Only Murders in the Building season 2 review: They’ve still got it!

As you could tell from my review, last year, I fell in love with the first season of Only Murders in the Building. The set-up, the characters and especially the writing were near perfection to me, so I was very excited to come back to this show. However, there is always the worry that they won’t capture that lightening the second time around. So how did all these elements stack up this time?

The story

This would be a killer road trip!

This season follows directly on from the cliff-hanger of the last, with the murder of the buildings board president Bunny. But, since she was found with Mabel, in her apartment, she and the group are prime suspects in the murder investigation this time around. So, as well as investigating the murder for their podcast, the trio now have the added task of clearing their names of suspicion.

This extra layer is a great way of upping the anti for the second season, making it different enough but not changing the premise too much. It did make the story a little more complicated this time, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The drawback for me was that it did mean there was less time focussed on the podcasting, which was the main framing device of the first season, and I did miss it a bit. Overall though still a compelling story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.

The characters

The main trio of characters is just entertaining and engaging as the last time, but importantly, they did manage to still reveal things about the characters we didn’t know before. This was in the form of things from their past as well as how they handle things into the present, leading to their journeys through this series. By the end of the season, each of them feels like they’re in a different place than they were at the end of the last one, which is really exciting for moving the show forward.

In terms of new characters, we have Cara Delevigne as Mabel’s new love interest, and art gallery owner Alice. To be honest I’m not a big Cara Delevigne fan so I wasn’t super jazzed about seeing her here. Alice as a character was fine, she was just there. I don’t think she really added much to the story and I wouldn’t be bothered about having her come back next season. However, I do appreciate them adding more people in Mabel’s age range to interact with the group, to make her feel a little less out of place.

Guess who’s coming to podcast!

But the new character I enjoyed the most was Zoe Colletti as Charles’ teenage ex-stepdaughter(ish) Lucy, who re-enters his life after falling out with her mother. Adding kids into things can be a risk as they sometimes end up being annoying, but I think Lucy was old enough to not be too needy and Collette has enough experience to play the role well. I really loved Lucy’s dynamic with the rest of the group, as the three different generations now clash but also find that common ground like the older guys did with Mabel previously. And what’s key to Lucy is that she actually helps with the case, meaning she serves a purpose in the main storyline as well as with Charles’ sub plot.

Finally, I have to give a mention to the legend that is Shirley MacLaine who appears in two episodes this season. She’s not onscreen for long, but she’s of course completely captivating when she is.

The writing

Didn’t have Amy Schumer AND Shirley MacLaine on my bingo card

Like last time, most of the comedy comes from the meta jokes on murder mystery shows, using the titular podcast as a way to do that. Of course, there are plenty of jokes about the nature of a second season, with characters talking about the expectations being higher or complaining that the second season wasn’t as good. The way the writers impeccably worked these in so naturally to the dialogue is just chefs kiss to me, and it always makes me laugh.

I do have to agree with some of the character’s complaints though, as I did feel the mystery wasn’t as tight as the last one. Some things tended to just with not much explanation, and especially some things that I find weird that they come up last time around. For example, Mabel has a few blackouts where she can’t remember what’s happened to her, which is supposedly something she’s always done. But I don’t remember that ever happening last time when it easily could have. The mystery overall wasn’t as compelling for me, until I reached the final few episodes, and I found myself often more interested in the side stories going on.

However, the set up for the next murder mystery in the already greenlit season 3 was very fun and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

If you haven’t watched this show already, or you haven’t caught up on the second season, I will continue to recommend. It’s such an entertaining show, and it’s so charming that it becomes really comforting.

I don’t know how many more seasons the premise can handle so I have a feeling the next season will be it’s last. It say watch it now while it’s at its peak and get hyped for the next season to drop in 2023.

Moon Knight review: Ambitious Egyptian mind exploration

Marvel is really on a roll this week with a show coming to an end and a movie being released. It’s a lot to talk about and to review, but that’s what I signed up for as a fan of this franchise.

