#Mulan film review

[victoriadallonfan]

Listening to a review of Wish that goes into why it faltered at the box office and how it could have been better if certain character tropes had tied to the theme of the story instead of just been there for the sake of being a trope

“Alright, fair enough. Makes sense.”

Reviewer then begins to talk about how Disney is pushing diversity over quality

“Fuck oooooooff!!!”

[kat-movies]

Fa Mulan gets the surprise of her young life when her love, Captain Li Shang asks for her hand in marriage. Before the two can have their happily ever after, the Emperor assigns them a secret mission, to escort three princesses to Chang’an, China. Mushu is determined to drive a wedge between the couple after he learns that he will lose his guardian job if Mulan marries into the Li family.

‎‘Mulan II’ review by Katelyn • Letterboxd

[entertainher]

Reboot Mania: Is Hollywood Out of Ideas or Just Playing It Safe?

“Another reboot? Really?” If you’ve found yourself saying this while scrolling through trailers, you’re definitely not alone. It feels like every other movie hitting the screens these days is either a remake of a beloved classic, a sequel to a long-forgotten hit, or another “gritty reboot” of a story we’ve already watched. Hollywood, once celebrated for its trailblazing creativity, now seems to be stuck in a cycle of recycling nostalgia.

But is this trend purely about profits, or is there more to the story? From the triumphant return of Top Gun: Maverick to the underwhelming failure of The Mummy, the surge in reboots and remakes is reshaping the entertainment world. Are we experiencing a new golden era of reimagined storytelling, or is the film industry running out of fresh ideas?

Let’s explore the draw, the downsides, and the impact of this reboot revolution—and what it could mean for the future of cinema.

In the past few years, the entertainment industry has become increasingly dominated by reboots, remakes, and sequels, often prioritising well-known franchises over fresh, original narratives. Movies like The Lion King (2019), Ghostbusters (2021), Jurassic World (2015), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022) have tapped into audiences’ nostalgia, pulling in billions at the box office.

Recent box office trends reveal a notable pattern—franchise films and reboots often outperform standalone, original movies. Data suggests that over 70% of major studio releases in the past decade have been connected to established franchises, sequels, or reimagined classics. While these films consistently generate significant profits, they also prompt a crucial question: has Hollywood sacrificed creativity for the safety of predictable successes?

The enduring popularity of reboots and remakes lies in their dual appeal to studios and audiences. For production companies, these projects offer a lower-risk investment—familiar titles naturally attract viewers, making them a more reliable financial bet. Nostalgia, after all, is a compelling driver of consumer interest.

For audiences, revisiting beloved classics brings a sense of nostalgia and familiarity, whether it’s Simba’s revival in The Lion King or Maverick’s return in Top Gun: Maverick. Advances in filmmaking technology, such as state-of-the-art CGI, IMAX visuals, and immersive Dolby sound, also breathe new life into older stories. These enhancements create visually stunning experiences that resonate with both long-term fans and new viewers, making the blend of nostalgia and modern innovation a winning strategy for Hollywood.

However, reboots and remakes aren’t without their downsides. By focusing so heavily on revisiting existing properties, studios risk neglecting original ideas, stifling the creativity that has long been the backbone of the film industry. This overreliance on familiar titles has also led to audience fatigue, with many viewers growing tired of repetitive plots and recycled stories.

Failures like Mulan (2020) and The Mummy (2017) serve as reminders that not all reboots are guaranteed successes. When these projects fail to resonate with audiences or live up to the originals, they can result in disappointment and backlash. Capturing the magic of the source material is no easy feat, and when reboots fall short, it leaves many questioning if the effort was even worth it.

That said, not all reboots and remakes are destined to fail. Some, like Top Gun: Maverick and Dune (2021) manage to strike the right balance by honouring the spirit of the originals while introducing fresh storytelling and modern production values. These films prove that, when done well, reboots can resonate with audiences old and new.

Conversely, others like The Mummy and Charlie’s Angels (2019) struggle to justify their existence. Common pitfalls include lacklustre execution, a failure to innovate, or simply not offering a compelling reason for the remake. The difference often lies in the approach—respecting the original while delivering something new and meaningful is crucial. Without this balance, reboots risk being dismissed as shallow cash grabs.

Streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and HBO Max have also played a major role in fuelling the reboot culture. With intense competition to attract and retain subscribers, these platforms lean heavily on familiar Intellectual Property (IP), knowing that recognisable content draws audiences in.

Franchises such as Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney classics dominate these platforms, leveraging their immense popularity to overshadow original films. While these titles are lucrative, their dominance raises concerns about whether there’s still room for innovation. As budgets and resources are funnelled into remakes and sequels, it’s becoming harder for unique, original stories to break through.

Despite this, original films continue to find successes, proving that audiences still crave fresh storytelling. Movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Get Out show that creativity can triumph at the box office when paired with compelling narratives and bold ideas. These films are a testament to cinema’s potential to push boundaries and surprise audiences, offering hope that innovation still has a place in Hollywood’s future.

As the industry continues its love affair with reboots, an important question lingers: can Hollywood find a way to balance revisiting old favourites with fostering new ideas? While nostalgia will always have its appeal, audiences also yearn for stories that challenge expectations and bring something fresh to the screen.

