Remember the Titans (2000) review (700th Post!)

 

Back in February, I posted a review of Miracle, the 2004 film adaptation of the legendary moment in Olympics history where the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team upset the Soviet Union Men’s Hockey Team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. I was even able to get it out on February 22^nd, the exact date that marked the 40^th anniversary of the iconic ‘Miracle on Ice’, which I felt was a more timely date for its publication rather than the film’s 15^th anniversary back in 2019 which, granted, would’ve also been in February. However, Miracle is not the only Disney-produced sports film that’s based on a true story that I was planning on reviewing this year. For you see, this year marks the 20^th anniversary of a film that is quite easily one of my favorite films of all-time. It’s a film that is very much in the running for holding the distinction of being the one film that I’ve watched the most in my life, which also makes it one of my top candidates when it comes to the most quotable films ever made. However, another big reason why it has left such a considerable impact on those who’ve watched it is because of its powerful messages of unity during divided times, which I feel makes it a very timeless film… and let’s be real, folks, 2020 has thoroughly reinforced that stance. A few months ago, the U.S. was rocked by multiple instances of police brutality against folks such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor that, unfortunately, were only the most recent cases of police brutality towards members of the Black community. Because of this, the ongoing political/social movement that is Black Lives Matter has expanded significantly to combat this major facet of America’s long-standing problem with racism. But while today’s post isn’t going to be any kind of significant commentary on this situation (since I will fully admit that I’m in no way an expert on the matter), it will instead be a celebration of a film that I strongly believe is essential viewing during these difficult times. And so, without further ado, let’s delve into the masterpiece that is Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ 2000 production, Remember the Titans.

It is 1971, and in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, the local high schools are consolidated into a single institution, T.C. Williams, to help desegregate Alexandria’s black and white communities. Naturally, this causes plenty of racial divide across the area and it only proceeds to get worse when, as part of this new initiative, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is hired to be the school’s new head football coach, replacing longtime playcaller Bill Yoast (Will Patton). But while Yoast initially plans to move on with his life and take a job somewhere else, he soon realizes that he’ll have to stick around when all the white players who have played under him threaten to quit the team rather than play for a black coach. Thus, Yoast agrees to be Boone’s defensive coordinator as Boone begins his efforts to coach a team made up of black and white players. Obviously, things start off on a rough note due to the clear racial tensions between them all, especially between Yoast’s defensive captain, linebacker Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst), and all-star defensive end Julius Campbell (Wood Harris), one of Boone’s key recruits. And if that wasn’t enough, Boone eventually learns that because the school board is highly doubtful that this little social experiment of theirs is going to work at all, they will not hesitate to fire him at the first sign of trouble (or, in other words, just a single loss). Thus, through both devastating hardships and uplifting moments of prosperity, the Titans slowly but surely begin to band together as they embark on a legendary season that will truly unite their divided city.

Now the first thing to note about this film is that, just like any film that’s based on a true story, it does admittedly take a few liberties with what really happened in Alexandria in 1971, like how the car crash that left Gerry Bertier paralyzed occurred after the State Championship rather than before it. Ultimately, though, the biggest difference between this film and the real-life events that inspired it is that, based on what I’ve read, the former intensified the racial tension that was going on in Alexandria when, in reality, a lot of it had cooled down by the time that the Titans embarked on their legendary season. And yet, regardless of whether some of the biggest moments in this film truly happened or not, that doesn’t take anything away from the emotional heft of this story and its universal themes such as love, brotherhood, and accepting people based on character rather than the color of their skin. Whether it’s a major subplot such as Yoast exposing a crooked referee conspiracy by the school board to sabotage their season or specific sequences such as members of the team being denied service at a restaurant for being black, this film is full of big emotional moments and it hits them all wonderfully. However, this film is also much more than just a drama as all its intense emotional moments are matched excellently with a lot of great humorous moments that stem from the banter between its characters, which is key to the whole ‘one of the most quotable films ever made’ aspect that I mentioned earlier. The film also sports a terrific soundtrack, and I’m not just referring to its selection of classic songs such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Spirit in the Sky”. There’s also Trevor Rabin’s phenomenal score that’s primarily represented by the track “Titans Spirit”, an epic 7-minute piece that runs the full gamut of moods from slow and serene to pulse-poundingly triumphant.

