8+ Best Movies Like Mulan: Women Warriors

While you may be used to seeing men wielding swords finding women warriors in movies like “Mulan” is not an easy task. From warrior princesses and zombie slayers to martial arts cyborg warriors and protectors of the weak. In this list, we face off similar movies with some of the greatest swords fighting legends.

Mulan is a fearless young woman who disguises herself as a man, to battle northern invaders in China in order to save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army. This is a wonderful action film, with spectacle visual effects, acrobatics, and landscapes. Here are eight similar movies to explore.

Best Movies Like Mulan

1. Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)

movies like mulan
6. Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)

Raya is a fierce warrior princess, who sets out to save her kingdom from an evil Dragon named Sisu. With dazzling animation and a sweeping plot, this is another Disney movie like Mulan. It’s full of great action and beautiful settings. The idea of two opposing princesses is interesting and unique. The fact Raya and the other characters had more varied facial features and skin tones, ones that match movies like Mulan is another great thing. Raya and The Last Dragon is also similar to Netflix’s Dragon Prince

2. House of Flying Daggers (2004)

movies like mulan
8. House of Flying Daggers (2004)

A moving cinematic experience that takes place against the backdrop of the last days of the “Tang Dynasty” in China in 859 AD. A power struggle between a corrupt government against rebel armies called the “Flying Daggers House.” At the center of the chaotic events is formed a dangerous and bloody romantic triangle between a mysterious swordswoman and two local officers, each hiding from the other his true identity. During the escape journey, the film’s protagonists experience a variety of deadly emotions: love, hate, passion, and revenge.

If we could freeze the spectacular shots of “House of Flying Daggers” and turn them into pictures, they could have been hung in a museum. Even if you are not interested in beauty and are looking for unforgettable similar battles or a great love story, there is no doubt this film is the perfect cinematic entertainment for you in these tumultuous days.

3. The Great Wall (2017)

movies like mulan
7. The Great Wall 2017

The plot takes place about a thousand years ago, during the Song Dynasty, and presents an “alternative history” of the Great Wall of China. The enemies are not humans but monsters that attack once every 60 years, as a kind of divine punishment for the Chinese emperor’s greed. The story on which the script is based is not an ancient Chinese legend but an imaginary script by Max Brooks, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz.

The film’s protagonist William Garrin is a mercenary who was involved in almost every conflict that took place during his time on European soil. He came to China in search of the “black powder” – a burning powder not found in the West. The only person in the West, other than the protagonist, who will survive the first minutes of the film is a Spanish mercenary named Tovar. They are joined by a man named Ballard. The battles, as expected, are indeed impressive, but the film is very poor in its characters, and the plot moves and is devoid of almost any humor. The cyclical battles are not bad, but rather impressive, and yet not as admirable as one might have hoped given the creative forces at work and the budget. The Great Wall is like The Last Samurai 2003.

4. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny (2016)

movies like mulan
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeon), is a martial arts master, who assembles a band of fighters to protect her late lover’s legendary sword, from a warlord and his clan. It’s a typical similar movie with exceptional swordswomen heroes. Ang Lee’s film is a kind of Chinese mythology. Lee Man Bey, a secret Chinese martial artist decides to dedicate himself to meditation. He gives his sword to his unfulfilled lover Jan Xu Lin. In a meeting with the rebellious daughter of the rebellious Gio (Zhang Zi Yi), the sword is stolen from Sean Lin. Lee Man Bey violates his devotion to meditation and joins Jan Xu Lin on a journey to restore the crown to its former glory. They discover that the thief is Gio, who is secretly working with the woman who murdered Master Lee Man Bey. Gio falls in love with a handsome road robber and refuses to carry what her parents intended for her.

The film is accompanied by spectacular kung fu fantasy battles. Director Ang Lee deals exceptionally with the painful story of two great unfulfilled loves. The beautiful and magical cinematography makes you want to get off your feet and embark on a journey in China.