Filmmakers can take the lead by championing original concepts and daring to take creative risks, while viewers can influence the industry by supporting indie films and amplifying innovative projects. The future of Hollywood doesn’t have to choose between the old and the new—there’s room for both, offering something for everyone to enjoy.

-Kai B.

[jasonsutekh]

Mulan (2020)

A woman with strong fighting spirit joins the army dressed as a man and faces a rogue amry headed by a witch.

There were a fair few differences to the predecessor besides this version being live action. For one thing the dragon sidekick was changed to a more ellusive phoenix and there were more overt fantasy elements such as the witch, however the basic points of the narrative are still there such as the fighting and drag.

To compare it to the earlier animated version almost seems unfair given how superior the original is. For one thing the songs were a notable absence in this movie as well as a great deal of the comedy. The romance was also severely underplayed, possibly because Disney has become prudish with non-token possible homoerotic subtext.

The acting was good quality and it was a relief to have a telling of the story which actually stars an Asian cast. The choreography of the fight and magic effects were suitably entertaining, although the lore would have been interesting to learn more about. Some of the original soundtrack was involved as incidental music and there was a cover of “Reflections” in Chinese during the credits which was cool.

Most of the characters had a lot less personality and charm in live action, possibly because the previous one conveyed a lot of differenciating behaviour through the animation style. The message unfortunately perpetuates the ideal that oppressed groups of people have to prove themselves exceptional to be considered worthy of equality.

4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

-A trained eagle used for the film accidentally flew into the film crew’s helicopter rotors.

-The phoenix is a symbol of peace and prosperity in Chinese culture.

-One comrade of Mulan’s is named Cricket to reference the animal sidekick from the 1998 movie.

[ravenite-void]

Crappy film reviews #2

Mulan (1998)

10/10 Transed me all over again

It's giving "I'm not like other girls" the same way I used to. I'm a guy now (mostly).

I saw it for the first time last night and I've been missing out so much. I'm fucking 20! Aaaaaaa

[kawamagi-crow]

One important thing i found in the Hbomber vid i dont see mentioned a lot is how often Jame's stealing of content erased the unique experiences and views of the original writers.

Example: The Mulan review.

The original text provides a unique reflection based on the experiences of a Transmasc Asian. the CORE of the whole review is relating said real life experiences and the movie, and how they interact, and the authors perspective as a Transmasc asian.

And what James did? He removed it. not only the important commentary but also the whole mention of the trans experience?? (Changing trans to Lgbt community), He stole other person's words and wrangled them out of any meaning it had.

If i was the Author, i would be fucking pissed.

And I could go a step further and said its VERY ODD AND TOTALLY A COINCIDENCE (/S) how Jame's chooses to change with words (Changing trans to LGBT community), Erasing parts of the community. For someone who criticizes so much "the straights" for erasing gay culture, he seems to be pretty fucking happy in Erasing Trans culture (Or Trans identities!).

James Somerton is not changing words to try to hide his clear Plagiarism. He is changing words to tell his own message. one that does not care for anyone who isn't the perfect image of the Gay man he wants (because not even gay men are safe, Since he throws them under the bus too if theyre "too boring").

I beg for anyone who reads this to read the original Mulan article. Linked below:

[isleofdarkness]

Heyyyyy

Can we get some more AK lore? 🥺

-birb

Absolutely (TW for suicide attempt in Nora's paragraph)

Anxelin doesn't really want to be queen. She'll do it if she has to, she just doesn't like making that decision without Ginny there, because Ginny is the eldest and technically the Crown Princess and Anxelin doesn't want to take that from her without her permission. It'll probably be Ruby who takes over as queen when Rapunzel and Eugene retire.

Arturius has scars on his face- I know I've mentioned them briefly. He's almost got a Glasgow smile like Rose, but his scars are way longer. The scar on the right side of his face curves drastically upwards at around halfway through his cheek and goes up his temple and into his hairline, and the scar on the left side of his face does a U-turn and goes across his nose (it doesn't affect his nose like Maverick's affects hers, his is just a surface scar,) and then follows his cheekbone across the side of his head. He charges people $100 for questions about his scars because he thinks that "what happened" is pretty obvious- someone cut up his face. The reason he lives on the Isle part-time is because he's not safe in Auradon or even in Camelot. Gods only know if Beast will kidnap him again. He's a great fighter but there's also the matter of if he kills Auradon guards, it'll cause an international incident and that'll cause problems. So he stays on the Isle when necessary- sometimes, the Isle is safer for him than Auradon and Camelot.

Winter's Thoutube channel is a lot like Legal Eagle. She discusses laws, reviews the accuracy of legal media (like Legally Blonde,) discusses the crimes committed in media and the charges and sentences they would get, and discusses some legal issues. She's famous for her long-suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose, and giving people common sense rules (like "do not film your crimes and post them on social media") with the same voice as a teacher telling her students not to eat the markers. Her Ace Attorney videos are legendary.

Nora attempted suicide a few years ago (like, two,) via drug overdose, which killed her kidneys and liver. She got a partial liver transplant from Isak (he volunteered) and a kidney transplant from a random donor. She hates herself for that attempt now. Her brother was the one who found her and it traumatized him even worse than he already was. He blamed himself. They're both getting better, but it was hard on the entire family.