Another key aspect of this film’s success is its excellent ensemble cast, headlined, of course, by the one and only Denzel Washington as coach Herman Boone. Right out the gate, Boone is immediately established as being one hell of a strict coach who isn’t afraid to put his team through an incredibly tough training regimen to turn them into a winning team. But thanks to Washington’s natural charisma as a leading man, we’re still able to empathize with Boone given all the pressure that he’s under to set a good example for not only his family, but also his peers, his players, and the people of Alexandria. Washington is then naturally complemented by Will Patton as Coach Bill Yoast, who serves as a perfect foil to Boone as the Titans’ more calm and collected coach by comparison but one who’s still able to dish out some tough love when necessary. As for the rest of the cast, one of the most unique aspects of this film (when looking back at it nowadays) is how much of the cast is made up of actors and actresses who would go on to become major stars in their own right, such as Hayden Panettiere as Yoast’s football-loving daughter Sheryl. As for the Titans themselves, you have guys like Donald Faison, Ethan Suplee, and Ryan Gosling… and that’s just to name a few. And while I don’t want this review to turn into some kind of comparison piece, if there’s one big advantage that this film has over Miracle, it’s that it’s a lot more balanced when it comes to focusing on certain members of the team. While Wood Harris and Ryan Hurst clearly get the most attention out of all the team’s players given the rivalry between Julius Campbell and Gerry Bertier that evolves into a genuinely heartwarming brotherhood, the film makes a great effort to highlight as many players as possible. As such, we get a whole bunch of memorable characters such as lovable lineman Louie Lastik, who hopes to become the first in his family to go to college, California transfer Ronnie ‘Sunshine’ Bass, who rises up to become the team’s star quarterback, and sympathetic fast-talker Petey Jones, whose boastful nature often sees him getting directly chewed out by Coach Boone.

Now, before we conclude today’s review, I just wanted to delve into a quick personal story that will hopefully provide some more insight as to why this film is one of my all-time favorites. Even after all this time, I still remember going to see this film in theaters back when it first came out in 2000, and while I don’t necessarily remember the following detail, my folks have frequently told me that we went to go see it with the Woonsocket High School Football team. My dad was the team’s Head Coach at the time, and while he would eventually step down from the position to transition into education, he would still be heavily involved with the football team every year, especially once he became Woonsocket’s athletic director. Cut to 2009, and the team is now coached by one of my Dad’s best friends, who sadly suffered a personal tragedy that year when his older brother passed away in September. Not long after the team’s next game (which resulted in a loss), my dad decided to hold a film screening at the high school for them, and as you probably guessed, the film in question… was Remember the Titans. And to be perfectly blunt, I do believe that it gave the team the morale boost that it sorely needed. Not only would they end up winning the Rhode Island International League’s Division II-A Super Bowl that year, but in a run that quite arguably mirrored the perfect season that the Titans managed to pull off, they didn’t lose a single game after that previously mentioned loss. They even managed to achieve a bunch of big shutouts; several in a row, even. Thus, while I’m not saying that I believe that it was the key factor behind the team’s successful season, I can safely say that I’ve very much witnessed how this film can truly inspire those who watch it on a firsthand basis.

Like I said before, though, I know that this is far from being the most accurate ‘based on a true story’ sports film when compared to the real-life events that inspired it. It is, after all, a sentiment that has been shared with several members of the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans football team. In the film’s defense, however, this is just something that’s to be expected from any film that’s based on a true story. I can even imagine some folks arguing that, since this is a Disney production, it’s a heavily sanitized take on a story about the horrors of racism. And yet, even though I will openly admit that I wouldn’t necessarily consider this to be the absolute best film that has ever tackled the subject of racism, that doesn’t mean that it’s any ‘lesser’ by comparison for being a blockbuster that’s intentionally trying to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible. At the end of the day, this film is just as successful at being a heartwarming tale of solidarity in times of hardship as it is a wholly entertaining sports flick with a great soundtrack and an endless array of quotable lines. Plus, to be perfectly frank, folks, watching this in 2020 in the wake of all the crap we’ve endured this year (especially when it comes to the many incidents that have reinforced this country’s continuing issues with systemic racism) can be quite an experience. In other words, certain race-related moments in this film that were already tough to watch back when it first came out are arguably even harder to watch today because they can remind us that, even after all this time… we’ve still got a long way to go when it comes to combatting racism. And so, with all that in mind, I will simply reinforce the statement that I made at the beginning of this review where I strongly believe that Remember the Titans is a film that is the very definition of ‘essential viewing’. I know that I may be rather biased about this given how many times I’ve seen this film, but for all its imperfections, none of that even remotely prevents it from being not only one of the best sports films ever made… but also one of my favorite films of all-time.

Rating: 5/5!

