Mulan (花木蘭) is set to be released on September 4th on Disney+. I do not know how it will be released in the rest of the world. The movie is based on an folklore character from Zhong Guo.
The movie was originally set for release in March, but the Covid-19 pandemic set it back to July. But US recovery has been slower than the rest of the world and it was push back to August. Eventually, it was taken off the release cycle completely. About a week or so ago, Disney decided to release it through its Disney+ platform for a fee.
If you've had any time to go through my blog post through the years, I watch a lot of stuff from Taiwan and Zhong Guo. Recently, the stuff out of Zhong Guo has had some stand outs. In any given year, I am watching 10-20 movies and/or dramas out of Taiwan or Zhong Guo. I particularly love watching all the Jin Yong (Louis Cha) remakes through the years. I get to keep in touch with my heritage along with trying to keep my Mandarin language skills sharper.
When I watch the Mulan trailers, I am particularly disappointed. Because it feels like it did not come out of Zhong Guo. Just goto your Netflix and bring up trailers for God of War (movie), Eternal Love (drama), or Double World (movie). All three "ancient" series have a distinct feel. Mulan does not have that feel. If anything, it makes me feel like it is an offshoot of The Forbidden Kingdom (功夫之王). A movie made with an Asian cast, but does not feel like it would have come out of Asia.
I will be watching this movie to support it, because it does have an Asian cast. I do not think it helps with diversity much in Hollywood because the setting is not in the US. And it uses all the "Asian" stereotypes in the trailer. I don't know about you, I haven't seen "honor" show up in any of the stuff I watch from Taiwan and Zhong Guo recently. And I spend 75% or more of time watching Mandarin language stuff since quarantine started.
I will support Mulan, but I don't expect it to be very good. Maybe it will surprise me. I hope so because I watch movies to to entertain me, not to depress me.
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