If I was going to try and skew the ratings of a movie, I'd be less obvious about it. Give it a lot of 6 or 7 star ratings for example.
A 1-star rating means the movie is just off the charts bad, like without any redeeming qualities. Very few movies warrant such a legitimate rating. Not to mention these "reviews" would have come from people paying $30 to watch it night one, a demographic that is going to be sympathetic to a Disney movie to some degree.
If I was going to try and skew the ratings of a movie, I'd be less obvious about it. Give it a lot of 6 or 7 star ratings for example.
A 1-star rating means the movie is just off the charts bad, like without any redeeming qualities. Very few movies warrant such a legitimate rating. Not to mention these "reviews" would have come from people paying $30 to watch it night one, a demographic that is going to be sympathetic to a Disney movie to some degree.
Honestly i really want to see it, but I refuse to pay $30 for it. We did $20 for trolls, but that was my max I let the family go to. No way we are dropping that much to watch at home, especially with the sketchy disney plus audio. It looks good, but we will be waiting.
Wow. This movie surprised me a lot. It’s actually pretty good. Certain points of the movie made me question that Disney actually made this movie as it wasn’t bad like their other remakes. I liked how it was very mature with very little comedic aspects. The thing that bothered me though was the editing. My god the editing was awful. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts with spoilers.
The final battle scene with Mulan and Bori Kahn was very anti-climatic which kinda sucked. The bad editing didn’t help either
I really liked how the bond with Mulan and Xian Lang wasn’t shoved into the movie. It wasn’t subtle but it wasn’t as forced as the female empowerment scene in Infinity War
Another I really liked was that how Mulan was very timid with Chen Honghui’s affection at the end of the movie. It really helped show Mulan’s personality well.
Overall, it was a pretty good movie. I hope my mini essay wasn’t too boring haha
In preparation for watching the live action, we re-watched the animated version a few weeks ago. And boy, can I understand why China didn't like the animated version. The stereotypes (even though based on traditional Chinese caricatures) were cringey. Still image caricatures should not be animated in a semi-serious feature. Not to mention the antics of Eddie Murphy and his subplot, and the a tertiary subplot of a cricket.
And for being a musical with some very good songs... it wasn't a true musical in the Broadway sense (neither was Frozen with the absence of music in the last half of the movie). In short, the animated feature had issues. And God bless Harvey Fierstein, but he can't sing... literally unable to. Don't know why he still gets singing roles. Even Dame Julie Andrews knew to stop when she wasn't able to sing anymore.
The live version fixes a lot of those issues (it adds in a few very minor ones that can be overlooked in comparison). It certainly was made to honor the Chinese traditions while making a case for the subversion of a repressive tradition. It certainly didn't make ancestral spirits into a bunch of buffoons like the animated version. <shakes head>
Feels like this is getting quite a bit of hate online. I mostly agree with common complaints about it:
- The whole "chi" thing was probably the worst aspect of the film and it ironically undercut the message of the original film. Mulan is now born as a martial arts god who can do anything. Felt similar to the Mary Sue problem Rey had in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
- The Witch character felt unnecessary.
- The pacing felt off, especially the first act. The original film does a good job showcasing the build up inside Mulan that persuades her to act and take her father's place. It felt like they just fast-forwarded through that here and jumped straight to her leaving with no real explanation or build up.
- Some of the acting was flat out bad, felt like a Lifetime movie at points.
- I can understand the argument for leaving out the songs, but in the end I think it hurt the film more than helped. Did I miss it or was "I'll Make a Man Out of You", one of the original's most famous songs, nowhere in the film at all?
- I've noticed a lot of people criticizing the film for leaving out Mushu but I thought that was a good decision.
Visually it looked amazing though. The visuals alone made me really want to like it cause "Mulan as a realistic period film" is a really appealing premise.
I was one of those who just subscribed for Hamilton, then I saw all the Avengers movies, then The Mandalorian...and now waiting for Season 2. But paying $30 for Mulan? I'm not sure.
I loved it! I don't have a super large TV or fancy sound system but came across beautifully.....costumes, acting, beautiful landscapes and good story. I could watch again......Bravo!
I really cannot imagine all of those low ratings came from people who paid for it. Rather, they likely came from people who refused to pay for it, severely killing its IMDB score.
I really cannot imagine all of those low ratings came from people who paid for it. Rather, they likely came from people who refused to pay for it, severely killing its IMDB score.
That, or the political boycott and bias over comments made by the lead actress last year. A lot of people still boiled over that, and taking their frustrations out on the entire film.
Though many of the YouTube, unbiased critics who just say it as it is (Doug Walker, Chris Stuckmann, Angry Joe, Jeremy Jahns to name a few) seem pretty disappointed with this movie, so that says something too.
Completely anecdotal, but there was this random “Newsbeat” Facebook post that showed up on my social feeds, them sharing a BBC article essentially about the Mulan backlash in support of Hong Kong etc.
But the surprising thing to me, and I only scrolled the comments for a bit (over 300), everyone in the comments seemed to have paid to watch the film. And I found that... interesting.
Feels like this is getting quite a bit of hate online. I mostly agree with common complaints about it:
- The whole "chi" thing was probably the worst aspect of the film and it ironically undercut the message of the original film. Mulan is now born as a martial arts god who can do anything. Felt similar to the Mary Sue problem Rey had in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
- The Witch character felt unnecessary.
- The pacing felt off, especially the first act. The original film does a good job showcasing the build up inside Mulan that persuades her to act and take her father's place. It felt like they just fast-forwarded through that here and jumped straight to her leaving with no real explanation or build up.
- Some of the acting was flat out bad, felt like a Lifetime movie at points.
- I can understand the argument for leaving out the songs, but in the end I think it hurt the film more than helped. Did I miss it or was "I'll Make a Man Out of You", one of the original's most famous songs, nowhere in the film at all?
- I've noticed a lot of people criticizing the film for leaving out Mushu but I thought that was a good decision.
Visually it looked amazing though. The visuals alone made me really want to like it cause "Mulan as a realistic period film" is a really appealing premise.
I think the trouble with Mushu in the original film is that Disney wanted Eddie Murphy to be Robin Williams, and that's not his schtick. I read that the film wasn't that popular in China in part because of the portrayal of the dragon. The Chinese see dragons as honorable creatures intent on saving face, not as yappy tricksters. IMO, this live-action version of Mulan should have kept Mushu, but given him a different vibe - perhaps as an anxious counselor, with the voice of Jackie Chan...
I could watch again......Bravo!
