The reviews for "Mulan" have arrived This will be helpful for those who are still trying to decide if it is worth paying $30 for Disney Plus premiere access to see the film

Mulan's release on Disney Plus is an interesting experiment It is the largest film originally slated for a theatrical release and instead released exclusively on streaming platforms Mulan was originally scheduled to be released in the US on March 27, 2020, and even had its world premiere in Los Angeles before the pandemic blockade was implemented

The release was pushed back to August 21, but then Disney made the surprising decision to release the film on its streaming service - but it came at a price Mulan is available only to Disney Plus subscribers, who pay a $7 monthly fee plus an additional $30 for premiere access

This is the first time a subscription streaming service has added a premium on-demand tier for movies; "ESPN+" offers UFC fights, and "Disney Plus" clearly referenced its sibling company Playbook

"Mulan 2020" is the latest live-action remake of an animated Disney classic, following "Cinderella," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin"

The 1998 film follows the adventures of a young Chinese woman, Hua Mulan In order to repel a horde of invaders, the emperor decreed that one man per household must join the army To prevent her ailing father from being drafted, Mulan disguises herself as a man She learns to fight and ends up helping to save an entire nation with her skills

The live-action version follows the same story, with a few tweaks to the characters For one thing, there is no equivalent to the dragon Mushu (voiced by Eddie Murphy in the animated film) For another, the new Mulan is not a musical, so the characters will not burst into song

Currently, Mulan has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 79%; initial reactions after its world premiere in March were enthusiastic Reviews of the full-length film have been equally positive, especially for the gorgeous cinematography, action scenes, and representation of Asians on screen

For a summary of Mulan's reviews, click here

Entertainment Weekly "Mulan is a classic heroic tale, its elaborate sets and grand ambitions so exhilarating that the little human stories within them sometimes fall short

The New York Times: "Lightly funny and a little sad, filled with fascinating scenery and a (not-quite-enough) moving fight There's tasteless violence, heightened emotions, and a protagonist that the filmmakers like to call familiar

CNN: "As the song said, let's cut to the chase: Mulan is big, sumptuous entertainment, transforming the story behind the 1998 animated musical into a songless live-action film

The Hollywood Reporter: "From its opening scene, which takes place in a multi-story walled town filled with dozens of colorful extras in traditional costumes, Mulan never fails to please the eye-it doesn't even occur to the movie to stop stunning It will be"

npr: "I'm glad I saw Mulan in the theater a few months ago I recently rewatched it at home from a digital screener, and I can't say it was the same experience"

IndieWire: "Caro's vision of Mulan strips away many of the traditional trappings of the beloved 1998 animated tale, but no one sings, and while some purists might resent that exclusion, the film really works without singing "

Collider: "I hope Disney will re-release Caro's film in theaters after the pandemic is over You can watch "Mulan" on your phone, but the films released on Disney+ are better seen on the best TVs

IGN: "I feel that this version of Mulan is much more impressive with a few big swings to differentiate it from its predecessor rather than trying to remake the story we already love from one to another That alone makes 'Mulan' feel like a breath of fresh air"

Polygon Mulan successfully clears the hurdles set by live-action duds like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, but still fails to recreate the magic of the films it was adapted from It abandons the most powerful ideas of the animated film (its humble origins in song and heroism) and tries to tell a more conventional story"