Mulan (2020) [Film Review]

Mulan; or, A Love Letter to the PRC
Your Chi is strong, Mulan. The Chi is for warriors, not daughters. Soon you will be a young woman and it is time for you to hide your gift away.
The second week of September, 2020 is the Mulan week! After months of postponing the release due to the outbreak, the live-action adaptation of a legend about everybody’s favorite princess finally saw the light of day on Disney+. In spite of mixed opinions and the drama war concerning fake reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, I was very much hopeful about Mulan, and I checked it out with an open heart… Well, the movie turned out to be painfully mediocre.

Release Info

Directed by: Niki Caro Starring: Liu Yifei, Yoson An, Donnie Yen, Gong Li

Language: English Runtime: 120 min

Synopsis
The Rouran tribes under the leadership of Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee) are attacking the Northern parts of China. The Emperor (Jet Li) orders a nationwide draft into the army that will ward off the Rourans. Soon after, the recruitment instructions arrive to a village where the Hua family lives. Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma) is a proud father of two daughters but he is too sick to participate in the war, yet he obediently accepts the royal order. His daughter, Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei), steals his armour, sword, and horse under the cover of the night. Pretending to be a man, she joins the division led by Commander Tung (Donnie Yen). During her quest, Mulan will have to face not only the Rourans but also struggle with her feelings to Honghui (Yoson An) and battle a mysterious witch known as Xianniang (Gong Li).

#NotMyMulan
I saw Mulan a couple of days ago and wrote my original thoughts about the film on MDL feeds. Initially, I had no intention of writing a review (because even though the film has an all-Asian cast, it was not made by Asians at all), but the more I kept thinking about the film, the more I wanted to elaborate upon my first impressions.

So, I wrote at the beginning of this text that I find Mulan to be painfully mediocre. By saying this, I do not mean that the movie is technically bad, but the executions of many aspects left me pretty underwhelmed. For instance, the opening scenes already establish the fact that Mulan is already a perfect warrior while being a child; therefore, there is no progression of her character. In addition, the screenplay cuts corners at the most important plot-points of the narrative: Mulan has no sidekick (where’s my Mushu!), there is no dramatic reveal of her identity, and she does not single-handedly save the day in the film’s finale. In consequence, where the 1998 animation was pouring heart and passion into each scene, the live-action movie just tries get through the plot without any aim of providing entertainment.

The best example of the film’s blandness is the Matchmaker scene. The sequence in the animation is so much fun, but in the film, everything feels forced and awkward. But hey, at least I recognised Cheng Pei-Pei through heavy make-up (To be honest, she would have been the perfect choice for the grandma character who, similarly to Mushu, was also removed from this version).

That being said, I am not saying that there is not anything I liked about the film. Liu Yifei did not convince me as Mulan, but I was full on board with her performance when she was pretending to be guy. The actress did a good job as Mulan undercover, but as Mulan Mulan… so-so. I also welcomed the presence of Donnie Yen in golden armour. Though he does not do much fighting, his character just loves talking about honour.

Another thing I noticed is shoddy CGI. I do not consider myself to be a demanding viewer, so if I could spot that the background of many outdoors scenes is fake, then you can as well. For a big budget production from Disney, the special effects seem to have been made without an effort.

Recommendations
All things considered, Mulan is yet another Hollywood’s attempt (after the Star Wars sequels) to buy their way into the Chinese market. The best thing about making these movies in accordance with PRC’s rulebook is that China does not care at all about blockbusters from the West. In 2020, they commissioned not one, not two, but three of their own live-action Mulan movies, plus an animation, and two dramas. In addition, the controversy surrounding Disney's Mulan also has to be addressed, especially the disputable remarks of the main actress and more than questionable shooting locations. So… if you want to experience Mulan at her glory, then I suggest coming back to the 1998 animation or checking out the 2009 movie.Overall score: 5/10

Note: All the images come from the official trailer.

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#Alive (2020) [Film Review]

#Alive; or, An Ode to Self-isolation
     I should have gone shopping, just like you told me, mom!
Korean cinema is on the roll with zombie movies. After Train to Busan movies and Kingdom drama, we now get #Alive, a survival thriller directed by Cho Il Hyung and starring Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye in the leading roles.

Release Info

Directed by: Cho Il Hyung Starring: Yoo Ah In, Park Shin Hye

Language: Korean Original Title: #살아있다 Runtime: 98 min

Synopsis
Oh Joon Woo (Yoo Ah In) is a typical Korean gamer with high-tech stuff and too much time on his hands. He lives with his parents and sister. One day, he wakes up and finds a note left by his mother. When he turns on the TV, news anchors are talking about the outbreak of an unknown virus. All of a sudden, Oh Joon Woo’s apartment complex turns into chaos as other inhabitants transform into vicious monsters and start attacking each other. Stranded in an apartment, Oh Joon Woo gradually loses hope for rescue. Suddenly, he discovers that he is not the only survivor...

