“And the leader becomes a legend.”

From Mulan.

As a young girl, Mulan was a spirited, often-oblivious girl living a carefree life in her small village in China.  While her father, Zhou (Tzi Ma), is thrilled to have a daughter so connected to her chi life energy and fighting skills, Mulan’s mother (Rosalind Chao) is scared of the young girl breaking tradition, so Zhou asks Mulan to refrain and leave the fighting to the men.  Years later, when Mulan (Liu Yifei) is a young woman preparing to meet the village matchmaker to bring honor to her family through marriage, Mulan is kicked out of her meeting after she creates an un-ladylike disturbance to protect her sister (Xang Tang) from a spider.  Meanwhile, the rest of China is dealing with the invading Rouran army and the vindictive Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee) that leads them with the help of a sorceress, Xianniang (Gong Li).  When the Emperor (Jet Li) sends out an army draft for one man of each household, Mulan sneaks away to take her unwell father’s place in order to protect him.  When she arrives at the training camp, Mulan pretends to be a boy named Jun and begins training with other young, untrained soldiers including Po (Doua Moua), Ling (Jimmy Wong), Yao (Chen Tang), Cricket (Jun Yu), and the attractive Honghui (Yoson An).  While training under Commander Tung (Donnie Yen), the hidden-in-plain-sight Mulan struggles to keep up with the rest of the garrison until she breaks her promise to Zhou and begins to use her chi to train, but those struggles are nothing compared to the dangers Mulan and the others face in battle against the Rouran forces.  When she realizes Böri Khan and Xianniang’s true plans, Mulan must decide between protecting her secret and sacrificing everything to save her country.

This live-action remake of the 1998 animated classic will turn away some fans because of the film’s drive for accuracy with the original source material.  While vastly different from the musical comedy original, this movie’s breathtaking scenery and action sequences will keep viewers engaged.  Filled with a musical score that highlights the original’s soundtrack, Mulan is a unique retelling of the Chinese legend that does well to hold its own.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 120 minutes |Genre: action/fantasy|

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 0 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 3 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|