Reflection Review

by Elizabeth Lim

Rating: 3/5

What if Mulan had to travel to the Underworld?

When Captain Shang is mortally wounded by Shan Yu in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. But King Yama, the ruler of Diyu, is not willing to give Shang up easily.

With the help of Shang's great lion guardian ShiShi, Mulan must traverse Diyu to find Shang's spirit, face harrowing obstacles, and leave by sunrise⁠—or become King Yama's prisoner forever.

Moreover, Mulan is still disguised as the soldier called Ping, wrestling with the decision to reveal her true identity to her closest friend.

Will Mulan be able to save Shang before it's too late? Will he ever be able to trust her again? Or will she lose him—and be lost in the Underworld⁠—forever?

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I went into this one with no expectations. After my previous twisted tales, I had no idea what to expect, as I’ve seen the twists happen at all sorts of parts of the Disney tales. But I was eager to see how this one would fare.

Though I will say, shortly after starting, I paused to go rewatch the Disney movie to refresh myself on what had happened because this retelling starts us in the middle of the movie, right after Mulan steals the last cannon to fire at the mountain.

This was where our twist occurs, instead of Mulan getting injured its Shang. And it's worse than Mulan’s injury. Shang is on the edge of death. Mulan feels responsible and vows to do anything to save Shang. So when she’s given the opportunity to save him, she takes it even if it means risking her own life. However, she must travel to the Underworld to save him.

Part of me expected to see Hades from Hercules once we went down to the Underworld. Instead, we stay within the Chinese mythology and meet the ruler of the Underworld for their tales and folklore instead. Which I was happy for! I’m glad we didn’t see Hades.

When we first entered the realm of the dead, I was intrigued. The obstacles that Mulan encounters were enchanting. Initially giving me vibes of the journey Percy Jackson takes when he travels down to the Underworld.

However, the further we went on, the more I found myself getting a little bored. Things started to feel repetitive. We were seeing the same obstacles over and over, just with a slightly different twist.

Overall, this was not my favorite twisted tale. It wasn’t the worst one, though! I still found it enjoyable, just a bit repetitive at times. Definitely a unique twist on Mulan’s story. If you enjoy Mulan and fantasy adventures, I think you’d enjoy this one!