Running Out of Time
I have heard about #Alive movie a couple of months ago, when reading the box office statistics from the Asian market. On top of that, many users on MDL eagerly shared their thoughts on the film. Needless to say, I had to check this one out, especially in view of the fact that Peninsula (2020) came out just recently.

To be honest, I was surprised at how good this movie is. It starts in a low-key way, but the suspense build up just kept me glued to the TV screen. One could argue that zombie flicks are too clichéd and cheesy, but #Alive provides a much needed breath of fresh air, harking back to such classics about lone survivors as The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).

All the more I cannot understand the bad rap this movie gets. People write in their reviews that it is boring, unrealistic, and too short. What? Have we seen the same movie? Of course, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I totally understand that people have their own preferences and attention spans, but the movie (with its clever screenplay and nicely done effects) certainly got my blood pumping.

The things I definitely have to praise are the following: great zombie design (way more vivid than in Train to Busan), catchy synthwave music score, out of the blue jump scares, and great performances of the main leads. Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye, who totally nailed it as people trying to escape from the zombie hellhole.

However, there were about two moments in the entire film which seemed a bit too hokey to me. Not getting into the spoilers area, allow me to say that at times the hero is protected by nothing more than plot armour. In my opinion, this is the only disadvantage of #Alive.

Recommendations
If you like zombie horrors, and (most importantly), if you like Yoo Ah In, then I recommend the film. Watching it has been an invigorating experience. I strongly hope that director Cho Il-hyung and writer Matt Naylor will come up with more exciting stuff in the future.
Overall score: 8/10

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In the Line of Duty 4 (1989) [Film Review]

In the Life of Duty 4; or, Someone to Watch Over Me
     We can't be responsible for her emotional state. You know what, Yeung? You are too sentimental. Luk is lying there because of it. I'm beginning to doubt your ability.
After the release of In the Line of Duty 3, D&B Films Company pressed on with the action series about badass police officers by commissioning a fourth instalment with Cynthia Khan slated to return as fearless Inspector Yeung, and accompanied by young and cocky Donnie Yen. Directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced by Stephen Shin, In the Line of Duty 4 is a classic entry in the series which provides death-defying stunts and exciting fist fights.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Cynthia Khan, Donnie Yen, Yuen Yat-chor, Michael Wong

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 皇家師姐IV直擊證人 Runtime: 94 min

Synopsis
Seattle, USA. Police officers are monitoring a Chinese drug smuggling operation. A local cop witnesses the trade in which a CIA agent takes part. He takes a photo of the agent and tries to escape, but he gets shot by the drug dealers. In his dying moment, he passes on the photo negatives to harbour worker, Luk (Yuen Yat-chor). Luk barely survives the confrontation with the dealers and, fearing for his life, he flees to Hong Kong. Considered to be a suspect who participates in the smuggling endeavour, Luk is now wanted by the police. Inspector Yeung (Cynthia Khan) and Captain Yan (Donnie Yen) are sent to Hong Kong in order to find Luk; however, they are repeatedly interrupted in their search by Captain Wong (Michael Wong).

Witness Protection
I remember seeing In the Line of Duty 4 a couple of years ago and, obviously, I found it to be extremely entertaining. My original copy must have been a rip from a laserdisc due to visible poor quality, but this week, I got my hands on the Blu-ray release and the modern remaster really gives this movie justice it deserves.

From beginning to the end, the movie is filled with bombastic action set pieces revolving around the graceful Cynthia Khan and the brass Donnie Yen. Be it a confrontation with a bloodthirsty biker, fight on top of a speeding ambulance, or sliding down the elevator shaft, all sequences crafted under the watchful eye of Yuen Woo-ping are breathtaking and definitely stand the test of time.

Some fans point out that this movie is more of a Donnie Yen vehicle, than a proper Cynthia Khan flick. Well, I tend to disagree. Both of them have many opportunities to shine in the film, and especially Cynthia seems to be at the top of her game. My favourite girl with a gun plus the leather jacket à la Indian Jones is a double win for me.

The only drawback of the movie is heavily underused Michael Wong. He appears to be a perfect fit for a suave villain, but he has very little stuff to do, apart from the final showdown with Cynthia. Interestingly, Michael also played a police officer in Royal Warriors (1986) (a.k.a. In the Line of Duty Part 1).

From the trivia, I could not help but spot an Easter Egg for Polish viewers. Namely, a Polish trawler called Antares GDY-341 “played” in the opening sequence as the drug boat. Unfortunately, the unit was decommissioned in 1991, so it can’t serve as a relic for movie fanatics like me.

 Recommendations
I highly recommend In the Line of Duty 4 for the fans of Hong Kong action flicks. Watch it for the awesome duo Cynthia Khan and Donnie Yen as well as well choreographed and well paced action that does not let go. In the Line of Duty 4 is a classic cops vs. bandits story.
Overall score: 8/10

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