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Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) review

It was in 1989 that audiences were first introduced to the duo of Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan AKA the Wyld Stallyns (*Air Guitars*) in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Inspired by a stand-up routine that writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson (the latter being the son of legendary sci-fi writer Richard Matheson) had developed in college, this comedic romp about two music-loving high-schoolers who are given a phone booth shaped time machine to ace a crucial history report quickly became one of the most iconic films of the 80’s. Bolstered by the outstanding camaraderie between its two stars, Alex Winter as Bill and Keanu Reeves as Ted (not to mention a scene-stealing turn from George Carlin as Rufus, their friendly guide from the future), it soon paved the way for a 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. After that, the franchise saw its fair share of spin-offs, including an animated series that notably saw Winter, Reeves, and Carlin reprise their respective roles for its first season before they were replaced by the actors who would end up playing the characters in a short-lived live-action series. But as for a potential third film, that ended up taking a while for various reasons ranging from Reeves, Winter, Solomon, and Matheson all moving on to other projects to a general reluctance from most studios to try and revive a ‘cult’ franchise without it being a reboot. Eventually, though, a deal was finally made (which, reportedly, was largely thanks to the career resurgence that Reeves experienced in 2014 with John Wick) for one of the most iconic duos in cinematic history to make their triumphant return to the big-screen. Thus, 29 years after the release of Bogus Journey, we now have Bill & Ted Face the Music, directed by Dean Parisot, the same director behind another sci-fi cult classic, 1999’s Galaxy Quest. And for a film that’s been several years in the making, I’m pleased to report that fans will not be disappointed by this long-awaited threequel.

It has been more than three decades since Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter) and Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan (Keanu Reeves) were first told that, in the future, they would create the kind of music that would unite the world and form a utopian society. By the year 2020, however, they’ve been unable to come up with that world-changing music, thus resulting in their band, the Wyld Stallyns, falling into complete irrelevancy. And yet, at the point where Bill & Ted speculate that the time has finally come for them to move on to other things, the two are approached by Kelly (Kristen Schaal), the daughter of their old friend Rufus, who brings them into the future to address a major problem. There, they are informed by the Great Leader (Holland Taylor), who also happens to be Kelly’s mother, that they must perform that pivotal song at 7:17 PM that night. If they fail to perform it, reality as they know it will fall apart, which is something that has already begun to take place all over the world as historical figures are randomly transported to other points in time. Realizing the daunting task at hand, Bill & Ted decide that the best route for them to write the most important song of their lives is to travel into the future to a point where they have written it. And so, with the help of their old phone booth time machine, the Wyld Stallyns head out on a new adventure to finally fulfill their destinies. Meanwhile, Bill & Ted’s daughters, Theodora ‘Thea’ Preston (Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina ‘Billie’ Logan (Brigette Lundy-Paine), attempt to help their dads by embarking on their own time-travel adventure to recruit some of the most legendary musicians of all-time.

One of the best things about the Bill & Ted films is how they’ve never tried to take themselves too seriously. In other words, this is a franchise that is fully aware of how utterly goofy it can be and how it’s far from being an accurate interpretation of both history and the concept of time-travel. And yet, it goes without saying that this is one of the biggest reasons why these films have always been so entertaining, with Bill & Ted Face the Music dutifully continuing that trend. When comparing this film to its predecessors, Face the Music does a great job of incorporating the best elements of both Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey, two films that, plot-wise, newcomers to the franchise may be surprised to find are quite different from each other. Overall, Face the Music is arguably more in line with the former since it sees the titular duo heavily utilize their iconic phone booth time machine, which wasn’t featured as prominently in the surreal road-trip-esque adventure that was Bogus Journey. And yet, the film still manages to feature many of the great things that Bogus Journey brought to the franchise, such as, of course, Death himself (William Sadler), who’s revealed to be on rocky terms with Bill & Ted after they had sued him for trying to hog their spotlight. It’s also worth noting that, ironically, Face the Music is the first installment in a series centered on characters who are musicians for a living that is largely based around music. And despite everything that I just said about how this film generally mirrors the plot of Excellent Adventure and is full of nostalgic throwbacks, both this and some solid moments of emotional poignancy that do address how much time has passed since the release of Bogus Journey helps Face the Music stand out amongst its predecessors.

Ultimately, though, the best thing that this film manages to accomplish is that it’s an absolute comedic riot, and of course, this is largely thanks to one of the best comedic duos in cinematic history, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as Bill & Ted. Even after all these years, Winter and Reeves slip back into their iconic roles with ease and their camaraderie is just as terrific as it was back in the 80’s (and early 90’s since Bogus Journey came out in 1991). Face the Music also notably sees a few key figures from the franchise make a return as well, such as Hal Landon Jr. as Ted’s consistently disapproving father Capt. John Logan and Amy Stoch as Bill (and later Ted’s) ever-flirtatious step-mother Missy. But when it comes to classic characters from this franchise (apart from Rufus due to George Carlin’s passing in 2008, although the film does feature some nice tributes to him), none are arguably more iconic than William Sadler as the personification of Death himself, the Grim Reaper. Admittedly, Death doesn’t factor into the film too much as he doesn’t really show up until the final third, but even with his brief screen-time, Sadler is once again one of the top comedic standouts as this franchise’s delightfully dorky interpretation of the Grim Reaper. As for newcomers, Face the Music sees its fair share of great additions to the cast such as Kristen Schaal as Rufus’ daughter Kelly, who gets into a lot of hilarious arguments with her mother, and Anthony Carrigan as an anxiety-prone robot named Dennis that the Great Leader sends out to kill Bill & Ted when it seems like they won’t be able to fulfill their prophecy. But, of course, the biggest new additions to the cast are Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Bill & Ted’s daughters Thea and Billie. And while their roles in the film primarily consist of them embarking on the same kind of time-travel/unexpected excursion to hell adventures that their dads went on, Weaving and Lundy-Paine prove to have the exact same kind of outstanding camaraderie that Winter and Reeves have always had. It also helps that the two of them just feel like the natural offspring of their respective parents.

As I noted in the intro, Bill & Ted Face the Music is one of the prime examples of a film that was several years in the making. I still remember when this film was initially rumored to be happening all the way back in 2009/2010, which was right around the time when I was first introduced to this franchise. And because of all the times where it seemed like little to no progress was being made in its development, I will openly admit that there were a few points where, presumably like many others, I started to wonder if the film was ever going to see the light of day. But now, that time has finally come, and to be perfectly blunt, it couldn’t have come at a better time. At the risk of making an incredibly obvious pun, Bill & Ted Face the Music is a most triumphant return for one of the most iconic comedic duos in cinematic history. For a film that could’ve easily ended up as being nothing more than a stale and outdated rehash of its predecessors, it instead serves as a reminder of why this franchise has thoroughly maintained its status as an enduring cult classic. As always, much of this is due to the perfect combination of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves’ excellent (*air guitars*) performances in the title roles and Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson’s sharp script that, in this instance, does a great job of bringing the best elements of the previous two films together in ways that will surely satisfy longtime fans. At the same time, though, the film also manages to be much more than just a rehash of what came before and, with some surprisingly well-handled emotional moments, proves that even dim-witted characters like Bill & Ted can show some genuine signs of maturity. Because of all this, Face the Music is the very definition of a feel-good film, which means that I’m more than willing to echo the sentiments of many of my peers by stating that this will surely be a delightful bit of escapism for anyone who’s been thoroughly overwhelmed by everything that is 2020.

Rating: 4.5/5

Bill & Ted's Excellent Retrospective

 

DUDES! Welcome to Rhode Island Movie Corner, where today, we’re celebrating the most excellent of franchises. It is the franchise that has given us one of the most iconic and awesome duos in the history of film who are making the most triumphant return in cinematic history with their long-awaited third feature film. I’m, of course, referring to the most legendary heroes of time, Bill S. Preston (Esquire!) and Ted “Theodore” Logan, and together, they’re… WYLD STALLYNS! (*Air Guitars*) Hehe, okay, I’m not going to talk like that for the entire post, but yes, ladies and gentlemen, today we’re finally tackling a franchise that I’ve been dying to cover for the past few years now. I’m, of course, referring to the adventures of the dynamic duo known as Bill & Ted. The original Bill & Ted film is one of the prime examples of a bona fide cult classic that slowly but surely evolved into one of the most iconic and highly quotable films of its time. It would go on to spawn a sequel in 1991, two short-lived TV series (one animated and one live-action), and other various media spin-offs such as a long-running stage show at Universal Studios, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure, that occurred during the park’s annual Halloween Horror Nights event until 2013 in Hollywood and 2017 in Florida. But now, after nearly three whole decades, the Wyld Stallyns have made their grand return to the big-screen in Bill & Ted Face the Music. As fans of the franchise are well-aware, this film has been in the works for quite some time, but after several years stuck in development hell, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are finally back in the roles that very much launched their careers. And so, in honor of this most excellent release, today we’re delving into the history (pun TOTALLY intended!) of these perpetually enduring fan favorites. So, with that said, grab your phone booth time machines and prepare for the possibility that you’ll have to give Death himself a Melvin as we look at the first two films in the Bill & Ted franchise. EXCELLENT!! (*Air Guitars*) 

BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989)

As I just alluded to in the intro, 1989’s Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is one of the most noteworthy success stories of the 80’s. Written by two then-newcomers to the film industry (Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, the latter being the son of legendary sci-fi writer Richard Matheson), this sci-fi adventure about two rock-loving slackers who are granted a phone booth time machine to help them ace their history report was notably shelved for about a year after it was filmed. This was mainly due to its original distributor, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, filing for bankruptcy in 1988. Thankfully, though, the film managed to gain a new distributor in Orion Pictures and was finally released in 1989 to become the cult classic that it still is today. It’s a film that fully embraces its goofy premise (in which the titular duo learn that their music is the key to a future in which society has evolved into a perfect utopia) and blatantly farcical takes on history to be a delightfully wacky comedy that’s chock-full of iconic lines. Whether it’s one of Bill and Ted’s classmates proudly proclaiming that “SAN DIMAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!” or Bill and Ted being told by their future selves that the number that they’re currently thinking of is “69, dudes!!!”, this is easily one of the most quotable films of all-time. And, of course, much of this is thanks to the film’s most excellent titular duo (*Air Guitars*). Not only do Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves have phenomenal camaraderie, but they fully succeed in making Bill and Ted a thoroughly likable duo (barring one incredibly dated homophobic slur that they proclaim after hugging each other). Another key player in this film’s enduring legacy is the late George Carlin as Bill and Ted’s friendly ally from the future, Rufus. Admittedly, Rufus doesn’t factor into the film as much as newcomers to the franchise may think, but it goes without saying that Carlin steals the show in every scene that he’s in as the awesomely chill dude who gets Bill and Ted started on their journey. In short, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is a highly entertaining and all-around easygoing comedic romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously (especially given that it’s based around the always complicated premise of time-travel), thus resulting in a film that truly is… EXCELLENT! (*Air Guitars*)

Rating: 4.5/5

BILL & TED’S BOGUS JOURNEY (1991)

Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson managed to shake things up quite a bit when it came to the first sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. Instead of doing another time-travel plot, Bogus Journey is more like a surreal road trip adventure as it sees the titular duo having to deal with a radical zealot from the future named De Nomolos (Joss Ackland) who seeks to bring an end to the utopian society that they will bring about. To do so, De Nomolos creates evil robot versions of Bill and Ted who successfully kill them, resulting in them getting into all sorts of hi-jinx from traveling to both heaven and hell (the original title for the film was, in fact, Bill & Ted Go to Hell), and challenging Death himself to everything from Battleship to Twister. Suffice it to say, Bogus Journey is full of crazy moments, and I can see why this might have thrown some people off when this film first came out because of how radically different it is when compared to its predecessor. And yet… that’s what makes Bogus Journey just as much of a classic as Excellent Adventure. Like its predecessor, Bogus Journey fully commits to the utterly absurd nature of its plot, and whereas Excellent Adventure was more of an ensemble piece headlined by both Bill and Ted and the various ‘historical dudes’ that they meet, Bogus Journey lets the Wyld Stallyns (*Air Guitars*) be the true stars of the show this time around. Obviously, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are phenomenal once again as Bill and Ted, but this film also gives them a great new co-star in the Grim Reaper himself, Death, excellently played by William Sadler. Sadler is a natural addition to the franchise as a Grim Reaper who, despite his status as the personification of death, ends up being one of the biggest punching bags in cinematic history given all the hilarious things that he’s subjected to (e.g. Bill and Ted giving him a Melvin). Because of all this, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey is very much a worthy sequel to Excellent Adventure that made the wise decision to not just be a straight-forward redo of its predecessor like some sequels admittedly tend to do.

Rating: 4.5/5

And that concludes this retrospective on a franchise that is most triumphant! (*Air Guitars*) Thanks for following along and be sure to be on the lookout for a review of Bill & Ted Face the Music sometime soon. Until then, to quote the Great Ones themselves, “Be Excellent to Each Other!”, and…

Mulan (2020) review (Disney+ (Premier Access))

 

