Top 5 Reasons The Mulan Trailer Has Us Excited
This remake might bring honor to us all. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 5 Reasons the New Mulan Trailer Has Us Excited.
For this list, we’re dissecting the official trailer for the 2020 live-action “Mulan” remake.
#5: The Music
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Now here’s the thing. We were the first people to say ‘WE WANT REFLECTION, WE NEED I’LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU!’ when this remake was first announced, but this trailer has us eating our words.. We’ll cover this more later, but “Mulan” seems to be taking a risk and shifting to a more serious tone - one where the characters singing ballads in between the action might not make the most sense. Based on the trailer - and we hope this indicates what we’ll hear in the finished product - the instrumentation will still have references to the iconic songs from the 1998 film though. We’re STILL crying at those hints of “Reflection.” We’re honestly really impressed Disney isn’t trying to do a shot-for-shot recreation for this, which they have relied on a bit too much in the past.
#4: There’s New Villain
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In the 1998 film, Mulan and the rest of China must face the threat of the Huns, led by Shan Yu, striking fear into the hearts of everyone he meets - audience included - with his piercing orange eyes, falcon companion, and merciless attitude. Though it looks as though we’re getting a version of Shan Yu in 2020, this time named Bori Khan, the main antagonist Mulan must face is a witch named Xian Lang. Able to shapeshift - and unafraid to also be in the thick of a battle - Xian Lang seems to also know Mulan’s true identity. There appear to be indications that there’s a more complex relationship between hero and villain this time around, and it’s a change we’re super excited to see unfold.
#3: The Cast Looks Made for These Roles
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The second you cast Jet Li as the Emperor of China, you’ve done something right. The cast is in fact comprised of several martial artists other than Jet Li, though, including Donnie Yen, who’s playing Commander Tung, and Jason Scott Lee as Bori Khan. Some characters have been added or changed obviously, such as Mulan’s new sister, but the relationships between Mulan and her family, as well as the dynamics within the army seem to be intact. This remake does show that Disney listened when called out for lack of diversity, which is already a step in the right direction. Plus, having martial artists on the cast list indicates that we’re in for some excellent battle sequences from people who know how it’s done.
#2: It’s Beautifully Shot
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We’ve touched on this a bit already, but Disney has some tough critics when it comes to its live-action remakes. What to change and what not to change varies from project to project, but most can agree the adaptations literally pale in comparison to their animated counterparts. It’s hard to compete with the color palette that can be drawn by hand or by computer - but darn if we aren’t entranced by the spectrum of shades we see in this trailer. From the makeup and costumes to the sweeping locations, director Niki Caro has taken great care to make a beautiful movie, but one that doesn’t skimp on the action, either.
#1: It Looks Closer to the Myth
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Now, here’s what we know: the crux of the 1998 film remains the same, that Mulan, soon to be married off, takes her father’s place in the army to save him from almost certain death. But the marketing seems very intent to also mention that this remake’s screenplay is based on “The Ballad of Mulan.” A couple of shots seem to confirm this - Hua Mulan, NOT Fa Mulan, is clearly very good with a sword, which makes more sense when paired with the source material. She was trained to fight with a sword, bow and arrow, as well as in martial arts, but has since been occupied with toiling at her loom (which we see in the trailer). We’ll have to wait until March 27th to see where this new film takes Hua Mulan, but we can’t WAIT for the surprises in store.