The show coming to an end this week is Moon Knight, the first marvel Disney+ show focused entirely on a brand-new character, soon to be followed by Ms. Marvel next month. Establishing an entirely new corner of this universe on the small screen is a challenge, so did they pull it off?

Plot

The show follows museum gift shop employee, Steven Grant (Oscar Issac), as he discovers that he has an alternate personality known, Marc Spector, who serves the Egyptian moon god Khonshu as his Moon Knight. Marc is on a mission to stop cult leader Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), who plans to release the goddess Amit, so she can judge souls before their death and rid the world of who she deems to be evil.

Because of his multiple personalities, stemming from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), Moon Knight is a really unique superhero to adapt. This is why people have been asking marvel to do something with him for a while. Focusing on Marc/Steven’s psyche and his mental health is at the forefront of the storytelling of this series and it is handled very well. It’s another example of marvel using their Disney+ shows as a way to experiment and take risks in a way that they perhaps can’t in their blockbuster movies.

Marc/Steven

Of course, the standout aspect of the show is Oscar Isaac’s performance as both Steven and Marc. It’s terrific how he manages to portray such wildly different personalities without visually changing anything about himself, just using voice and body language.

I think it’s impossible not to fall in love with Steven from the very first episode. He’s charming and sweet and shy, but his loneliness is what makes you just want to give him a big hug. The emptiness in his life is of course coming from the fact that he doesn’t truly know who he is and what his life is. I loved how, as he learns more about Marc and Khonshu, we go on a journey of discovery with Steven and we can see him growing building his confidence.

Marc on the other hand is the typical jaded, mercenary, reluctant hero type, so he’s not as fun to spend time with. However, we do get to see his journey in the reverse of Steven, opening up and becoming softer. You cannot have either personality without the other and that’s a really important part of exploring why DID exists and how it affects helps those people who have it.

Characters

Marc and Steven are of course not the only main characters in the show. We of course also have our villain, Harrow. As villains go, I wasn’t hugely impressed by him. I did like the idea of basing him on a cult leader, and his argument of ridding the world of anyone who has the potential for evil was an interesting philosophical question. However, he felt more like a plot point to get the characters from A to B more than a fully realized character. We never really learned that much about him, and he didn’t have that strong a characterization.

By far the best character besides Marc/Steven is their love interest Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy). For starters, it’s important that they realized they needed to have at least one Egyptian character in a story about Egypt. But more than what she represents, Layla is just a great character to follow. Because she has a history with only one of the personalities, it’s as much her journey of discovery as it is theirs. We get to know so much about her past and what she wants from life, which makes her more than just a tough lady, she is three-dimensional. I think it’s great for women of Egyptian and of middle eastern descent, to have a character like this to see themselves in, and everyone else can enjoy what she brings to the table too. I can’t wait to see more of her.

Mythology

As well as focusing on mental health, this show serves as a way to explore and introduce ancient Egyptian mythology into the MCU. Ancient Egypt and its belief system is one of the most fascinating periods of history to explore, so it was fun to see that layered onto the superhero genre. The Moon Knight costume itself is a great example of a melding of the two ideas, as it’s the build of a super-suit but with the aesthetics of mummy’s wrapping as and royal jewellery.

The MCU had tackled gods before, with Norse gods in the Thor movies and various other gods in Eternals, so I am a little confused as to how all these different mythologies coexist within the same universe. Perhaps that is something that will be addressed in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder which seems to be introducing even more gods into the mix.

There is some discussion of the irony of Marvel making a whole series dedicated to Egypt, only for the country to ban the next Marvel movie due to its LGBTQ+ aspects. The situation is obviously upsetting to me, however, I don’t feel the actions of a government should mean that Egyptian people and those of Egyptian heritage around the world should be denied representation and visibility in our media. The more people are seen and we have that exchange of cultures, the more I truly believe things will start to improve for everyone.

Pacing

I think the problem I have with this show is the number of episodes. Six, roughly 45min episodes, didn’t seem enough to effectively do everything they wanted to do and it threw the pacing way off for me. The beginning was a very steady introduction where not a lot happened, then it picked up the pace and a lot of story started to happen, and finally, it felt to me like it ended very abruptly because they ran out of time.