In the 90’s, Walt Disney Animation Studios experienced the creative resurgence that they desperately needed after an incredibly rough stretch in the 80’s where the studio was nearly shuttered completely. Officially known as the ‘Disney Renaissance’, this era saw the release of many of the studio’s most beloved and critically acclaimed works such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. However, some might argue that, commercially speaking, the Disney Renaissance reached its peak in 1994 with The Lion King, which stood as the studio’s highest-grossing film for nearly two decades until Frozen overtook its top spot in 2013. While the films that were released after that (up until 1999’s Tarzan, for the record) weren’t necessarily commercial duds, none of them really managed to match the box-office success of the era’s initial outings. Nevertheless, these films have managed to maintain a genuinely positive reputation amongst those who grew up with them, and one of the most popular of that bunch is 1998’s Mulan. Directed by the duo of veteran Disney animators Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, the film was inspired by the legendary Chinese ballad that told the story of Hua Mulan, a young woman who went against tradition to take her father’s place in the Imperial army. Upon its release, the film grossed over $304 million worldwide and was one of the better-received outings of Disney’s post-1994 Renaissance lineup, and now it’s become the latest installment of Disney’s current trend of live-action remakes of their animated classics with a big-budget epic directed by Niki Caro (2002’s Whale Rider, 2017’s The Zookeeper’s Wife). However, just like many other 2020 releases, Mulan became yet another unfortunate victim of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally set to release back in March, the film was pushed back twice before it was decided to have the film be released on Disney+, but unlike other films that were turned into Disney+ releases, Mulan was made a premium offering with users having to pay a $30 fee to watch it. And while I’m going to save my thoughts on this development for the end of today’s review, what I can say right now is that the new Mulan manages to be one of the best live-action Disney remakes yet largely because of its willingness to be different.

In a peaceful little village in the heart of China, a young woman named Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu) finds herself struggling to adhere to the expectations that are set upon her by long-standing traditions where the only way for her to bring honor to her family is through an arraigned marriage. However, this all changes when China finds itself under attack by invaders from the North; specifically, a group of warriors known as the Rourans led by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee), who seeks vengeance against the Emperor of China (Jet Li) for killing his father, and Xianniang (Gong Li), a powerful shape-shifting sorceress. In response to this development, the Emperor sends out an official decree that one man from every family must join the Imperial Army to combat this threat, and since Mulan doesn’t have any brothers, her father Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma), a highly respected veteran of the Imperial Army, promptly volunteers to re-enlist. Realizing, however, that her father is in no condition to fight, Mulan boldly decides to take her father’s place in the army and disguises herself as his ‘son’, Hua Jun, so that she can save him from an inevitable death. Despite this, though, Mulan now finds herself having to consistently hide her real identity as a woman from everyone she comes across, from her superior Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) to her fellow soldiers such as Chen Honghui (Yoson An). If her secret is ever revealed, not only would she bring dishonor upon her entire family, but the strict laws of her country could also potentially result in the worst possible fate of all… death.    

Over the past few years, much has been said about how many of the recent live-action Disney remakes usually don’t tend to make a lot of changes to the stories of their animated counterparts. And while I’ve certainly gone on record stating that this doesn’t bother me in the slightest when it comes to what I think about them, it goes without saying that it’s one of the main reasons why they have been so controversial amongst animation fans, with many arguing that they rarely add anything new to their iconic stories. But when it comes to Mulan, this is one of the rare cases where it does make a considerable effort to make some major changes so that it can’t just be accused of being a clone of its animated predecessor. Namely, in this instance, Mulan opts to be a more serious action film rather than the traditionally family-friendly Disney musical that the animated film was. Apart from Christina Aguilera’s re-recorded cover of ‘Reflection’ and a new song of hers, ‘Loyal Brave True’ (both of which are played during the credits), none of the songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel appear in the film. Instead, they’re only alluded to in referential dialogue and parts of Harry Gregson-Williams’ score. The film also notably excludes the character of Mulan’s ancestral sidekick, Mushu the dragon, in favor of a different ancestral guardian, a phoenix, that occasionally comes to Mulan’s aid. But despite the negative reactions that these changes have garnered from fans of the original (more on that later…), this film more than delivers on its promise of being an epic female-driven action flick. It boasts incredibly gorgeous cinematography thanks to cinematographer Mandy Walker, which naturally paves the way for a whole bunch of visually stunning and amazingly choreographed action sequences. And while the film probably could’ve benefitted from a bit more levity in certain places, the fact that its largely serious tone was clearly intentional on director Niki Caro’s part to contrast with the light-hearted atmosphere of the animated film means that it’s ultimately not too big of an issue.

