Mulan (Live-Action)

[estefan]

I agree. I did feel a little sad seeing the "Optimised for IMAX Screens" notice at the end, since so few people got to see it in that format. The movie would have been a real treat to see on the big screen.

[Disney's Divinity]

The critic and audience ratings on RottenTomatoes both dropped, to 72% and 49% respectively. It dropped below Christopher Robin's critic rating. As for audiences, it's only one point from tying with Dumbo and Alice Through the Looking Glass for worst remakes.

Mulan movie review: A monumental misfire from Disney, the worst of its live-action remakes
https://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywoo ... TzCUK.html

Disney+: 10 Reasons Mulan Is Actually A Star Wars Movie
https://screenrant.com/disney-plus-reas ... ars-movie/
(This one may have already been posted, but I actually think they're likely right that Disney made the film more Star Wars-esque... They've been doing that in a lot of ways to many different properties, especially with their posters for films like The Nutcracker, Frozen 2, etc.).

How Disney’s “Mulan” (2020) fell short of both Western and Eastern audiences' expectations
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/artic ... esentation
(The artwork at the top is actually pretty even if it's satirical.)

[Sotiris]

An expert in Chinese studies analyzed the remake in terms of historical and cultural accuracy and found it to be severely lacking. She then analyzed the original and discovered that it was much more accurate and authentic than the remake. I would highly recommend watching both videos essays. They're not only very informative, but entertaining as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QKq24e0HM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SHC7CnmErM

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I just watched this and thoroughly disliked it. An all around lifeless film and the music cues for the absent songs made it all the worse. Shoddy cinematography and editing too. I'm so very glad I didn't shell out $30 for it.

[Sotiris]

The categories in which Disney is submitting Mulan for this year's Oscars.


Source: https://disneystudiosawards.com/mulan/

[estefan]

Reminder that it's common for studios to do FYCs for every category. Disney doesn't actually think Mulan has a chance at Best Picture.

I think Mulan's most likely nominations are in production design, costume design, visual effects and maybe original song.

[D82]

Reminder that it's common for studios to do FYCs for every category. Disney doesn't actually think Mulan has a chance at Best Picture.

That's true. I wonder, though, why they do that for some films and not for others. The One and Only Ivan, for example, is only being promoted for Best Visual Effects, Score and Song. Do they think Mulan has a stronger chance of being nominated for major awards than that film?

[Vlad]

I agree. I did feel a little sad seeing the "Optimised for IMAX Screens" notice at the end, since so few people got to see it in that format. The movie would have been a real treat to see on the big screen.

I felt the same way. Maybe we'll get to see Cruella in May on the big screen. Fingers crossed.

[Disney's Divinity]

I burst out laughing at those Best Picture and Director pushes. Talk about the literal antithesis of those categories. And considering the reviews of the performance, Best Actress is similarly ridiculous--not even considering her Hong Kong comments.

[Sotiris]

^I would say even pushing it in the technical categories is a reach. There's nothing special about the effects, the sound or the score. The only costumes that were decent was the witch's and the Emperor's. Production design was also pretty unremarkable with the throne room as the sole exception. Disney didn't push Aladdin last year for any other category except for song. Do they really believe that the costumes and production design in Mulan is better than Aladdin's? That's absurd to me.

[D82]

I burst out laughing at those Best Picture and Director pushes. Talk about the literal antithesis of those categories.

I hadn't thought about it before, but maybe the film could have more chances at the Razzies. I don't think it's that bad, but those awards like to nominate films or actors that have been popular for the wrong reasons (like Cats last year) and Mulan fits in that category.

[Disney's Divinity]

^I would say even pushing it in the technical categories is a reach. There's nothing special about the effects, the sound or the score. The only costumes that were decent was the witch's and the Emperor's. Production design was also pretty unremarkable with the throne room as the sole exception. Disney didn't push Aladdin last year for any other category except for song. Do they really believe that the costumes and production design in Mulan is better than Aladdin's? That's absurd to me.

Wow, really? I suppose maybe the attempt here has something to do with the COVID pandemic; maybe other films they would have released and pushed for those categories were delayed, and so they decided to try with Mulan instead possibly? Yeah, the cinematography one was questionable, too. A lot of reviews questioned where it's huge budget must've gone because they couldn't tell it from the look of the movie.

@D82: I actually was going to make a joke about the Razzies, but everyone knows I hate this and I didn't want to pour the salt on too thick.

[D82]

I suppose maybe the attempt here has something to do with the COVID pandemic; maybe other films they would have released and pushed for those categories were delayed, and so they decided to try with Mulan instead possibly?

