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The New Review
Raya and The Last Dragon
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan
Directed by: 4 of them
Concept: Asian themed Post apocalyptic story about a Girl trying to save her world with the help of the last living dragon.
Execution
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran needs to do voice acting. She really does. I didn't realize it was her. Disney did a great job of casting Asian actors to voice Asian characters. And let me go on record saying I'm NOT an Awkwafina fan. She annoys me. But her turn as the Dragon Sisu was quite impressive. The usual Disney side humor cannon fodder was present, but Awkwafina was NOT one of them. Awkwafina is an Asian stereotype come to life... but she DEFIED that in this movie. But that is where is ends. None of the other characters were memorable. Funny. Interesting. But NOT memorable. And Disney is famous for memorable characters.
Score: 14/20
Presentation: It's a Disney movie. Disney movies are animated masterpieces. That is what it is. The score. The difference in visuals in the difference regions. Flashy. Beautiful. This is what Disney does. And... that is all anyone needed to say.
Score: 20/20
Chronicle: So... this is the downer. The story is good. It really is. Girl gets responsibility to protect world. Dad trusts wrong people. World gets destroyed. Dad "dies". Girl finds way to save world. Meets ragtag friends along the way. Um... it's a Disney movie. Cookie cutter is cookie cutting. Even though it feels different... it doesn't as much. The story arc that wins is the evolution of Sisu and the different powers she gets along the way. Each time she gets one, she exclaims that "this power is this sibling's power". That is the REAL story building in this movie. And the Closing of the movie reflects that. Raya doesn't save the world. She passes the responsibility to someone else(NOT Sisu... no spoiling here). And once the world is saved, you get closure for Sisu... but while Raya gets hers, it doesn't feel as important. It is a smooth story, but not fully supported. Not like it should've been. Like a beautiful crystal ball held up by twigs. The story is nice... but the focus feels half-baked.
Score: 21/30
Impact: Asian representation for the win! Disney really does do it's work. Researching lore, casting for their roles for these types of movies. It is on point. But even with this... it still FEELS like the others. That is a good thing for the kids. As it should be. The Disney formula. It works. But overall, it still doesn't feel like it fits among the top Disney stories.
Score: 15/20
Extra Oomph: 100%... Awkwafina. I know I stressed on it so much already, but it DOES make that much of a difference. Of the handful of roles I've seen of hers, this one is the best, at least... my favorite. If I were her, voice acting may be for her. Awkwafina is a living Asian Stereotype Caricature. And so have been her live action roles. But this one broke that mold for her.
Score: 10/10
Final Score: 80/100
Final Grade: B-/C+
Conclusion: I did like this movie. I really did. But... I was also a bit bored with it. I might have to watch it again. And I WANT to watch it again. But it was too cookie cutter for Disney. I get it... I really do. But I was able to predict how the movie was going to end within the first 30 mins. And... that isn't MY idea for a fun time. Regardless... Awkwafina.
It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...
FINAL JUDGMENT: If you are a huge Disney Stan or have some kiddos, then I recommend buying this movie. There is potential for enjoyment here for repeat viewings for Stans and Kiddos. But if you do not fall into those categories, I would still recommend a rental. But would not be hurt if I found out you didn't see it. Disney written all over it...... and sometimes, it is TOO Disney. And here we are.
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And there is it. My first review in years. I missed this, but just couldn't get it going. But hopefully I got this.
Raya and the Last Dragon gets an 80. Not mind-blowing, but safe. And that is what matters.
Tell me what you think. Share this post... I wanna see what others think about it.
Stay tuned. A review for Cruella is incoming. Look! It's Disney again!!!
Again...
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