The film also deserves quite a lot of credit for properly maintaining an ethnically accurate cast, especially since fans were quite vocal about how they didn’t want it to be a case of studio whitewashing. Thankfully, this isn’t one of those situations, and as a result, the film features an excellent cast headlined by Yifei Liu, who does a phenomenal job in the title role of Mulan. Not only does Yifei prove to be an indisputable badass when it comes to the action sequences, but she also does a wonderful job in capturing the endearing nature of Mulan’s emotional journey thanks in large part to her strong charisma. She’s then backed by an equally terrific supporting cast, who all do wonderful jobs whether they’re one of the main characters or they’re only in a few select scenes. This includes everyone from well-respected stars such as Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jet Li as the Emperor, and Tzi Ma as Mulan’s father to incredibly promising up-and-comers like Yoson An as Chen, who basically serves as the live-action equivalent of Mulan’s love interest from the animated film, Captain Li Shang. That said, though, the film doesn’t really go too far when it comes to developing a potential romance between the two which, given the mixed reactions that some critics had towards the romance between Mulan and Shang in the original, may have been for the best. Finally, there are this film’s villains, and whereas Hun leader Shan Yu was far from being one of the best villains to come from an animated Disney film, the live-action Mulan ends up boasting a far superior pair of antagonists. Jason Scott Lee brings the right amount of fierceness to the role of Bori Khan, but at the end of the day, the biggest standout of the bunch is Gong Li as Xianniang the witch. Bringing in a new female character into the story is easily one of the remake’s best updates as Xianniang serves as a perfect foil to Mulan, especially since it’s established that she’s also experienced a lot of gender discrimination, namely from Bori Khan. And without spoiling anything, this ultimately paves the way for her having a unique and solidly handled conclusion to her overall character arc, thus making her much more than just a traditional magically powered villainess.

As has been the case with all these recent Disney remakes, the live-action Mulan has faced its fair share of controversy; however, you may be surprised to learn that, in this instance, it wasn’t really due to the whole ‘is it really necessary’ debate that is usually the case with these films. Aside from one rather scandalous political controversy that I won’t be getting into here, much of the backlash towards this film… has been due to all the things from the original animated film that it left out. Yes, it seems as if the biggest issue that many have had with this film… is the fact that it doesn’t feature Mushu, any of the original’s songs, or a proper live-action equivalent of Mulan’s love interest Shang. And yet, I find all this to be incredibly ironic since I’m 100% certain that those who have criticized the new Mulan for all its changes were most likely the same people who were critical of the remakes of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast for not making a lot of significant changes to their source material. In other words, as much as I’ve gone on record stating that I’m not bothered by all these recent Disney remakes adhering closely to the key aspects of their animated counterparts, I’m legitimately surprised that Mulan isn’t getting a lot more credit for the fact that it dared to do things a little differently. And because of that, it’s easily one of the best films yet to come from this recent batch of remakes. Under the excellent direction of Niki Caro, the live-action Mulan is a gorgeously shot action-packed epic that’s fully bolstered by an outstanding lead performance by Yifei Liu in the title role. And while it doesn’t try to be a direct adaptation of its animated counterpart, there are still plenty of great nods to what many consider to be one of the most underrated installments of the Disney Renaissance.

But now it’s time for me to address the elephant in the room that is this film’s status as a ‘Premier Access’ release on Disney+. The $30 price tag that this film is currently going for has been a topic of considerable debate online, with many feeling that it’s way too much for just one single film. And to be fair, I completely understand why some people feel that way, especially given everything that’s going on in the world right now that has thoroughly affected tons of folks on a financial level. $30 IS a hefty price to watch one film, which is the reason why I admittedly haven’t watched a lot of the similarly priced ‘Theater at Home’ films that have been released On-Demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic apart from Scoob and, sometime in the next few days, a certain highly-anticipated threequel. However, while it’s quite arguably too much for a single person, I’d say that this price is a lot more reasonable if at least one more person is watching it with you to balance it all out. Plus, unlike all those other recent On-Demand releases, the film will stay in your Disney+ library if you purchase it and isn’t just a rental that expires after a certain time. Now for the record, if that price is still too much for you, the film will become free to all Disney+ users sometime in December. However, I’m going to go out on a limb and strongly suggest that you should buy it now if you can. Not only is it a legitimately terrific film, but it’s also a female-led, female-directed big-budget epic that made a truly admirable effort to be an ethnically-accurate adaptation of its source material and a Disney remake that wasn’t just a straight-forward retelling of its animated counterpart. And given everything that’s been happening recently and how it has left a serious impact on the industry, I’d argue that a film like this deserves all the support that it can possibly get.

Rating: 5/5!

