Mulan finally officially registered in the domestic theaters today. This live-action movie specially created by Disney for the Chinese market, the release process can be described as twists and turns.
Since 2017, god fairy sister Liu Yifei confirmed to star in Hua Mulan, netizens began to pay attention to this big production for more than three years.
However, because of the epidemic, has withdrawn four times.
On March 9, 2020, after Hua Mulan held the world premiere, once again announced an emergency withdrawal due to the epidemic.
bad luck came one after another. Disney officially announced on September 4 that "Mulan" will be released on the streaming media Disney+. Subscribers also need to rent it for $29.99 before they can watch it. The bewildering behavior of
immediately led to the outflow of pirated resources on a global scale, which greatly affected the movie box office.
After watching the movie through various channels (you should firmly resist piracy), netizens even came to the conclusion that "don't look at the piracy resources of Mulan, otherwise you will waste two precious hours of your life" .
The claim that Disney's products must be high-quality goods was broken. Before the release, Hua Mulan liked Douban with a score of 4.7, and the tragedy happened.
Does this also respond to the old saying that the greater the expectation of , the greater the disappointment of ? How did
, a major production that has been planned for three years from the casting to the release, was ridiculed by the group as unworthy in China?
is the first to try Hua Mulan’s Mainland fixed-file posters ......
's strong nostalgia, really isn’t China’s TV series posters from 20 years ago? The ancient design of
, which put all the leading actors on the cover, somehow evokes my childhood memories.
If this doesn’t seem tragic enough, let’s compare Disney’s past live-action princess movies.
"Beauty and the Beast" and "The Nutcracker" fixed posters in the Mainland...
actually understands that the designer wants to convey the message of the movie 's big names gathering , but it can still be designed a little more sense.
simply squeezes the characters in the center of the picture, which really doesn't meet the standard that Disney has always been.
If the poster is a hurried work that was decided to be released in a hurry, the movie itself fully reflects:
Disney wants to create a work that truly integrates into the Chinese market, but has not done enough homework. The psychological expectation gap caused by the film
for domestic audiences is mainly due to the difference between Eastern and Western cultures and values .
can get a glimpse of this from the Douban score of 4.8 but the foreign media evaluation has maintained a high reputation.
The freshness of rotten tomatoes has been maintained at 79, and overseas media such as the "Guardian" have also issued high evaluations on it. All aspects of the
film reflect ’s misunderstandings and stereotypes of Eastern culture , such as "demonized" character modeling and makeup. The makeup of
that was mocked by the group as soon as it appeared in the trailer, and many other ridiculous looks of supporting roles have been criticized by netizens.
Disney's understanding of traditional Chinese costumes and styles seems to have been very exaggerated. For the most typical evidence of
, look at the pirate leader Chow Yun-fat in "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: End of the World" also produced by Disney.
and this lady of the Qing who represent Chinese pirates... This makeup face, and the matchmaker played by Zheng Peipei in Mulan, are silly and unclear.
Compared to the confusion of the Chinese audience, crooked nuts seem to be very tasty. There is even a Hua Mulan imitation makeup trend on the Internet.
Some enthusiastic netizens pointed out that Hua Mulan's shape is a true restoration of the "flower yellow makeup" during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Since
has worked hard for the Chinese market, while actively restoring history, should we consider the current aesthetics of Chinese audiences?
Moreover, this was originally a Disney-style fairy tale of joking about . The wood that should have come from the Central Plains during the Northern Wei DynastyLan lives in Fujian Tulou . Many plots such as the family ancestral hall full of red lanterns are very different from our traditional history.
After all, the director is obsessed with integrating all Chinese elements into the movie.
For example, the totem phoenix that always appears inexplicably; dazzling costumes; the gorgeous harem concubine can wander around in front of the main hall.
Perhaps for regions outside of China, these random filling elements are indeed fresh and mysterious.
But the Chinese who were born and raised by Huaxia culture were not so foolish. In addition to the abrupt Chinese traditional elements , the gap in the language of is also a threshold for entering the Chinese market.
Maybe when we are watching the Arabs in "Aladdin" talking in crappy English , we still don't feel anything wrong because of the language barrier.
But compared to Disney’s previous live-action princess movies, there are too many Asian faces that we are familiar with in Mulan.
When these actors wear traditional Chinese costumes, but they speak English with one mouth, it will inevitably make people feel a little weird.
Fortunately, we can choose to watch the Chinese version, so the language problem is not the fatal part of this blockbuster. What really separates
from the Chinese audience is the excessively westernized values of .
The core spirit expressed in this live-action movie of Mulan is completely different from the "Mulan Ci" we learned from childhood.
(the following content involves spoilers, be careful)
The female character most questioned by the audience in the movie- Gong Li played "fairy girl" .
She actually occupies a very important position in the promotion of the plot. In the patriarchal era, she and Mulan have the same experience, so she sympathizes with each other.
In the first climax of the movie, she taught Mulan disguised as a male, and can only be truly powerful by admitting her female identity. The plot setting of
is completely the routine of Hollywood superhero movies. From the desire to be recognized to the process of self-recognition, what the director wants to emphasize is the awakening of female self-consciousness .
But looking at Mulan as we Chinese people know, she is worthy of admiration, not because of the awakening of female power, because has been soberly aware of her female identity from beginning to end. The greatness of
Mulan lies in her knowing the difference in physical strength and strength between men and women, but 's bravery to join the army for her father;
lies in her coexistence of tenderness and iron and blood, and she dares to sacrifice her loyalty and righteousness .
However, the most important spirit seems to have been taken over by the movie, so it can only be a Hollywood blockbuster that advocates individual heroism by . Cultural differences such as
may be easier to accept in animated cartoons with flowing pictures, such as the original animation of Mulan and the popular Kung Fu Panda series .
Maybe we shouldn't strictly demand Disney with a martial arts film like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" . After all, Disney habitually outputs family carnival type popcorn movie . In Hollywood blockbusters of
, the villains are often very brainless, the characters are either black or white, and the personality is very flat.
is a major Hollywood film that wants to enter the Chinese market, but it has not really and fully studied the aesthetics and concepts of contemporary Chinese audiences. It is difficult for an adaptation such as to gain recognition from the audience.
But then again, this is still a popcorn movie that is very suitable for recreational time . After all, Disney has invested 1.4 billion to build, both special effects and graphics are extremely sophisticated .
After watching Nolan’s brainstorming "Creed" , the little friends who want to cool their high-speed brains can still get a movie ticket!
Compared with Disney’s previous princess movies, we can still perceive from the rare epic sense of the Mulan scene props that Disney is ambitious this time.
onlyIt is a pity that the effort went in the wrong direction and missed the pain points of the Chinese audience perfectly.
If we change our mindset, will follow Disney’s previous princess movie to watch this blockbuster.
Mulan's determination, bravery, and growth are indeed the values and positive energy that Disney has always wanted to convey.
and Liu Yifei 's fairy appearance and the sassy and cool fighting scene are also absolute bonus points! The
movie is released today. Little sweet potatoes think, how about this movie ?
How about chatting in the comments and sharing it with friends who have not bought tickets?
