Mulan (2009)

Mulan (花木蘭/Hua Mu Lan) is a November 2009 Mainland Chinese film depicting the adventures of Mulan - minus the talking Mushu and the partying ancestral spirits. It stars Vicky Zhao Wei, Chen Kun, Hu Jun, Jaycee Chan (Jackie Chan's son!!), Liu Yu Xing, Nicky Li Jiu Zhe, and Vitas. The summary is as follows and is largely taken from here, with the exception of the italicised word which I edited myself (the synopsis off of Wiki includes some spoilers, though shorter in length):

In Northern Wei Dynasty, little Mulan (Xu Jiao) has ambition to become a soldier fighter for his kingdom one day. However, since she is a girl she is not permitted to join the army. As a grown up Mulan (Vicki Zhao Wei) suddenly finds an opportunity when his retired soldier father Hua Hu (Yu Rong Guang) gets drunk and soon she dresses as a male army and takes over his place.

After entering the army barracks, Mulan has to undergo harsh and intensive training, making herself courageous and soon win the respect of the battalion’s Vice Commander, Wentai (Chen Kun). During the training session Mulan meets up with her childhood friend, Xiao Hu (Jaycee Chan). One day Wentai suspects there’s a woman among the male army troops and a strip search is required.

In order to avoid her identity to be exposed to everyone Mulan finally reveals her real identity to Wentai after she confessed of stealing the jade pendant. Her punishment is execution but is later released when the Rouran tribe invades the kingdom for tin and iron. Mulan’s first real battle ends with a success and soon she is promoted to be the Vice Commander and always fight the battle along with Wentai.

It is friendship at first for Mulan and Wentai but later turns into romance for both of them. The Rouran tribe then strikes back with a stronger army under the leadership of Modu (Hu Jun). The attack arrives unexpectedly and the Wei’s army is significantly reduced and Mulan now faces the toughest battle of her life. She must choose whether to surrender her kingdom to Rouran or sacrifice her love for the sake of her kingdom…

I remember Disney's Mulan. I thought it was rather cute and funny, entertaining, and it touched upon war but honestly? It was obvious that it was aiming towards a younger audience. So when I heard of this new movie coming out and saw the trailer, I decided that it was definitely more realistic. :) Not to mention I know that Zhao Wei's a good actress. And so I watched it once I saw it online - and I dragged my sister along as well. She actually (initially) kept on comparing it with Disney's Mulan. I have to admit, it was good. Real good - I greatly enjoyed it. It wasn't a blood bath nor was it absolutely devoid of the gore and grit of war, but it portrayed it fairly well (not that I've ever been to war, but as far as I know, it was a good reenaction of it). In addition to that, it also played out the psychological aspects of it as well as separating emotion away from warfare. There was a good deal of it dedicated to Mulan's struggle between her female 'need' to express emotion and what she had to do. At this point, I should also say that there are some humorous lines... of course, I find humor in some of the most morbid of things, so it may just be me. ;)

Although there's no historical proof that Mulan actually existed, this movie certainly made it realistic enough. Of course, there was some romance in there but a lot of it was inhibited due to war and one's duty. There was a lot of that actually; the ideas of duty, sacrifice, patriotism, and the 'greater good' came up quite a bit. I admit I was touched and there was a moment in there where I felt like my friend who I met in China; she had announced, most impressed, that she was proud to be Chinese whilst we were trekking on the Great Wall. I was all gung-ho for the Wei to win as well. ^^ HOWEVER, I enjoyed this movie for its realism and realism you'll get - the ending isn't a clear-cut, Disney-styled happy ending. My sister learned that soon enough and she was sniffling like mad starting from halfway through the film and ended up having to blow her nose at least five times. She also repeatedly asked me if she had to watch it and made frequent trips to the restroom. Anyway, aside from the content, the acting, and the reaching-across-to-the-audience, there were other factors that lead me to watch it. First off, Jackie Chan's son is in it. I knew he had a son, but I didn't really know much more than that so I was curious. Second of all, Nicky Li's in it too - his Xiang Tai Duo/想太多 is a classic! Third point: Vitas (aka the Russian dude whose Chinese isn't all that bad) has a set of impressive vocal cords and I give him props for that. Even though his lines in the film are limited.

You can watch it on DramaCrazy.