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Review: Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Err…it was a kids’ movie I guess. Simple story. Didn’t really work for me because it was kind of tropey. I can see some people enjoying it though.
Spoilers.
Story
In Raya’s childhood, the dragons had already disappeared from the world, and there was a plague called the Druun that turned people into stone. Raya came from “Heart,” a land that was prosperous compared to the other countries, which people perceived to be due to the fact that they held the dragon gem. Raya’s father wanted to extend peace talks to the other countries. However, Fang took the opportunity to steal the gem, but what happened was that the gem was fractured and each country got a piece.
In the present, Raya was going around collecting the gem pieces in hopes of recovering her father who’d been turned to stone. Upon collecting her second piece, she summoned Sisu, the dragon who held the gem. They went on their quest of collecting the other gem pieces and picking up some friends along the way. As well, Raya and Sisu constantly had conversations in which Raya insisted that people couldn’t be trusted and Sisu insisted that trust was everything.
Namaari was the princess of the Fang kingdom. As children, Namaari had backstabbed Raya to get to the gem piece. In the present, she was tracking down Raya and trying to stop her from collecting the gem pieces. At one point, they fought and Namaari discovered that Sisu was back. However, Namaari’s mother was insistent on Fang retaining political superiority. If they brought back all those who were lost to the Druun, people would turn on Fang.
Raya extended peace to Namaari, asking her for the last gem piece to unite them all. Instead, Namaari shot Sisu. This led to the Druun going out of control. However, Raya asked Namaari one last time to unite the pieces. She and her friends let the Druun take over them, showing that Raya was trusting Namaari to put the pieces back together. Namaari did, and let herself become stone briefly before the gem brought back those who had been turned to stone, as well as the dragons. The movie ended with the nations agreeing to peace talks.
Something about the story just didn’t vibe with me. I’m at a point where Disney movies do nothing for me. There’s nothing I can learn from a Disney movie that I don’t already know. Because Disney movies are supposed to be for kids. But it doesn’t feel like this is a movie for kids. If I was younger, I might have been obsessed with the fighting warriors Raya and Namaari, but I also can’t say for sure.
The backdrop of this movie reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender, except this movie was meant to be based on Southeast Asian culture. But it kind of has the same pitfalls in that it’s a fantasy version of Southeast Asia, which always risks misrepresentation. That’s just my guess though, I’d have to see how actual Southeast Asian feel about it.
The side characters also felt very tropey, especially the baby con artist and the ongis. She was literally the most unrealistic part of what is a fantasy story and it was really hard to take her seriously. She would have been less out of place if she was aged up to be a kid who could actually at least talk.
That also reminded me that a lot of the movie just felt cringey to me. Sisu was very cringey more on her later. And a lot of the jokes are jokes that are very modern (e.g. the group project joke) that just felt a bit out of place. They were jokes I might have been amused at in high school, but just felt very tired to me in 2024. So maybe that just shows I’m not the target demographic.
I was reading some discussions that also pointed out the fact that Fang and Namaari did not have to pay for their actions at all. At the end, Faang stood before Raya’s father all together, greeting him for peace talks. But did Namaari every apologize for what she did? Yes, she learned the wrong of her ways, but…a sorry would have been nice. Not to mention Namaari’s mom who’s been trying to retain political dominance all these years.
So overall the movie didn’t work for me. I understand the overall arc of learning to trust in one another. But I’m not at an age where I need that. The feel of the story had potential, but again I’m past the age where I need that.
Production
I will say the movie did look good. I thought the characters were animated smoothly, particularly their expressions. The voice acting…eh. Whatever. Again, it was Sisu who didn’t work for me but part of that was because of her script too. I’ll still say it was the animation that was the main draw.
Characters
Raya
Raya was the main character, peppy and excitable. She once trusted Namaari and was backstabbed by her, to the detriment of all the land. Raya in the present no longer trusted people, only wanting to collect the dragon gem pieces to revive her father.
Jaded as she was, I think the fact that Raya believed in the magic of the dragons showed that there was a part of her who still believed in the good of things, that the world is naturally altruistic. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have helped Noi, realizing she was only conning people in order to survive. As well, it was after Sisu’s insistence on trusting others that Raya gave Tong a chance.
Raya extended a chance to Namaari who did backstab her again and kill Sisu. So it’s a testament to Raya’s patience that she extended one more chance to Namaari at the end to put the pieces back together. And it all worked out. So I guess the story was about Raya finding the trust in others that she’d lost.
Namaari
Namaari was taught to be pragmatic and cunning by her mother from a young age. The difference between her and her mother was that like Raya, Namaari believed in the magic of the dragons. So when she learned of Raya’s plan to join the gem pieces and bring back the dragons, Namaari felt like it was a good idea, whereas her mother only worried that bringing them back would dissolve their political superiority. (Which may be a plot hole since that political discourse did not happen when the dragons were brought back, when indeed it should have.)