The issue with pacing is that it didn’t allow for everything to be explored effectively. They obviously wanted to explore Marc’s psyche and DID because that was the main focus of most of the show, and as I said they did it very well. However, because of this, there wasn’t much focus on the Moon Knight, superhero side of things, which is probably why a lot of people wanted to watch in the first place. I also think they didn’t explore the Egyptian mythology as much as they could have if they’d had more breathing room.

Pacing seems to be a recurring issue with marvel’s Disney+ shows. In future, I’d say they either need to commit to making more episodes or try to be less ambitious with the stories they’re trying to tell.

MCU

In terms of connection to the wider universe of the MCU, there is very little reference to the wider universe or story of this franchise. Besides a few water eggs in the background and off-hand remarks, you could easily believe this is a standalone project with no connection at all.

Now obviously this does not make it a bad show, it completely stands and works on its own, but it would be hypocritical of me not to include it as a critique when I did the same for Eternals.

I think what makes it an issue is that this MCU relies so much on fans watching every installment, to follow the story or at least meet the characters that are going to play a part in it. So when something feels like it’s not part of it, it can tend to feel like it’s not important and therefore irrelevant. I think you’ll find a lot of people skipping this show because it doesn’t really tie in, at least not yet.

Future

The show was originally billed as a limited series, meaning there would only be one season. While There’s no doubt that the intention is for moon knight to show up in other marvel stories, as the marvel brand is built for crossover, not being able to revisit the story and characters in another season would be rather unsatisfying. The abrupt ending left a lot of things unexplored within this story, and hints at more things to come. Things were not wrapped up neatly to where you couldn’t go back and do more, as they were in WandaVision for example. I don’t think the things that need exploring could be addressed successfully within another story where Moon knight is not at the forefront.

I can’t say if they will do a season 2 but it felt like they were setting up the possibility. Where we’ll see Moon Knight before then remains to be seen, I can’t really think of another character/world he would work alongside that is already present in the MCU.

Despite its small issues, I do believe this was a successful introduction to the character of Moon Knight and his world. This is evidence that Disney+ could be a viable place to start Marvel stories, rather than just expand on them. What remains to be seen is how many people will watch the shows, as well as all the movies, and whether that will affect their ability to follow the wider story.

The Book of Boba Fett review: A series of disjointed chapters

It’s been over a year since we’ve had new Star Wars content to talk about, 2021 really ended up being the year of Marvel on Disney+. But now it seems Disney’s other billion-dollar franchise acquisition has caught on to the MCU trick of releasing a constant stream of content, with the first of many shows releasing on the streaming service this year.

After the success Disney+ has had with The Mandalorian, I was excited to see how its first direct spin off The Book of Boba Fett turned out!

Story

Following on from the end credits scene of the Mandalorian season 2, Boba Fett has now taken over the palace and territory formerly belonging to Jabba the Hutt. Along with his right-hand woman, assassin Fennec Shand, Boba now seeks to form new alliances to secure the territory as his own, and fight off those that would wish to take it from him.

To say this is the story that the show follows throughout would be misleading, as in truth the show does a lot of deviation from the main storyline. For the first 3 episodes it spends a lot of time on flashbacks explaining how Boba Fett escaped the sarlacc pit and his time spent with the Tusken Raiders. Then once it gets to episode 5 the Mandalorian himself is brought in and we instead follow his continuing story and the show quickly becomes The Mandalorian season 2 point five. What’s more these deviating storyline actually ended up being more engaging than the main plot of the show which I found honestly quite boring.

The galaxy

As with any Star Wars content, the strength of this show lies with the universe in which it is set. Star Wars is such an expansive world at this point so many beloved characters and locations, that its always fun to see who or where will show up in a new project. They did a great job here utilising the deep bench of Star Wars mythology to bring in characters that are fan favourites for cameos or to even to enhance the story with bigger roles. There was a character brought in in the penultimate episode that I did not expect to see that made me very excited!

