Mulan (2019)

This live-action remake of the 1998 original has become immensely popular since it's release in march 2020. It follows the incredible journey of a young, adventurous woman living in the harsh, cruel world of historic China. When news of a raging war hits Mulan's town, she secretly takes her father's place as a soldier, and is forced to conceal her femininity and fight in her father's place as a strong male.

While the original version of Mulan heavily features a strong aspect of romance and love, this version is not centered at all around a love story. Instead, it shows the power and the courage that Mulan possesses as she fights as a female warrior in amongst a hateful world of male dominance. There are 2 main female characters in this striking film; Mulan and the ''witch''. The 'witch' is portrayed as the supposed antagonist of the film and her powers are illustrated as that of witchcraft. However, if you examine her character, she has been oppressed, manipulated and exploited, heavily contributing to her seemingly inhuman and bitter persona. It can be argued that because of her gender, her powers are not thought of as superior chi, but witchcraft, highlighting the immense gender inequality that raged through China during Mulan's lifetime. Both Mulan and the 'witch' are empowering and inspirational protagonists, making a much needed breakthrough of the stereotypes that surrounded and still surround women like Mulan.

However, I felt that this film seemed to lack the warmth that I remember so vividly in the original Mulan. There was far less of comedy as there was in the original which made Mulan's character slightly harder to relate to. But this remake is not trying to be the same as the original and has taken the storyline and made a completely different account of the traditional Chinese folktale. While the two films are very different, they share a common moral; follow your heart and never be ashamed of who you really are.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this film to families who enjoy engaging and powerful films with a prominent message entwined within them. ENJOY!