Liang and her brother only go to Auradon Prep so that Yi-Min doesn't need to. Yi-Min stays in China where she's safe from any bullshit Beast might pull, because even though they're important as children of the famous Fa Mulan, she's more important as the princess. If something happens to them, China will be pissed but ultimately fine. If something happens to her, it's a threat to the monarchy of China. So they do what they can to put the target on their backs instead of hers.

Tavasaya ran away from the orphanage he and his sister lived at because the orphanage started to go downhill and the matrons were getting abusive, plus kids were going missing. He was worried for Devika, who was catching more and more punishments for the crime of being HSN autistic and who couldn't really protect herself. It got bad enough that he feared for her life, so he took her and ran. He spent the next few years doing everything he could to support her and keep her happy and healthy, until the place he was "working" at (being human trafficked in) got raided by the Maldonia secret service for human trafficking. This was a very big bust, so big that Naveen was there in the aftermath to help the survivors. Devika and Tavasaya were staying in a kind of halfway house after this and he knew they needed more help than most foster parents would be able to provide, so he and his family decided to take them in. It took a long time for Tav to feel safe there, but he does.

Aziz has always opposed the Isle because that's where they sent his grandfather to. Auradon took his grandfather, his baba's father, and stuck him on the Isle for petty reasons and he will never forgive that

[monochromefilms]

my dad yelled at me for saying that how Asha and her grandfather argued at the dinner table was a reference to Mulan and how she and her father argued at the dinner table. He said that everything I said was wrong, even after I attempted to explain that I was saying how the characters were layout in that one screenshot and thinking I said the film over all was based on Mulan and it was a bad idea that I watched movie reviews on it before watching it. This only ruined my experience more. Fucking hell.

So now I just want to make a whole google doc about all references used in Wish all out of spite and send it to him fully detailed and all.

Also expect an Asha, Star (boy), and Magnifico and his wife as twst ocs soon.

[imagitory]

Review: Wish (2023) [SPOILERS]

Evening, everyone! Tonight my mother and I went to go see Disney's most recent film, Wish, which fortunately came to theaters in my area right before its formal American release date. I'd been very curious to see how this tribute to Disney's last 100 years of filmmaking would turn out, and now that I've seen it...well, I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed. I want to be very clear both that I was going into this with a rather sunny outlook and that there are things I really liked in this film...but overall, it felt like a lot of the good ideas it had were only half-baked, and I found myself -- forgive me -- "wishing for something more" than what we got.

For a more comprehensive deep-dive...a cut!

The Good!

+The single best element in this film for me was Chris Pine's performance as our villain, Magnifico. There are definitely some things I can critique about Magnifico's overall storyline and "character arc" further down, but Chris was clearly having a grand old time being an egotistical, sassy jerkwad, and it totally showed. Even in his villain song This is The Thanks I Get?, which just screamed "passive-aggressive abusive parent," you can hear how much fun Chris was having in the studio, recording it. I just about always enjoyed when Magnifico was on screen, and I actually did really like the idea that a lot of his villainy is rooted in him being obsessed with control over everyone and everything. In a weird way, Magnifico's turn to the Dark Side parallels Anakin Skywalker's in the sense that he lost so much in the past that he's determined to never lose anything important to him again -- especially the power he's accrued to make himself feel strong, after having felt so powerless. I find that very interesting, and I kind of wish that aspect was really highlighted more in the story, but we'll talk about that later.

+Asha was a likable enough heroine, even if I found her to be a lot like a two-way fusion of Mulan and Anna placed in a vaguely Snow-White-ish role in her clearly Seven-Dwarf-inspired friend group. Ariana DeBose portrayed her rather well, both acting and singing-wise. I also liked the "social justice" bent to Asha's character where she wants better things not just for herself and her family, but also Rosas overall -- in the French translation of her main song "This Wish," they even push this further by having Asha wish "to see the world happy again someday." We haven't seen a heroine really express this kind of desire for a positive change in the world since Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and that's cool! Plus representation in mainstream media for previously underrepresented groups is always nice. ^.^

+As much as I don't think they all got enough focus as individuals, I liked Asha's friend group! Especially the fact that it is a friend group made up of people that are around the same age as our protagonist, which -- let's be honest -- isn't that common for Disney heroines. Often with "sidekick groups," you're more likely to have situations like Cinderella with the mice (who are more like cutesy sidekicks than equals) or Snow White with the Dwarfs (who are all quite a bit older than our heroine)...so a friend group made up of peers with their own personalities and motivations was kind of fun.

+The setting of Rosas itself could be pretty. I liked a lot of the Mediterranean-inspired architecture, especially inside Magnifico's tower.

+The combination of 3D and 2D-esque animation was also interesting! It really served to give the film its own distinctive visual style that sets it apart from other Disney projects, which I always appreciate.

+Star was...cute. Obviously just designed to sell plushies and definitely reminded me way too much of Kirby, but cute enough. I do think it's kind of cool that they're never gendered at all in the entire movie, because it'd be silly to think of a sweet little androgynous ball of stardust as being specifically male or female.