The downsides for me here were the use of locations and the new characters. Location wise, almost the entire show is set on Tatoinee. Now I would find setting a whole Star Wars show on one planet boring anyway, but this was made worse by it being the one planet we have spent the most time on in the films already. In terms of the new characters, I found they were just rather unmemorable in general, perhaps because none of them were really strongly utilised. Due to the story chopping and changing so much, most of them were forgotten about for large periods of time, or dropped entirely, in favour of characters we already know and love.

Boba Fett

The biggest problem I had with this show is the decisions it made around its main character. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Boba was a mysterious character with very little screentime but was alluded to as a ruthless and dangerous Bounty Hunter. Because of the lack of information about him, he quickly became a character that many latched onto with people having their own idea of who the character was. So, while I understand the decision, I don’t think it was wise of Disney to try and put more of a focus on and flesh out his character, as I think in this show he ended up not being what many of us had expected of him.

Far from being the menacing criminal we was billed as in the movies, here Fett has become a mild and pure hearted gentleman who wishes to lead with dignity and legality. I think they do an okay job of using the flashbacks to justify this change in attitude, so I’m not to mad at it but I can understand some fans being disappointed with the change. What irritated me about the character was how incompetent a leader he ended up being. He spent the season making bad decisions, and trusting people who we’re obviously not to be trusted, only to get double crossed. It just made me confused as to why he bothered trying to be this big crime boss if he had no idea how to do it. it didn’t inspire confidence or likability in his character.

The intention

Because of the lack of focus on one story and the abundance of characters being pulled in for very little screentime, I did find myself wondering why they wanted to make this show. There is a theory floating around that because season 3 of The Mandalorian had to be delayed, they quickly through this together so that they had something to put out in its place. Whether that’s true or not, the show does feel poorly put together and it does seem like they wanted to do a kind of prologue to the next season of The Mandalorian to keep people invested in the story. But this ultimately feels like they didn’t actually want to tell a Boba Fett centric story, and they couldn’t fully commit to it. The best episodes, in terms of entertainment and story are the ones that have nothing to do with Fett at all.

In the end I just find myself feeling the really sorry for Tamuera Morrison. This must have been a really big deal to him to bring this character back. So it seems almost insulting that he ended up getting basically written out of his own show as the series goes on, not appearing in one episode and having one scene with no dialogue in another.

The future

I don’t know whether they are going to, or if they should, make another series of this show. As I’ve mentioned it really felt more like Mandalorian sub chapter than a show in its own right, so the future of this show really lies in the continuation of that one. I would like to see Morrison get another shot at the show if the next series actually cares about his character, however based on this effort I think he would do better continuing to show up as a supporting playing in other Star Wars shows, and there’s a lot of them coming.

I’ve been quite scathing here but I do think, however disjointed this show is put together, it is worth a watch if you’re a fan of Star Wars and you want to follow the story. If you enjoy The Mandalorian you almost have to watch episodes 5-7 if you want to follow what going to happen next season, but don’t worry those are the best episodes. 5 & 6 in particular are some phenomenal Star Wars content!

It’s long until we get the Obi-Wan show (coming in May), and I’m just hoping they put the effort into focussing on the title character this time, and making sure his story is cohesive and above all entertaining.

Only Murders in the Building review: A fun new mystery show

I’ll be honest, I’m not the best at watching shows rather than movies, I often find them too time consuming and a lot of work to get through. But I had a feeling it was time I got into a new show besides the Marvel content that keeps being put out, but what of the many things on my list should I watch. Well, from the moment I heard about the cast and premise of the new show on Star (Disney+), Only Murders in the Building, I was intrigued. With the finale this week I sat down to watch all 10 episodes, and I was not disappointed.

Story

Only icons in this building!

The series follows Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez), a group of true crime lovers who live in the same apartment building. When someone in the building it is deemed a suicide, but the trio all believe it was murder and come together to investigate. They decide to document their investigation in a true crime podcast, like the ones they all enjoy. Along the way secrets are revealed about not just the buildings inhabitants, but about the trio themselves.