The One and Only Ivan (2020) review (Disney+)

 

In our ever-continuing series on films that got royally screwed over by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a film that was originally intended for a proper theatrical release about a week ago before obvious circumstances forced it to shift over to Disney+ as the streaming service’s latest original release. The film in question is The One and Only Ivan, an adaptation of the 2012 children’s novel of the same name by author K.A. Applegate. Upon its publication, the book, which was based on the true story of a clever gorilla named Ivan, immediately became a big hit with its target audience and would end up winning the 2013 Newbery Medal, the most prestigious award for children’s literature in the United States. In other words, it was simply another bona fide success for K.A. Applegate, who’s had a respectably lengthy career as a writer. While The One and Only Ivan may be one of her more recent books, folks of my generation will most likely be familiar with one of her most famous works, the Animorphs series from the ’90s, which she co-wrote with her husband Michael Grant. Not only that but the film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan isn’t the first time that she’s worked with Disney since she also notably wrote several literary spin-offs for both Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. But now this brings us to the film adaptation of The One and Only Ivan, which is directed by Thea Sharrock (who had made her directorial debut in 2016 with the romantic drama Me Before You) off a screenplay by veteran screenwriter Mike White (School of Rock). And thanks to both their combined efforts and a solid cast that’s headlined by an impressively stacked voice cast, it’s easy to see why The One and Only Ivan more than succeeds at being an immensely charming family flick.

For the past several years, Ivan the silverback gorilla (voiced by Sam Rockwell) has been the headlining attraction of a daily circus show held at the Big Top Mall in Florida that’s run by his owner Mack (Bryan Cranston), who had raised Ivan since he was a baby. But while Ivan and his fellow performers such as his best friend Stella the elephant (voiced by Angelina Jolie) are more than content with their lives, Mack soon finds himself having to deal with the increasingly likely prospect of dwindling crowds. Luckily for them, Mack ends up finding a new star attraction in Ruby (voiced by Brooklynn Prince), a baby elephant that he purchases from a fledgling circus in New Jersey. And while Ivan is initially displeased with Ruby immediately stealing his thunder as the show’s newest ‘headliner’, her arrival proves to be exactly what they needed to draw in more crowds and he does legitimately begin to grow fond of the young pachyderm. However, despite all the newfound success that their show has managed to achieve, Ruby begins to learn more about the outside world from Stella and what it’s like to truly be ‘free’. Not wanting her to live the rest of her life in captivity in their small enclosure at the mall, Stella personally asks Ivan to take care of Ruby and to ensure that, someday, she’ll be able to be free. And while Ivan is initially unsure if he could even remotely make this happen, Mack’s increasingly inconsiderate behavior towards them is what ultimately convinces him to go through with it for Ruby’s sake. Thus, with the help of the other animals, the circus’ janitor George (Ramón Rodriguez), and George’s daughter Julia (Ariana Greenblatt), Ivan begins to utilize the artistic talents that he’s had since childhood so that the rest of the world can understand their current predicament.

The One and Only Ivan is the very definition of a good-natured family film. It has a pleasantly relaxing pace throughout and is fully anchored by a lovable collection of main characters. And while I’m aware that many have noted that the film tones down some of the darker elements of its source material (i.e. it lessens the severity of Mack’s harsher actions towards his animals, thus making him more of a decent albeit incredibly short-sighted owner rather than a traditionally cruel antagonist), it still hits its big emotional beats quite well. Much of this is due to the film’s excellent cast, both in terms of its human characters and its animal voice actors. When it comes to the former, Bryan Cranston headlines the film nicely as Mack who, as noted earlier, isn’t the same villainous character that he is in the book but still plays a huge role in how many of the story’s most poignant moments pan out. And as for the latter, Sam Rockwell delivers an incredibly earnest and charismatic performance in the title role of Ivan. He’s then backed by a great supporting voice cast that’s full of big names such as Danny DeVito, who plays a stray dog named Bob who isn’t a part of the show but regularly hangs out with Ivan, Angelina Jolie as the wise old Stella, and Helen Mirren as the show’s actual dog performer, Snickers the poodle. Admittedly, most of the other animals don’t get that much to do in the grand scheme of things since the film primarily focuses on the quartet of Ivan, Stella, Ruby, and Bob, but at the very least, it does seem like everyone involved had a great time working on the project. And so, because of all this, The One and Only Ivan is an incredibly sweet and well-made family film that very much wears its heart on its sleeve. It may not be the most groundbreaking or thought-provoking film ever made, but its largely uncynical nature and terrific handling of its pertinent themes makes it easy to see why its source material has become a staple of children’s literature.

Rating: 4/5