Mulan (2020)
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A warrior's daughter must disguise herself as a man to protect her father and save her people from an invading army.
The story
In Imperial China, Hua Mulan is an adventurous girl whose unconventional nature often disappoints her parents. When an imperial decree demands every family provide one man to fight the invading Rouran army, Mulan's father, a veteran with a crippled leg, is forced to enlist. Realizing he cannot survive the conflict, Mulan flees with his armor and weapons to take his place. She joins a training camp under Commander Tung, where she must maintain her disguise as a man while training alongside other recruits. As the Rouran forces advance, Mulan must navigate the dangers of war and the complexities of her secret identity to protect her family and her country.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Imperial China, Mulan is an adventurous girl whose parents hope she will marry a good husband. When an imperial decree demands one man from each household to fight the Rouran army, Mulan's father, who has a crippled leg, is forced to enlist. Mulan takes his place, disguising herself as a man. She trains under Commander Tung and becomes a skilled soldier. During a battle, she is confronted by the witch Xianniang, who mocks her disguise. Mulan eventually reveals her identity to Tung after a skirmish and is expelled from the army. However, she learns that the Rouran's true plan is to capture the Emperor. She returns to her unit to warn them and eventually leads them to the Emperor's palace. During the final battle, Xianniang sacrifices herself to save Mulan from an arrow. Mulan defeats the Rouran leader, Böri Khan, and saves the Emperor. She is offered a place in the Emperor's guard but chooses to return home. She is eventually reunited with her family and presented with a new sword by an emissary from the Emperor.
- First release year
- 2020
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Mandarin
- Directors
- Niki Caro
- Writers
- Rick Jaffa · screenplay; Amanda Silver · screenplay; Lauren Hynek · screenplay; Elizabeth Martin · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Liu Yifei · Mulan; Donnie Yen · Commander Tung; Jason Scott Lee · Böri Khan; Yoson An · Chen Honghui; Gong Li · Xianniang; Jet Li · The Emperor of China; Tzi Ma · Hua Zhou; Rosalind Chao · Hua Li
- Genres
- fantasy; action; drama
- Themes
- identity; tradition vs. individuality; sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- epic; action-packed
- Setting
- Imperial China
- Premise and plot tags
- martial arts; war; fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Chinese folklore story Ballad of Mulan
- Franchise connections
- Mulan
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from Western, non-Asian critics, but received unfavorable reviews from fans of the original animated film, Chinese diaspora, and Chinese critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 72% · scale: percentage · review count: 329; Metacritic · score: 66 · scale: 100 · review count: 52
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · costume design · 93rd · nomination; Academy Awards · visual effects · 93rd · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the most expensive film ever directed by a woman.; The character of the villain, Böri Khan, is based on Shan Yu from the animated film.; The character of the witch, Xianniang, is based on Hayabusa from the original film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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