic, Mulan has finally arrived! The live action remake launched on Disney+ today for Premier Access, and will be available to all Disney+ subscribers without an additional fee on December 4th.

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While Mulan may not be in theaters, that didn’t stop the critics from chiming in! Let’s see what they had to say about the latest Disney live action remake!

One of the over-arching observations across many of the reviews is that the film is truly a sight to behold, and a shame that audiences will not see it in theaters. As The Hollywood Reporter‘s opening line mentions, “Moviegoers lost out on the chance to partake in an infinite visual feast.” AllEars film critic Jeanine Yamanaka agrees, pointing out that it is “a pity not to see these grand martial arts battles and sweeping backgrounds on a big screen.”

Despite the lack of a large movie screen at everyone’s disposal, many of the critics pointed out that much of the film’s cinematography still translated on smaller screens at home. The Wall Street Journal noted that sequences in the film were “beautifully shot,” and the New York Times praises director Niki Caro for how she “handles both intimacy and action capably.”

Another common critique was that critics wanted to see more of Mulan’s character, as they felt that so much was crammed into the film story-wise, that it lacked depth in its characters. Rolling Stone commented that the film “doesn’t dig deep enough to do its heroine justice,” and The Hollywood Reporter mentions, “the script gives [Yifei Liu] no depth and no meaningful relationships to work with.”

Other critics had much praise to offer Liu. Entertainment Weekly pointed out that she “brings a quiet-storm serenity to the title role, tumbling through her battle scenes with balletic grace and deftly anchoring the more personal moments.”

Several critics were very intrigued by the new character Xianniang. The New York Times noted that her character was “the movie’s most vibrant creation.” Our own AllEars’ Jeanine Yamanaka mentions how Xianniang is “easily one of the most interesting characters” in the film.

Some critics seemed to be in agreement that the film gets an A for effort in terms of being a departure from Disney live action remakes in recent years. Vulture noted that, “Mulan at least has more going on in terms of creative vision and getting beyond the lure of nostalgia,” and Variety praised director Niki Caro’s “whirlwind approach invites repeat viewing, serving up clean, elegant imagery destined to have a far longer shelf life than such disposable Disney offerings as ‘Dumbo’ and ‘Alice and in Wonderland.'”