Nonton Film Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009) Full Movie
Nonton Film Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (2009) Full Movie Sub Indonesia
Starring Zhao Wei, Chen Kun, and Jaycee Chan, Mulan: Rise of A Warrior’s plot is almost just like the animated Disney adaptation that we all know and love but at the same time very distinct. The legendary heroine in this movie, just like the Disney one, disguises herself as a man to join the Wei army that she may take her ailing father’s duty.
While there were no talking dragons and happy-singing involved, the 2-hour-long film holds a certain musicality to it: the ringing of swords as they clash, the melody of the soldiers’ cries for victory and freedom, and the bittersweet harmony as the Rouran and Wei states settled an agreement.
When Mulan (Zhao) joined the military, she was immediately recognized by her childhood friend, Fei Xiaohu (Chan) who keeps her identity a secret so that she will not be punished. Having women in camp was an offense that warrants death. A fighter since she was a small girl, her feminine features betrayed her as she impressed her fellow soldiers with her skills in martial arts, one of them was Vice Commander Wentai (Chen).
Wentai would soon find out Mulan’s secret; a strip-search was ordered and she admitted to a crime she did not commit to avoid revealing that she was a woman. Imprisoned, Mulan waited to be executed. But Wentai released her when the Rouran nomads ambushed their camp. Instead of escaping, Mulan stayed to fight, eventually killing the enemy’s general. She and Wentai would later be promoted to become generals themselves.
The direction of this movie is focused on the character development of Mulan as she struggles between giving up or to continue fighting. It fixated less on the combat, unlike other historical Chinese war films. Director Ma Jingle gives us an honest sense of equilibrium by carefully and artfully melding history and culture, action, drama, and romance in one.
The cinematography of the movie is also notable. The color-grading gives an endearing mood that one might call it melancholic. You can shorten/remove a few scenes, turn the audio off, and Mulan: Rise of A Warrior can and will still make you feel a wave of emotions just by watching it.
Mulan examines a name tag of a fallen soldier.
Director Ma presented to us a Mulan who was not just a warrior, but one who was a leader careworn and vulnerable in war-front. Zhao Wei played a balanced character who made mistakes due to her clouded judgments, but she also fought to redeem herself and become a better front-runner and altogether a very strong female lead.
There are not a lot of historical evidences to support the idea that Mulan really did exist aside from Chinese poetry and folk songs — this movie is merely an adaptation, a director/writer’s own version of the epic.
The oldest artifact that could be found about Mulan is a poem called The Ballad of Mulan. It was supposedly written between 386 AD-557 AD during the North Wei Dynasty and transcribed in the 6th century.
Mulan, whether real or not, empowered women not just in Ancient China. She brazenly tells the world that women are men’s equals, and that women are capable of power while embodying grace. To quote Mulan’s father (in the movie) “If you want to fight, be a man in your next life.” She proves to her father that women can be fighters, too, and not just homemakers.
There are lots of variations to her story. Some end with Mulan falling in love with an officer, some with her committing suicide. For all we know, Mulan might not even be her real name, if she were real. We will never know for sure.
The lack of evidence does not make me cease to believe that she did exist as it would be illogical to praise and honor the memory of such a woman in a patriarchal society/period. To this day, Chinese children are fond of hearing her story and even memorize/sing The Ballad of Mulan in schools. I, for one, a Filipino of Chinese descent, would not hesitate to put Mulan: Rise of A Warrior in my top three if asked what my favorite movies are. Definitely worth a watch. Or five.