Mulan finds a way to offend just about everyone. Are you a feminist? Prepare to be disappointed by the film’s simplistic idea of empowerment. Do you consider yourself to be a champion of human rights? Then you will no doubt be incensed at Disney’s wilful ignorance of mass atrocities. Or maybe you’re simply a fan of the movies? Good luck with director Niki Caro’s impersonal take on the material.
While the artistic merit of Disney’s live-action remakes has always been questionable — their existence can be attributed more to Hollywood’s condescension towards Chinese audiences than any creative reasons — these movies also appear to be getting consistently blander. In what should be seen as a slap on Disney’s face, Mulan was roundly rejected by China when it released theatrically over there, hopefully putting an end to the West’s incursions into that market.