I think you could be right about that. They didn't have as many films to promote as they had planned, so they probably had to choose from the rest to fill the usual 5 or 6 slots they have on the website. That's why I think Hamilton and The Mandalorian are included as well. Not that they don't have chances at awards; they're both very successful, but they don't usually feature TV series or non-theatrical productions on their awards website.

I actually was going to make a joke about the Razzies, but everyone knows I hate this and I didn't want to pour the salt on too thick.

I've never paid much attention to the Razzies, but I've looked it up and I've seen at least three Disney movies have been nominated in the last few years: The Lone Ranger in 2015 (5 nominations and 1 win, "Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel"), Alice Through the Looking Glass in 2016 (3 nominations) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2017 (3 noms). So, there are some precedents. Mulan, though, has better reviews than those movies. But (at least according to Rotten Tomatoes) the public didn't like it and there have been several controversies about the movie, so I think it's possible it could get a nomination or two. We'll see.

[BelleGirl]

I watched the live-action Mulan with my husband and mother at her home, and afterwards she declared that she thought the original animated movie was 10 times more enjoyable than this remake. I think I agree with her.

[D82]

Mulan has been nominated for 2 Critics' Choice Awards: Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Alexandra Byrne – Emma (Focus Features)

Bina Daigeler – Mulan (Disney)

Suzie Harman & Robert Worley – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)

Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Nancy Steiner – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

Trish Summerville – Mank (Netflix)


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Greyhound (Apple TV+)

The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)

Mank (Netflix)

The Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Mulan (Disney)

Tenet (Warner Bros.)

Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)

Source: http://criticschoice.com/2021/02/film-n ... ce-awards/


Here are also some new FYC ads:


Source: https://www.nextbestpicture.com/disney-fyc-gallery.html

[lord-of-sith]

I haven't read any of this thread to know the board's consensus on this movie (though I'm guessing it's negative), but I wanted to pop in and say I didn't mind this movie. It wasn't amazing or an all-time classic, but it had something unique. As I was watching it, I had this strange feeling, something I haven't felt watching one of these remakes in a long time. It was the sense that I didn't actually know what was coming next. The ending wasn't drastically altered or anything, but I was actually having a good time guessing what was going to happen next, because I didn't already know from the original film. To me, that gives it some worth and puts it above a lot of the other remakes.

The only other times I felt like this watching other modern "remakes" was both Maleficents and Alice in Wonderlands. Good movies? Eh, up for debate I guess, but I was at least engaged because they were doing their own thing.

I'm worried the presumed "failure" of this movie will scare Disney into being way more safe with their remakes. When it was announced Mushu wouldn't be in this movie, the internet lost its mind with people saying what a bad choice it would be. But I don't see how a character like that would ever work in live action. I didn't think the Genie really worked in the Aladdin remake because they tired too hard to give him the whiz-bang energy that works best in a cartoon. It had a weird cognitive dissonance in live action. I wish they would let these movies be different this this one more often, giving them their own style.

[D82]

Two more FYC ads:


Source: https://www.nextbestpicture.com/disney-fyc-gallery.html


By the way, Mulan got 3 nominations at the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards last week: Best Period and/or Character Make-Up, Best Special Make-Up Effects, and Best Period Hair Styling and/or Character Hair Styling.

[Disney's Divinity]

Out of curiosity, has its critic and audience scores on RottenTomatoes changed at all? RT recently changed its website so that it's difficult to load. I can see a bunch of things, but not the %, unfortunately. I'll only be able to see that when I go to the library or somewhere else with high speed Internet. It's just like how Twitter changed in December. I used to be able to read the mobile version, but that's gone now. I can still see load most tweets via another forum that will load the tweets in the posting area--but I can't read threads or go to the website itself anymore. I don't have a Twitter account, but I sometimes read news there either through this site or election news from elsewhere.

[Sotiris]

Out of curiosity, has its critic and audience scores on RottenTomatoes changed at all? RT recently changed its website so that it's difficult to load. I can see a bunch of things, but not the %, unfortunately.

Critics: 73% (305 reviews) / Audience: 49% (10,000+ user ratings). It doesn't show the exact number of user ratings anymore.

[Sotiris]

Mulan has been shortlisted for a Razzie Award. The nominations will be announced on March 14. Mulan is facing some stiff competition. Fingers crossed it will make it through.

Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel

365 Days (Rip-Off of Fifty Shades of Grey)
Barbie & Kendra Save the Tiger King
Barbie & Kendra Storm Area 51
Capone
Dolittle
Fantasy Island
Hubie Halloween (Rip-Off of Ernest Scared Stupid)
Iron Mask
Mulan
The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee
Wonder Woman 1984
The Wrong Missy (Rip-Off of The Hottie & the Nottie)

Source: https://awardswatch.com/sias-music-hill ... ie-awards/