Namaari continued to follow her mother’s commands, killing Sisu. However, she only took her own gem piece back and didn’t take all of the others that Raya had gotten. Only when the Druun had gotten out of control that Namaari finally did what she always wanted to do, which was to believe in the trust of the dragons. After the dragons came back, Sisu was very welcoming to Namaari. Sisu always seemed to have sympathy for Namaari but…it is a little odd that Namaari has never had to answer for her actions the entire movie.
I read a comment online saying that the movie would have been more interesting if Raya and Namaari switched places. That it would make more sense for Namaari, the one who had backstabbed Raya, to go in search of the pieces and try to regain the trust of the world.
Sisu
Oh dear. From the moment Sisu came into the story I dreaded her character. As a Chinese person, dragons are always held with an air of reverence, of grandiosity. I don’t think there’s an issue with turning Sisu into a character with more of a personality, but for her to be yassified to that degree was very jarring. As a dragon, she should still have a sense of wisdom that goes beyond just altruism, but understanding humans. I felt that Sisu should have understood why Raya was so reluctant to trust people, because Sisu should have understood why humans were so mistrusting of others in general.
Sisu’s design…I was not a fan. Sisu and the other dragons felt like a mix between lions and dragons. The face was…a bit offputting. Sisu had a lot of make up on. The mane felt more reminiscent of a mammal than an aquatic creature. And the voice…I didn’t realize until afterwards that Awkwafina had voice Sisu but I think she contributed to the fact that Sisu felt too casual for me.
Supporting characters
As mentioned, the side characters felt very tropey. First we had Boun who was roleplaying as a five star Michelin chef which could be funny but again it’s one of those jokes that felt a bit too modern. I know that that’s the point, but somehow that kind of thing doesn’t hit for me anymore.
Noi and the ongis were the least palatable for me. She can’t even speak and she’s already planning cons and leading her ongis? I know this is a fantasy movie but she took me out.
Tong was probably the most acceptable character to me. He was a man who was trying to keep up the façade of a warrior but who had lost loved ones to the Druun and had not much else to live for.
Themes
Of course, it’s trust, which Sisu said over and over again. But again, it felt a bit unfair to have Raya have to learn that lesson, when she was the one who’d been backstabbed over and over again. It would have make more sense for Namaari to understand that trust has to be earned.
Overall
I can’t say the movie was a total trainwreck but it just didn’t get me excited.
Spoilers.
Story
In Raya’s childhood, the dragons had already disappeared from the world, and there was a plague called the Druun that turned people into stone. Raya came from “Heart,” a land that was prosperous compared to the other countries, which people perceived to be due to the fact that they held the dragon gem. Raya’s father wanted to extend peace talks to the other countries. However, Fang took the opportunity to steal the gem, but what happened was that the gem was fractured and each country got a piece.
In the present, Raya was going around collecting the gem pieces in hopes of recovering her father who’d been turned to stone. Upon collecting her second piece, she summoned Sisu, the dragon who held the gem. They went on their quest of collecting the other gem pieces and picking up some friends along the way. As well, Raya and Sisu constantly had conversations in which Raya insisted that people couldn’t be trusted and Sisu insisted that trust was everything.
Namaari was the princess of the Fang kingdom. As children, Namaari had backstabbed Raya to get to the gem piece. In the present, she was tracking down Raya and trying to stop her from collecting the gem pieces. At one point, they fought and Namaari discovered that Sisu was back. However, Namaari’s mother was insistent on Fang retaining political superiority. If they brought back all those who were lost to the Druun, people would turn on Fang.
Raya extended peace to Namaari, asking her for the last gem piece to unite them all. Instead, Namaari shot Sisu. This led to the Druun going out of control. However, Raya asked Namaari one last time to unite the pieces. She and her friends let the Druun take over them, showing that Raya was trusting Namaari to put the pieces back together. Namaari did, and let herself become stone briefly before the gem brought back those who had been turned to stone, as well as the dragons. The movie ended with the nations agreeing to peace talks.
Something about the story just didn’t vibe with me. I’m at a point where Disney movies do nothing for me. There’s nothing I can learn from a Disney movie that I don’t already know. Because Disney movies are supposed to be for kids. But it doesn’t feel like this is a movie for kids. If I was younger, I might have been obsessed with the fighting warriors Raya and Namaari, but I also can’t say for sure.
The backdrop of this movie reminded me of Avatar the Last Airbender, except this movie was meant to be based on Southeast Asian culture. But it kind of has the same pitfalls in that it’s a fantasy version of Southeast Asia, which always risks misrepresentation. That’s just my guess though, I’d have to see how actual Southeast Asian feel about it.