The mystery itself is very compelling and unravels at a good pace which makes it’s really fun to follow. All the clues are considered and do come back around by the end, so though I’m not a crime writing expert, I’d say it’s a good solid mystery. Is it the best part of the show? No, because to me it was all about the characters. Seeing them interact with the mystery and solve it together was what made the show so enjoyable for me. So let’s talk about them.

Characters

Steve Martin looking at his pay check for creating and starring in this show

Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin) is the first character we get introduced to on the show. His character type is one that we’ve kind of seen before, he’s a retired actor who was famous for a show in the 90s but has now faded and lives a lonely curmudgeonly life. What makes the set up funny is that he is famous for playing a TV detective, so you can imagine that informs a lot of his investigative tendencies. Charles, as the straight man of the group becomes in many ways the heart of the show as he opens up to the group and builds bonds as the story unfolds. I particularly liked the fatherly relationship his begins to develop with Mabel, caring for her in a way that he doesn’t care for anyone at the beginning. And that also ties in to some of the back story he reveals later on.

Where Charles is the straight man, Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) is most definitely the comic relief. Oliver is a theatre director who has fallen on hard times after he created a show that phenomenally flopped. In his desperation for some income and another shot at stardom, he drives the plot by being the one to suggest the three team up to crate the podcast. It could be very easy to make a character who’s main motivation is money and fame unlikable, but Short plays the character with such a cheery and excitable attitude to everything he instead becomes kind of adorable. The way he practically bounces around the scenery as they solve the mystery and his flamboyant style just made him a character that I not only enjoyed but related to.

Gotta keep an eye out for Selener

Finally we come to my favourite of the trio, Mabel Mora. People like to unfairly rag on Selena Gomez a lot but think she did a really great job here particularly as she had the heavy lifting of not only being the only woman in the main trio but also being a lot younger than her co-stars. Mabel is the most mysterious of the three, I fact you know very little about her until you get a few episode in. This immediately makes her the most compelling character, and gives Gomez a lot of dramatic scenes to chew on. But her drama never hinders her ability to also be funny, she is able to use her differences to her cast mates to play off some fun lines and reactions. One running gag is that she is the only one who knows how to use technology properly and has to explain things as basic as texting.

Writing

As I’ve mentioned, the comedy is what made the show compelling to me, and that doesn’t just come from the characters but from the way it’s set up. I think the best way to describe the setup of this show is that it’s a parody of a murder mystery show that is also a good murder mystery show. So while the characters are silly and comical, you can still believe they exist and you’re never taken out of the story by them.

When you realise you’re underdressed for the funeral

My favourite thing about the writing of this show is how they use the podcast. Each episode of the show coincides with an episode of the groups podcast. Even the name of the podcast is the same as the show. This allows them to make lots of clever self referential jokes about the show itself, like referring to someone as a character in the story or even ending an episode saying it will be a good ending for the episode. Every time they did it made me chuckle, and also tip my hat because it’s difficult to pull off well.

Viewing

Remembering someone has to die to make a Season 2

The thing about this show is that it’s really easy watching. It never gets overly stressful or dramatic as other murder shows do. The episodes are also fairly short so you can get through them pretty quickly. Even thought it released weekly, I binged the whole season in 2 days. That’s not something I’m usually good at doing but I got so invested and I had so much fun. I don’t know whether I was robbed of something by not watching it week to week, but I enjoyed myself so I don’t feel it was needed.

The show starts setting up a season 2 as early as episode 1. That can be a risky move but luckily they have confirmed a second season is coming. I’m really excited to revisit these characters and I hope they can recapture the fun and magic of this first season. It also sets up another intriguing mystery that im sure will build off what was set up this time around.

 

If you’re looking for something fun to watch that won’t be to time or emotionally consuming, then I would definitely recommend this show. Come for the mystery stay for the characters and the laughs. All the episodes are up on Star on Disney + now!