+I liked the idea of Simon "betraying" Asha, only to be turned into a pawn by Magnifico in the process, but not being treated unsympathetically by the story for it. Didn't love the full execution of the idea, but hey, that's what the negative section is for.

+The idea of everyone finding the power inside of themselves to stand up against Magnifico (because they're "all stars," and presumably all have the magic needed to make their wishes come true) was a little predictable, but still sweet. I have problems with how the film wrote it (which we'll get to), but the idea itself was wholesome and fitting.

+I like several of the songs, just on their own -- I added This Wish and Knowing What I Know Now on my ITunes as soon as I first heard them prior to the film's release, and now I've added At All Costs too: it's a really pretty duet! (Gorgeous work, Chris and Ariana!) I'll leave my praise here, though, because sadly the soundtrack is going to get a lot of discussion in the less positive section.

The Not-So-Good...

+This film being "Disney's 100th anniversary film" really got in the way of this movie telling a compelling and unique story sometimes. The whole movie really twisted itself into a pretzel trying to check off all the usual Disney tropes, and there were points that certain choices made the story seem incredibly stilted. For instance, one common Disney trope is a dead parent, so of course Asha has lost her father -- but we learn so little about him and he ends up playing such a small role in Asha's arc and story that it seems like an unnecessary detail. Asha's grandfather honestly plays more of a role in Asha's motivation throughout most of the film, so it would've made just as much sense to have Asha's grandfather be the one who believed in stars having power, rather than her father. Another example is the concept of the cute animal sidekick who's just there to make jokes -- as much as Valentino the goat didn't annoy me personally, he added just about nothing of value to the story whatsoever aside from comic relief, in contrast to other funny sidekicks like Sebastian from The Little Mermaid or Olaf from Frozen, who also serve a plot purpose and have a developed relationship with the protagonists. Then there's Asha being cut from the same "naive, awkward, wide-eyed idealist" cloth as many of our Disney Revival heroines like Anna, Rapunzel, and up to a certain point even Mirabel are; Star being in a similar vein to cutesy, innocent sidekicks like Pua, Crikee, and Baymax while Valentino is more akin to sassier, comic ones like Mushu and Sisu; her friends literally being based on the Seven Dwarfs from Snow White; our heroine getting a pretty standard "I Want" song and the villain getting his own solo number that doesn't really take any risks...oh yes, and we mustn't forget the trope of the Storybook opening, which (I'm sorry) I know was supposed to be a reference to Snow White, Cinderella, and Enchanted, but just gave me Shrek vibes the entire time. I was waiting for Shrek to rip out the page and use it for toilet paper any minute. It just felt a lot of the time like the movie was very paint-by-numbers, rather than throwing in much that was surprising or different.

+This isn't even touching all of the pointless meta references to other Disney movies. Asha wearing the Fairy Godmother's cloak and getting a wand like hers at the end -- the mushrooms crowing "we love crazy!" the way Hans did in Love is an Open Door -- Asha riding the reindeer the way Kristoff did in Frozen 2 -- Magnifico using green smoke hands a la Ursula -- the ending with those obvious Wendy and Peter Pan look-alikes, come on, really??? That was just painful.

+As much as Magnifico was an awesome idea for a character and Chris Pine's performance was beyond entertaining, the movie did not always write him as well as they could've. From the very start, we see this guy is an egotistical control freak -- obsessed with his own image, incredibly hard-to-please, arrogant, vain, desperate for attention and unwavering praise and adoration from all of his subjects, and determined to keep an iron grip on everyone else's wishes because of the power it gives him. He's ALREADY a terrible person, from the start -- and yet the film tries to introduce this dark magic book that gets no explanation or backstory whatsoever and has no real characterization or presence, so it leaves no real impact on the audience corrupting him and making him a bad person, when it didn't need to! Magnifico was already the villain this film needed! Just let him fall head-first into madness without the book prompting anything! Even if Magnifico "lost everything" in the past, that doesn't make him a good person, if he takes everyone's wishes away from them and hoards them all to himself, only to grant a few now and again when it would make him look good.

+This above point actually leads nicely into one change I really, really wish the film had been ballsy enough to make -- have Asha already be Magnifico's apprentice, not trying to become it at the start of the story. Give our villain and hero a real relationship, with history that started before the events of this film! Asha lost her father at the age of 12...how interesting would it have been -- whether to make Magnifico more of an anti-villain or show how manipulative he really is -- if he'd tried to fill that fatherly role for our main character and twist her to serve his ends? What if At All Costs was rewritten to be about Magnifico not just being determined to hold onto all of the kingdom's wishes, but also this apprentice he sees as an extension of him and his legacy, while Asha is determined to protect this Star she's accidentally summoned and the suppressed wish of hers it represents? This change would've made Asha's break with Magnifico so much more powerful for both of them -- it would've both justified Magnifico's descent into madness and given Asha more reason to feel like it was her responsibility to stop Magnifico. You even could've then played more with Asha's relationship with Queen Amaya too, in this kind of a scenario.

