My initial opinion is that the film is very good, especially the last 20-30 minutes, though I did have some minor issues with it. The themes and conflicts are great and interesting, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Personally I like when the themes are not so "in your face" and spelled out, but rather more subtextual and subtle (you know- let me do some homework after I watch the movie). For example, off the top of my head,
like Sisu saying that the Druun represent the discord among people
, why did they have to "spell it out" for me instead of letting me figure this out on my own?
Same with the characters -
how many times did we hear Sisu say that Raya has trusting issues? Something that could have been conveyed through Raya's actions instead, this sort of thing, this sort of thing just makes the characters not feel "real", though I did like Raya and Namaari a lot, just not as much as previous Disney protagonists
.
On a more positive note:
The worldbuilding is ambitious, certainly unlike anything we've seen from Disney before, though I do wish we learned more about each region more. I do think this concept would have worked better as a TV series where you can flesh out the world and the characters more.
I really like the way they did the Druun, I even said so back then that I was hoping they would be a "lovecraftian" threat and that exactly what happened.
That scene where they were sailing the river at night and the Druun are there at the riverbanks was chilling and I loved that
.
Though action sequences aren't really my thing, I thought they were great,
especially the final battle between Raya and Namaari
, but I thought they should have utilized the fact that this is animation and not live action, meaning less jump cuts and just let the battle flow. We don't need aerial shots to better hide the stunt doubles and make it easier for the actors to remember the choreography.
These are just initial thoughts, I might change my mind upon rewatching the film or when the hype for a new Disney film is over, but so far this is definitely a thumb up for me.
Well, the jury of the future is still weighing in on how well the Nature-Goddess Elsa movie (another symptom of the same disease) outlives its Record-Breaking Front-Loaded Opening, but I won't begrudge.
Wasn't a bad movie, and if "Asian Moana With a Plot" also seems to be getting a current surfeit of good reviews, might be worth gambling the ten bucks to see if Jenny can make John's old good movies again.
Eric, have you ever considered that maybe Moana or Frozen, or even Lilo & Stitch, Hunchback and Beauty and the Beast are not bad films and that perhaps you just hate women?
I have no idea what Hunchback or Lilo have to do with it , but to graciously answer your question, no:
I have never, ever, ever, EVER entertained the ideas that Hunchback, Lilo and Frozen were not bad movies. I can't recall a single instance of that occurring since leaving the theaters.
(Oops, wait: "I'm" hijacking the thread again. (slaps wrist) Bad me. I'd better stop it.)
No, that was referring to the "Mean establishment people are picking on the poor, innocent misunderstood OUTCASTS!" Katzenberg-era bully-persecution-complex plots of post-Renaissance 90's Disney, which teetered off a cliff in Pocahontas, and plummeted rapidly toward melodramatic soapbox kitsch in the next film.
In the 90's, even the animated Mulan still felt like a "real" Disney film, while the '20 remake is more a...product of its time.
, but to graciously answer your question, no: