(Wo)manning Up

Rating: 9/10 (5 October 2016)

Although Mulan seems to be nonsensical when she cuts her hair off and joins the army pretending to be a man, she demonstrates courage and bravery by taking her elderly father's place to defend China against the treacherous Huns. When the Huns climb the wall built to keep them out and kill all the guards present, the horror that China is about to face becomes evident. Why the Huns want to seize China is unknown, but they are on their way to the capital to do so. Like many third world countries, China requires that one man from every family enlist to strengthen their numbers. Of course to propel the movie, Mulan's family does not have any young boys, so her father is forced to join. Concerned for her father who is elderly, Mulan begs the recruiters to pardon him from enlisting because she knows that in his old age he will die training for and fighting the war. Her father, however, is disgraced by Mulan's begging because he feels it is his duty to defend his country. He is honored to fight and die for China. Of course, Mulan plays the hero. Determined to keep her father out of the war and uphold her family's honor, she chops off her hair and enlists.