+Oh yeah, and on that note, Queen Amaya. OOH, this really annoyed me -- okay. So this woman is supposed to be a good guy, in this story. But as I touched on earlier, Magnifico was already a pretty awful person, hoarding people's wishes away in order to make himself powerful. Was Amaya truly so blind to that? Did she truly never question anything, ever? But no, really, she only turns on Magnifico after he starts using the dark magic book and actively threatens her. Only that makes her turn from him, and it's pretty damn immediate. Now okay, I hear you saying, it's like Amaya sings in Knowing What I Know Now, right? "The good in him, I've watched it melt // I was blinded by the love I felt"? Excuse me, lady -- but Magnifico wasn't a good person, before. He was just playing a part so as to stay powerful and adored by the masses. And if the story wants to claim otherwise, and act like that dark magic book was responsible for Magnifico going bad, then why would our Queen decide to keep him locked up in his staff's crystal forever? If the book was responsible, then Magnifico would be the Frodo or Golum to the book's One Ring -- he'd be a victim, in such a scenario: one in need of help and pity, not punishment. So either Amaya is a selfish person who only cared about her husband's mistreatment of others when it affected her, or she's a needlessly cruel person who decides to punish her husband for a vice that anyone could fall prey to. Either way, I don't want this woman ruling anyone! Make this woman a straight-up villain, same as her husband, and have the whole monarchy come crashing down after she and Magnifico both go down in flames! VIVE LA RESISTANCE! (Playing into my idea with Asha being Magnifico's apprentice all along, maybe there could even be a twist on the Evil Stepmother trope with Amaya, where she's jealous of how much Magnifico has tried to groom Asha as his apprentice, rather than spending time and/or starting a family with her or something.)

+As I touched on earlier, there wasn't even close to enough time to develop all of these characters properly. Since our heroine and friends are most similar to Snow White and her friends the Seven Dwarfs, let's compare cast size. Snow White is 83 minutes long and has a cast of ten (Snow, the Prince, the Queen, and the Dwarfs) -- Wish is 95 minutes long and has a cast of fourteen (Asha, Magnifico, Star, Valentino, Amaya, Asha's mum and grandpa, and our seven Friends). This results in us getting the vague idea that "Grumpy" role Gabo is sweet on our "Bashful" role Bazeema, but no time to develop their relationship or give it any kind of conclusion; the others saying "Sneezy" role Safi apparently loves the castle chickens with no sympathetic explanation why, to the point that he gets super excited about a chicken growing to a giant size for no real reason; "Doc" role Dahlia having a crush on Magnifico that is then dropped immediately after Asha turns against him; oldest kid and "Sleepy" role Simon feeling incomplete without the dream he gave Magnifico and "betraying" Asha as a result in an attempt to get it back, only to get stabbed in the back by Magnifico, and then have no time for a proper redemption after he's unhypnotized; Asha's grandfather turning on a dime about whether or not he wants to know what his wish was if Magnifico thought it was dangerous; Magnifico getting some justification in his backstory for his bad behavior, but Amaya's backstory being a complete black hole before she married Magnifico when you'd think it'd explain all the more why she stuck with him so long; and Asha's mum having her wish crushed to dust by Magnifico and then given back without us EVER LEARNING WHAT IT EVEN WAS IN THE FIRST PLACE, even after we see just about everyone else's wishes as soon as somebody picks it up and Asha's mum's wish gets picked up multiple times!! Come on, if you're going to set up NOT showing it, you may as well have a pay-off for it!! At least give us some moment where Asha's mum hugs her in relief and acknowledges that her daughter was her wish! That would've been a nice "aww" moment for everyone!

+Okay, I said I was going to talk about my problem with the songs, so here goes. As I said before, I listened to the soundtrack before watching the movie, and even when I did, I could immediately sense a problem: these songs did not tell me much of anything about the movie, just on their own. Welcome to Rosas, which is pretty much just an exposition dump about the kingdom and how Magnifico founded it, didn't really paint a picture of our setting or characters much at all, the way opening songs like Belle or The Family Madrigal do. This Wish, although pretty, was something I could hear just as easily on the radio -- it didn't feel as tied or necessary to understanding our heroine the way something like Part of That World does. I'm a Star, quite frankly, felt like a lot of inspirational word salad, rather than anything particularly memorable or revelatory -- why else wouldn't it even be worthy of a musical salute in the reprise, where Asha remembers that she and everyone else are stars during the climax? Even after reading summaries of the plot and spoilers from the storybook for this film, I could not figure out for the life of me how At All Costs would fit organically into such a story, being sung by our villain and hero. It wasn't until I saw the film that I saw how the filmmakers decided to fit it in and honestly...the song didn't help tell that particular scene at all. It's a really pretty song and I like it a lot -- but it lacked any of the irony or contrast that kind of a scene that introduces the difference in focus between our hero and villain required. If the scene itself is needed to understand what's supposed to be going on while the song is playing, then the song is not effectively telling the story and is therefore unnecessary. There wasn't even a particularly Spanish or Mediterranean flair to the soundtrack to help set the stage, aside from the occasional flourish of castanets -- instead it sounded very contemporary, which I guess is appropriate, since it was largely written by pop composers rather than any musical theater talent.