The side characters also felt very tropey, especially the baby con artist and the ongis. She was literally the most unrealistic part of what is a fantasy story and it was really hard to take her seriously. She would have been less out of place if she was aged up to be a kid who could actually at least talk.
That also reminded me that a lot of the movie just felt cringey to me. Sisu was very cringey more on her later. And a lot of the jokes are jokes that are very modern (e.g. the group project joke) that just felt a bit out of place. They were jokes I might have been amused at in high school, but just felt very tired to me in 2024. So maybe that just shows I’m not the target demographic.
I was reading some discussions that also pointed out the fact that Fang and Namaari did not have to pay for their actions at all. At the end, Faang stood before Raya’s father all together, greeting him for peace talks. But did Namaari every apologize for what she did? Yes, she learned the wrong of her ways, but…a sorry would have been nice. Not to mention Namaari’s mom who’s been trying to retain political dominance all these years.
So overall the movie didn’t work for me. I understand the overall arc of learning to trust in one another. But I’m not at an age where I need that. The feel of the story had potential, but again I’m past the age where I need that.
Production
I will say the movie did look good. I thought the characters were animated smoothly, particularly their expressions. The voice acting…eh. Whatever. Again, it was Sisu who didn’t work for me but part of that was because of her script too. I’ll still say it was the animation that was the main draw.
Characters
Raya
Raya was the main character, peppy and excitable. She once trusted Namaari and was backstabbed by her, to the detriment of all the land. Raya in the present no longer trusted people, only wanting to collect the dragon gem pieces to revive her father.
Jaded as she was, I think the fact that Raya believed in the magic of the dragons showed that there was a part of her who still believed in the good of things, that the world is naturally altruistic. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have helped Noi, realizing she was only conning people in order to survive. As well, it was after Sisu’s insistence on trusting others that Raya gave Tong a chance.
Raya extended a chance to Namaari who did backstab her again and kill Sisu. So it’s a testament to Raya’s patience that she extended one more chance to Namaari at the end to put the pieces back together. And it all worked out. So I guess the story was about Raya finding the trust in others that she’d lost.
Namaari
Namaari was taught to be pragmatic and cunning by her mother from a young age. The difference between her and her mother was that like Raya, Namaari believed in the magic of the dragons. So when she learned of Raya’s plan to join the gem pieces and bring back the dragons, Namaari felt like it was a good idea, whereas her mother only worried that bringing them back would dissolve their political superiority. (Which may be a plot hole since that political discourse did not happen when the dragons were brought back, when indeed it should have.)
Namaari continued to follow her mother’s commands, killing Sisu. However, she only took her own gem piece back and didn’t take all of the others that Raya had gotten. Only when the Druun had gotten out of control that Namaari finally did what she always wanted to do, which was to believe in the trust of the dragons. After the dragons came back, Sisu was very welcoming to Namaari. Sisu always seemed to have sympathy for Namaari but…it is a little odd that Namaari has never had to answer for her actions the entire movie.
I read a comment online saying that the movie would have been more interesting if Raya and Namaari switched places. That it would make more sense for Namaari, the one who had backstabbed Raya, to go in search of the pieces and try to regain the trust of the world.
Sisu
Oh dear. From the moment Sisu came into the story I dreaded her character. As a Chinese person, dragons are always held with an air of reverence, of grandiosity. I don’t think there’s an issue with turning Sisu into a character with more of a personality, but for her to be yassified to that degree was very jarring. As a dragon, she should still have a sense of wisdom that goes beyond just altruism, but understanding humans. I felt that Sisu should have understood why Raya was so reluctant to trust people, because Sisu should have understood why humans were so mistrusting of others in general.
Sisu’s design…I was not a fan. Sisu and the other dragons felt like a mix between lions and dragons. The face was…a bit offputting. Sisu had a lot of make up on. The mane felt more reminiscent of a mammal than an aquatic creature. And the voice…I didn’t realize until afterwards that Awkwafina had voice Sisu but I think she contributed to the fact that Sisu felt too casual for me.
Supporting characters
As mentioned, the side characters felt very tropey. First we had Boun who was roleplaying as a five star Michelin chef which could be funny but again it’s one of those jokes that felt a bit too modern. I know that that’s the point, but somehow that kind of thing doesn’t hit for me anymore.
Noi and the ongis were the least palatable for me. She can’t even speak and she’s already planning cons and leading her ongis? I know this is a fantasy movie but she took me out.
Tong was probably the most acceptable character to me. He was a man who was trying to keep up the façade of a warrior but who had lost loved ones to the Druun and had not much else to live for.
Themes
Of course, it’s trust, which Sisu said over and over again. But again, it felt a bit unfair to have Raya have to learn that lesson, when she was the one who’d been backstabbed over and over again. It would have make more sense for Namaari to understand that trust has to be earned.
Overall
I can’t say the movie was a total trainwreck but it just didn’t get me excited.