5. Kill Bill (2003)

movies like mulan
2. Kill Bill (2003)

A former female assassin (Uma Thurman), wakes from a coma, four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill (David Carradine), attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled with rage and desire for revenge, she vows to get even, with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, and four years of her life. This iconic movie by Quentin Tarantino features Uma Thurman in an outstanding performance. “Kill Bill” like “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” introduces a fearless woman warrior protagonist It’s a combination of Tarantino’s love for the 70’s Kung-Fu movie era and a story of revenge with rich dialog. If you are a fan of 70’s martial arts movies, you’d appreciate all the references.

6. Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

movies like mulan
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

Another similar movie demonstrates a strong female warrior heroine. The plot, which remains fairly faithful to the Japanese manga series on which it is based, takes place in the 26th century and traces a large-eyed cyborg girl named Alita. She is found by a loveable Grandpa Geppetto-like inventor. Alita can’t remember anything from her past, and she tries to figure out who she is and where she comes from. She is exposed to the way of life in the “Steel City,” the tough, shabby place she came to. Alita becomes acquainted with “Motorball,” a popular futuristic gladiator sport, she develops feelings for a naive and unreliable guy named Hugo, and on the way discovers she has exceptional fighting skills.

The residents of “Steel City” all dream of reaching Zalem – a rich and huge city that hangs in the sky – and at some point Alita realizes that if she will be good at “Motorball”, she will have a chance to get there. But it will not be easy. Especially since all sorts of cyborg and robot creatures, controlled by an evil type commander named Vector try to break it down into pieces at every opportunity.

7. Wonder Woman (2017)

movies like mulan
4. Wonder Woman (2017)

Diana, princess of the Amazons was raised on a sheltered island paradise and trained to be a warrior. When she meets an American pilot who tells her about the massive conflict that’s raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home for the first time and reveals her true destiny as Wonder Woman.

One of the most popular romance tropes is the heroine snatched and reluctantly falls in love with her rescuer. The hero wins and comes for his reward in the form of the lady he saved. “Wonder Woman” movie turns this structure on its head. The movie centers on a woman embarking on a journey. She is strong and talented, starting with her portrayal as a girl who insists on her right to receive training as an Amazon warrior likewise Mulan. These are the challenging images and changing the types of models and options available to girls in film and in life alike.

8. The Legend Of Korra (2014)

movies like mulan
5. The Legend Of Korra (2014)

The series takes place 70 years after the conclusion of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” It tells the story of Aang’s successor, a 17-year-old from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra, and takes place in a radically different setting that’s reminiscent of a 1920s-era cityscape. Korra is an Avatar who fights to keep her city safe from evil forces, both from the physical and spiritual worlds.

More Movies Like Mulan

Brave (2012)

The fundamental change in “Brave” is the placement, for the first time in the studio’s history, of a female character as the protagonist of the film. For many years Pixar aligned with a long-standing tradition of princess movies made at Disney Studios, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) to Tangled (2010). Brave presents the red hair Princess heroine Marida who is in line with Disney’s Mulan.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

One of the great classics of animation in general and the Japanese in particular. A story, set in medieval Japan depicts the struggle between nature and man. In a quest to find a cure for a curse, a young warrior from a remote and endangered tribe finds himself at the center of a war between the forest god and the Tatara tribe. On his way, he meets Princess Mononoke who represents nature.

Tears to Tiara (2009)

Set in a medieval-inspired dark fantasy world, the anime series follows a merry band of friends, as they fight to stop the Holy Empire’s unstoppable path of conquest. Luckily for them, they are joined by a resurrected Demon Lord to whom they were supposed to be sacrificed.

The Twelve Kingdoms (2002)

Youko is an average shy Japanese girl who lives in an extremely conservative, repressive home. She’s not permitted to play sports, disagrees with her parents, or compete in any way. That abruptly changes as she gets dragged into an alternate realm of the Twelve Kingdom where she transforms into a 16 years old swordswoman queen who has to fight to survive.

Pop-culture obsessive girl. She worked professionally in the entertainment and media industry in Los Angeles. Edited many prime-time TV shows and award-winning documentaries. Worked for companies such as HBO, CBS, NBC, FOX, RESHET.