Mulan Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

A solid return to form for Disney's live-action remakes.

By Jack Pooley /

Disney

Following a six-month delay, Disney's live-action Mulan remake has finally been released, with the House of Mouse taking the unprecedented step of releasing the movie direct to Disney+ day-and-date for a premium fee.

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But beyond audience debates about Disney's pricing model for the blockbuster's VOD release - is it actually any good?

The answer, mercifully, is a solid "yes," for while Mulan 2020 is in no way superior to its beloved 1998 animated predecessor, it is a heartfelt reinterpretation of the original which avoids most of Disney's recent remake pitfalls.

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While hardly up there with the likes of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book, Mulan proves that there's still plenty of room to reinvent these classic tales in a way that doesn't just feel like a cynical cash-grab.

It may be imperfect, but it's mostly worth the hefty Disney+ asking price - or if you're more patient, you can just wait until it releases "free" for all Disney+ subscribers on December 4th.

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But before we lavish the praise, here's what doesn't work in Mulan...