Review: Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon, directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, tells the tale of a mythical land called Kumandra, a land where people and dragons lived alongside each other peacefully. But everything changed when evil spirits known as the Druun attacked, causing the dragons to sacrifice themselves to save humanity. 500 years later, the Druun return once more, and it’s up to a lone hero named Raya (Kelly Marine Tran) to find the mythical last dragon and save the world once and for all.
This is the latest animated film from Disney and one that’s available to see on Disney+ for one low price of $29.99. You’d think after what happened with the Mulan remake Disney wouldn’t try to gamble a movie’s success on the ridiculous “premiere access” nonsense. Although arguing against the price in this film’s case would be a little bit harder because this film’s actually quite good. Raya isn’t breaking any new ground, but it doesn’t really need to; it’s a good film on its own.
The film’s story is quite good; it’s simple and straight-forward enough for kids to enjoy while also being very engaging for older audiences. It borrows a lot of elements from other similar stories, most notably the Avatar TV shows from Nickelodeon, but it does just enough to not be a complete imitation of those properties. The characters also were very distinct and memorable; our main protagonist is well-rounded and likable, the supporting cast were all colorful and fun, it’s very refreshing to see a Disney “villain” that’s intimidating and well-developed, and the voice cast all gave great performances (Awkwafina in the film is the only one I felt was a little out of place voicing the Last Dragon herself but I still liked her just fine).
The music was pleasant to listen to, there were some cool stylistic choices made in the presentation which are welcomed, and I feel like there’s no real point in discussing the animation anymore in these Disney films because almost always they look fantastic, and it’s no exception here.
Couple things bothered me about this film; one is the actual plot when you really look into it. There were a lot of moments throughout the film that had the characters done something differently whatever conflict they were facing in that particular scene could’ve been resolved way quicker. Also that ending felt REALLY convenient in some aspects, but I won’t spoil anything here.
Another thing that bothered me was the film’s overall theme. They make a big deal about how important it is to trust people and they REALLY like to nail that idea to your head with a jack hammer. They talk about trust so much it gets a little annoying as the film progresses. If the song playing during the film’s end credits doesn’t convince you that this movie is about trust then I don’t know what will.
Overall this is a good film. It’s got something for everyone and it might even be worth forking over $30 to see it. Either that or you can watch it in a theater near you that’s open. Regardless this is a movie you should check out and see for yourself.
Final Verdict: 7/10