+There were also points where the songs felt the urge to shove in a bunch of extra words just because, rather than have the words flow well and really mean something. I'm a Star is most guilty of this, of course, but even in This is the Thanks I Get?, we hear Magnifico gripe that "I let you live here for free and I don't even charge you rent" -- mate, THAT MEANS THE SAME THING! If you live somewhere for free, then you are NOT paying rent!

+Knowing What I Know Now is a bop and I like it (aside from Amaya's stupidity), but I'm sorry, all I can think when I hear it is "This is clearly trying to be Ready as I'll Ever Be from Tangled the Animated Series, but that song blows this out of the water." However fun the song can be, it would've been so much stronger if it actually addressed the contrast between the characters and revved us up for a big final battle, instead of it just being our eight underdeveloped characters psyching each other up.

+The idea of everyone being stars was a lovely idea, but the execution of Asha remembering this fact and using it to defeat Magnifico was terribly handled. First off, there was no revelatory phrase or action that prompted Asha to remember this fact, so her suddenly saying that "they're all stars" came out of nowhere. Second, even putting aside that there'd be no way any of her friends could hear Asha from all the way up on the tower if they're stuck in the courtyard below, there's no reason I can see for Asha's friends or family to know what the hell she was even TALKING about. They weren't there when the I'm a Star number happened! And the way that number made it seem, just based on the visuals, it looked like the "star" power came from a person's dream, since it's the same glow that returns to Asha's grandfather when he gets his dream back, but most of the town's dreams have been already yanked out by Magnifico at this point! I think the idea is that since everyone is a star, even with that big piece of them and the power accompanying it taken out, they still have enough stardust inside of them to be powerful enough to chase their heart's desires...but yeah, I'm sorry, for all the word salad I'm a Star threw around, this world-building aspect was really not made clear, and because of that and the lack of a proper callback to this plot turn, the climax didn't hit as strong as it should've.

Overall, this film felt a lot like a batch of unbaked chocolate chip cookies that someone decided to throw a bunch of brightly colored sprinkles on top of, just because they could. A lot of ideas just don't feel like they were fully developed, and there was a lot tossed in that didn't contribute to the overall taste or bring the disparate elements together in a cohesive whole, instead feeling more like a distraction than anything of actual substance. That doesn't mean I couldn't eat it -- I like eating cookie dough as much as the next person -- but that doesn't mean it felt like a complete, finished product worthy of great praise. Instead I'm left looking at the wasted potential and wishing the movie had carved out its own path more, one distinctive to itself, rather than just be a mashup of previous Disney concepts and tropes. I won't act like there's nothing to like here, nor that it's completely lacking in heart: I actually would love to see fandom for this movie re-imagine it in ways that could've improved the story and characters, because there were SO many good ideas here...but for me personally, this movie left me colder than it should've and -- like Asha after meeting Magnifico -- a bit disappointed.

So I make this wish...to have Disney make a film better than this.

Overall Grade: C-

[rysingsun]

Hypothetical Quest for Camelot sequel

I know Quest for Camelot isn’t the most well-known movie, but it’s a nostalgic favorite of my childhood.

I’d love to see a sequel one day. Would be great if blind people and conjoined twins were writers or at least significantly consulted. I’ve read and watched a few reviews on the disability rep in it over the last couple years, revisiting after each rewatch. Here are two I revisited after today’s rewatch of the movie here and here. What I’ve gathered is while the rep is not the best ever, it’s not the worst ever either. Some lines could have been left out or changed and the movie would’ve been better for it (“Frankly we’re the reason cousins shouldn’t marry,” about the conjoined twins. “I wish you could see it,” proceeds to not bother to describe the view to the blind man).

As I said, I am very nostalgic for the movie. Though I better understand some of the movie’s flaws now than I did as a child, I would like to keep this conversation as a “Yes, and” sequel to the original film rather than a reboot of the original movie.

(my thoughts below)

Things I would NOT want to see:

- a new romance storyline (please god no not every movie needs one they’re always rushed at best, plus the first movie already had a decent one, we’re good). If the two leads are married in this movie, that’s fine. If it builds to them getting married, sure. Unless they’re expanding on the Garett and Kayley relationship (they did NOT marry at the end of the first, they were knighted), I would prefer the focus is kept on platonic relationships.

- A “i hate my spouse” or “stupid marital misunderstanding” storyline (narrows eyes at Mulan and Frozen sequels).

- Trying to force Kayley into a feminine or maternal role she doesn’t want only to prove to everyone that it’s okay if she’s different and doesn’t wear dresses. This wasn’t an issue in the first movie. It doesn’t need to be a whole thing in the sequel. She’s a knight, it’s already feminist. She doesn’t need to “prove herself” or call attention to how feminine or tomboy she is in that way. I just don’t want the sequel to be dedicated to any of these characters needing to justify their identity/existence. The first movie already established they were “outcasts” and the ending symbolizes acceptance and community and all that jazz. Don’t retread this ground.

Things I would like to see:

- Another blind character or maybe multiple. One review I read pointed out that although it made sense given the setting and his backstory that he didn’t, Garrett would have benefitted from knowing other blind people. I’d love to see that in a sequel. Maybe Garrett has become the mentor to a blind child, as Kayley’s dad was for him (not caused by an accident— that was done last movie). Or maybe now that Camelot has become more accepting he’s gotten to know other low-vision and blind people in the city and countryside. Maybe they all meet up regularly, would be great to see since he was so isolated in the first movie. He may not be a social butterfly but we introverts do still like to have friends haha.

