After many release delays due to the current pandemic, one of Disney’s most highly anticipated live-action films, Mulan, finally released. This film showcases the retelling of the classic Chinese legend “Ballad of Hua Mulan”. It was released on Disney Plus on Sept. 4. However, Disney added an extra cost of $30 in order to watch the film. 

As of now, Mulan is only available to watch on Disney Plus so it requires a monthly subscription fee of $7. Disney included the premium fee of $30 after deciding not to wait for theaters to reopen. This doesn’t mean that you own the film as it doesn’t give you a digital copy, and it’s not exactly a rental fee either as it can be rewatched. They also announced that on Dec. 4, Mulan will be available to all subscribers for free. When asked about whether paying $30 for the movie is worth it, Sophomore Leo Liang replied, “I think that paying the additional fee for $30 is not worth it because you only have to wait until Dec. 4, and the movie itself will come out with no fee included besides the monthly/annual subscription fee.”

The legend of Hua Mulan is about a young woman living in times of war. Mulan secretly becomes a soldier in place of her father, a war veteran now incapable of fighting. She dresses up as a man, takes her father’s sword, and sneaks out to the training camp. The live-action film adheres more to the legend and gives a more realistic portrayal of it as opposed to the 1998 animated film Mulan. This means that there will be no singing and Mushu does not make an appearance as he wasn’t in the legend.

The movie stars 33-year old actress Liu Yifei as the role of Mulan, alongside Donnie Yen as Commander Tung and Jet Li as the emperor. The director of the film is Niki Caro and is one of the only four female filmmakers in the history of Hollywood that has directed a film of over $100 million. Hua Mulan is a strong heroine who is brave, loyal, independent, and would do anything for her family. The importance of the film is that it brings mainstream representation of a Chinese heroine, given that such stories don’t often get told in American films and TV. It showcases a strong female role model, especially for children.

 “Mulan’s someone who I aspire to be like, courageous and not afraid to fight for what I think is right,” said Sophomore Sandra Aw when asked about her opinion on the heroine. 

Sophomore Sylvia Li has a similar opinion and stated, “Mulan, to me, represents racial and woman equality, she went through against all her principles for the sake of her country and her father. She gains deep respect for being able to face death at every corner to fight for everything she believed in.”

Furthermore, if this works out for Disney, more films in the future may come out in the same format. With the pandemic still going on and questions of reopening of theaters left hanging, it will be interesting to see how this goes.

Photo courtesy of PINTEREST.COM