The Shoemaker Bugle

By Carter Balbuena

Before the live-action Disney movie Mulan was released, there was controversy surrounding it. Some people had their own thoughts and opinions regarding the lead actress. Liu Yifei who plays the title lead, was under fire as she commented on the Hong Kong protests on a social media platform called Weibo.

The actress said, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now.” She added, in English, “What a shame for Hong Kong,” which sparked the social media hashtag #BoycottMulan. Disney was also under fire for filming in infamous Xinjiang, known to keep over 1 million Uighurs in camps that strip them of their human rights.

As for the film itself, I have not seen it because Disney+ requires an extra charge to buy the film. Many here at The Shoemaker Bugle felt that it was simply not worth it to buy Mulan after already having to purchase the Disney+ service. However, according to Rotten Tomatoes, reviewers generally felt that the film was average, at best. It has a score of 74%, which means that about one in every four reviews calls the film a failure. Besides the professional critics, audiences rate the film even more poorly, with just a 50% approval rating on the website.

A writer for Rolling Stone Magazine named K. Austin Collins notes that there are some good parts to Mulan, but they don’t add up to make a quality whole. He wrote,

“Its cast, its attitude, its overall eagerness to please… don’t add up as a good movie. They add up to a blueprint of the movie this ought to be.”

-Rolling Stone Magazine

I think Mr. Collins’ review is a good summary to back up my case that it would be better to wait for Mulan until after Disney+ takes away the paywall and just adds it to the collection of movies that you can already watch with a paid subscription.