- Let the brothers thrive! I wanna see Devon and Cornwall living their best lives (or at least trying to). Now that they can actually pursue their dreams, maybe there’re scheduling conflicts or they otherwise are trying to juggle both of their wants. Not as antagonistically as in the first movie, but I would think they can still be frustrated siblings sometimes. Devon can actually join a theatre troupe now. Cornwall can… do whatever it is he wanted to do. All I really saw in rereading the song lyrics of their “I Want” song was that he wanted to be a cool/powerful dragon. How would that translate? Join the knights? A frat group? Be homesick for Dragon Country? Devon clearly knows who he is and wants to be but maybe Corny’s still on that journey. I want them to be a decently strong B-plot of the movie. They deserve to be more than just a constant butt of jokes. I want to see what they do now that the dream is attainable and not in some far off land.

- What’s the griffin up to? Even if it’s just a cameo I’d be curious what he’s doing after Ruber’s death.

- Musical. Apparently some people don’t jive with the musical aspect. I loved it about the first movie though and think it’d be fitting for the sequel to also have a solid repertoire of original songs. Hell, maybe Merlin will be more relevant and have a song. I dunno. Spitballing.

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I’m pretty sure a sequel isn’t planned on happening. But what would you guys like to see if one did happen?

[marciabrady]

Classic Princess fan problem #284: Aurora is always catching strays for not having an overly obvious personality! I can't even casually listen to my favourite supernatural podcast or animated film YouTube reviewer without them knocking Aurora's supposed lack of personality, always completely unprompted!!! Why do they do this? (And of course one of them had to call her basic next to Mulan. Mulan stans are obsessed with her. 😭)

I think people fault Aurora too much for what they perceive to be a lack of involvement in her own plot, but I think people should normalize liking characters for the personality/vibe as opposed to liking them for what their perceived agency is. Like, I can acknowledge that I think that Moana is able to do a lot of interesting things because of her physical location and what the writers gave her to do, but I don't connect with her character or enjoy her personality. I also miss the days when everyone had different favorites for different reasons. The world is so much more dull when everyone's favorite princess is Rapunzel or Tiana, and all for the same reasons too lol

[kat-movies]

Mulan 2

Okay this might be where I lose some people, but I actually really love Mulan 2, and I even think it might be one of the best Disney sequels ever. I think a lot of people hate on the movie because they aren't open to sequels ever, and they automatically have in their head that the sequel will be bad strictly because it's a sequel. Is the sequel perfect, no, but is it the worst movie ever, absolutely not.

First of all, the sequel has all of the original cast members, minus Eddie Murphy, which automatically means that the sequel isn't the worst movie in the world. I also really enjoy the story line of this movie, since it gives you a fun and interesting take on the characters that you meet in the first one. A lot of people don't like that Mushu is labelled as the "villain" in this movie, but I personally think it sort of makes sense for his character. He's not evil like a normal villain, he is just driven by his own selfish desires, which is the sole purpose for why he helps Mulan in the first movie anyway, so I think it makes sense for his character. You also get to see more of Ling, Yao, and Chien-po in this movie and they really develop their characters in a fun way. I love the addition of the princesses and seeing how they are inspired by Mulan's story and how that changes them. And I also really love the Mulan and Shang story line in this okay, sue me!

I think that adding this plot of Shang and Mulan not being this perfect couple is definitely something that you don't see a lot in Disney movies, but they also add the fact that it's okay to be different people because you can still have a loving relationship and be different. Also, this movie has one of the saddest scenes ever that genuinely makes me sob every time I watch it. Spoilers if you care, but Shang's fake death is so well thought out and put together that I genuinely cry every time I watch it, no matter how many times I've seen the movie. This addition to the plot also makes the end of the movie just so much more enjoyable. In the end everything works out, so I'm not so sure why everyone gets stuck on the little details in this movie. And OBVIOUSLY, this movie is completely inaccurate so please don't think this movie is anything close to history. This one is completely fun and fictional.

-kat <3

[school-sanctioned-movie-bullying]

Turning Red Defense Post

It has come to my attention that some people think this blog is just me whining. I can see why those people think that, because it is true. I love to whine, and it is what I am good at. But there comes a time when one must venture out of her comfort zone. 

In this post I am praising Turning Red, a movie that I like very much but that many other people seem to hate. My reasons for this are threefold. For one, I am running out of movies to complain about; two, I really like Turning Red; and three, my professor said I can’t just bitch about movies anymore, so my classic complaining style posts are hence extinct. 

 Before I get into my praise for the film, I want to address the common criticisms I have seen people make of it. I perused the one-star reviews on Google, and the most common complaints seemed to be “it’s cringe-worthy," “the characters were annoying," and “it has inappropriate themes.”

 The reviews that said the movie was cringe-worthy mostly said so because of the main characters. The protagonist of the movie is a thirteen-year-old girl named Meilin Lee, whom many reviews had stated to be very annoying. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I was thirteen years old, I was absolutely insufferable. Cringe would be putting lightly how annoying I was. Comparably, I found Mei to be a sweet, if not dorky, tween with a similarly sympathetically dorky friend group. They were cringeworthy, but so is almost every thirteen-year-old out there, so really, the movie is just realistic. 

Many reviews also found Mei Lin’s mother to be overbearing and weird, which I found to be true as well, but then that was kind of the point. Her mother is not the villain of the story by any means, but she is a flawed character. One of the most touching moments of the movie came in the form of Mei Lin helping her mother overcome those flaws. If her mother had been perfect from the start, we would have missed out on that moment.

Aside from the characters, the negative reviews for this movie took offense to the “inappropriate” themes, namely the fact that periods were brought up and the fact that the protagonist rebels against her parents. The whole concept of Mei turning into a giant red panda is supposed to be a metaphor for puberty and growing up, and as it is such a huge part of puberty for girls, there was a quick mention of periods. This came in a very quick scene where Mei Lin’s mother brought out a stash of pads when she thought her daughter had gotten her period.

It was an extremely brief moment, but evidently, that was long enough to get some people upset. I was personally thrilled to see that periods were being brought up in a normal way, and I think it is a step in the right direction for this movie to have that scene. Some parents want to take the puberty talk at their own pace, but the mention of periods in this movie is brief and vague enough that most parents should be able to sweep it under the rug until they want to discuss it with their children. 

 As for Mei Lin rebelling against her parents, I am truthfully confused as to why this movie specifically is guilty of that message. Plenty of other Disney or Pixar movies have the main characters going against their parents. To name a few: The Little Mermaid, Brave, Mulan, and Pocahontas. I thought that Turning Red handled Mei Lin growing up and learning to be her own person very nicely, while still portraying her overbearing mother as sympathetic.

 I can see why a lot of people don’t like this movie. It was risky, and it certainly was not made to please everyone, but I think much of the hate this movie gets is undeserved. I, and many others, really enjoyed Turning Red. Despite the plethora of negative reviews I read, there were more five-star reviews than one-star reviews by a good amount. 

I do truly understand where the desire to loudly hate a movie comes from; I will crap on The Greatest Showman at any opportunity. But it is necessary to remember that the movies you hate may simply not have been written to please you. There are, for some reason, people out there who really like The Greatest Showman, despite the numerous reasons I have for reviling it. And there are people out there who hate Turning Red, even when I think it was one of the best Pixar movies made in some time.

[billysjoel]

YEAR IN REVIEW: Creations of 2023

Post your favorite and most popular posts from each month this year (it's okay to skip months)! I was tagged by the lovely Cleo @girlbutcherwife 💙 Thank you so much! This was super fun!

I started giffing again in April after not making any since 2017, so:

APRIL (61 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Shiv's fall in Succession 4x04 (669 notes)

FAVORITE: Ben Stone profile (22)

MAY (213 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: In Darkness We Sing Father Paul Quote (192)

FAVORITE: Mike Logan: A How-To Guide (49)

JUNE (164 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Silence of the Lambs + Objects (1308)

FAVORITE: Purple Clarice Starling set (529)

JULY (131 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Interview with the Vampire swamp!Lestat (2052)

FAVORITE: Mike & Wheeler set (21) & Taylor Swift Cardigan set (498)

AUGUST (88 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Taylor Swift seagulls (1977)

FAVORITE: The Twilight Saga mega-gifset (249) & Carrie x Big Laughter gifset (86)

SEPTEMBER (65 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Kate Siegel in Mike Flanagan films (1393)

FAVORITE: Carlisle Cullen quote (205) & Purple Alicia Florrick set (45)

OCTOBER (79 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Favorite Chandler Bing moments (RIP Matthew Perry) (13,257)

FAVORITE: Mike Logan x FOB Lyrics (28) & Marianne rainbow set (53) & blue and pink Corpse Bride set (620) & red and black Us gifset (291)

NOVEMBER (74 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Mulan trans colors (1054)

FAVORITE: Blue & yellow Doctor Sleep set (388) & black and gold Anti-Hero set (394) & green and purple Malignant set (623)

DECEMBER (64 gifsets)

MOST POPULAR: Wayne's World Milwaukee gifset (2514)

FAVORITE: Ordinary World TLOU green set (104) & Father Paul Francesca set (239)

939 TOTAL GIFSETS

no pressure tags (as always): @nessa007 @emilylprentiss @laurabenanti @heroeddiemunson @natscatorrcio @riley-keoughs @muldery @mulderscully @ninzied and anyone else who would like to do this! apologies to anyone who's already been tagged!

[ittakestwopod]

In our next installment of our Remakes series, we are comparing Mulan (1998) and Mulan (2020)

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The Movies:

Mulan (1998)

Directed by Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook

Written by Robert D. San Souci, Rita Hsiao, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer & Eugenia Bostwick-Singer

Based on the poem by Guo Maoqian

iMDb Rating: 8.2

Mulan (2020)

Directed by Niki Caro

Written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek & Elizabeth Martin

Based on the poem by Guo Maoqian

iMDB Rating: 5.8

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Our website - ItTakesTwo.co.nz

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Content Warning:

Mentions of war, violence, death, sexism and racism