Loki review: A Terrific Time-bending Trip

From one MCU review to another, yes after a year off from Marvel we’ve now had both Black Widow (2021) and the Loki finale in one week! But after not getting around to reviewing the last MCU Disney+ show I felt I should make an effort with this one. I loved WandaVison, and while I thought The Falcon and the Winter Soldier had important messages that were very well handled, I found the overall story and pacing a bit lacklustre. So how does Marvel Studios’ third time around stack up?

The story

It’s not easy being green

The story picks up directly after the scene in Avengers: Endgame (2019) where Loki from The Avengers (2012) takes the tesseract and escapes. Almost immediately after his escape however he is arrested by a mysterious organisation known as the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and labelled as a variant, as punishment for his going against the order of how events were meant to happen. There he is interrogated by TVA analyst Mobius M Mobius (Owen Wilson) and eventually recruited to help track down another evil variant who is attacking TVA soldiers across time.

Having a premise that involves time travel as a key feature allows this show to become something really unique within the MCU, as though we had time travel in endgame it was very rigidly set to events we’d already seen. With this show we can travel to both the past and future, and any to location that we have yet to visit as the TVA hop around to investigate disturbances. If I’m honest, we didn’t get to visit as many places and times as I expected we would, but what we got was enjoyable enough, and it sets the groundwork for more time hopping in the future.

The characters

I’ll be honest, and maybe upset some people, but I’ve never really been a huge fan of Loki. I like him and I think he’s a fun character, but he’s always had such an intense fanbase and I’ve never really got the hype. After this show, I wouldn’t say im his biggest fan yet but I do get what’s to like about him a lot more. He’s immensely charming, mostly due to Tom Hiddleston’s innate charm before he even starts acting, and yet as you dive deeper into his psyche you realize that he’s very broken and really is just crying out for love an acceptance. I think that’s relatable for a lot of people.

WOW!

My favourite characters in this particular show were actually the TVA employees. Owen Wilson’s Mobius was I think the perfect foil to Loki, who always needs to be the smartest person in the room. He knew how to use Loki’s narcissism to get information out of him but also to mould him into a better person, which put Mobius into this delicious grey area. This show was apparently based on a crime procedural, and in that I see Mobius as being both the good and bad cop simultaneously. And his relationship with Loki only grows closer as the season progresses and they bond over shared goals, honestly, I ship them.

I also loved Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Judge Ravonna Renslayer, the de facto villain of most of the season, at least from Loki’s perspective. As a high-ranking member of the TVA, (perhaps the highest ranking below the almighty time keepers, it’s never quite made clear) she is stern and forceful, as someone in power should be. Yet, like Mobius she has this element of charm to manipulate situations her way, however her motivations are unclear, but clearly dubious. She doesn’t get much to do this season, but they’ve set her up for something important down the line. As someone who’s been a fan of Mbatha-Raw for a while, I’m very excited to see where Ravonna goes next.

Clock my flair, I love this gal

Finally I do want to mention the animated mascot of the TVA, a talking clock named Miss Minutes (Tara Strong). Its really fun to see an animated character be a major role in the MCU, one of the ways this show isn’t afraid to experiment and try new things for the franchise. Much like the rest of the TVA her true intention is unclear, but that sinister feeling is completely juxtaposed (and somewhat amplified) with the cutesy cartoon character she is. I also like that she was a reference to classic animation, like a self-referential nod to the early days of Mickey Mouse, which as a Disney super fan makes me geek out.

The pacing

Always bring a knife to a sword fight

One problem the MCU Disney+ shows has faced thus far as they get there footing has been pacing. WandaVision I felt suffered from having episodes that were too short to allow for much progression of the story each week, whereas The Falcon and The Winter Soldier had long episodes but with whole weeks where barely anything happened in the story which made it oftentimes dull. It seems third times the charm because the pacing of this show and its story were near perfect for me. The only dud for me, as it took time out for a side quest and some exposition. I can forgive it though as every other episode really hit the nail on the head for moving the story and having engaging mixes of both action and character moments.

The name of the game with these shows, and any weekly shows in this competitive market, is having big reveals. Having exciting developments as well as cliff-hangers each week keeps people talking about the show and wanting to watch the next episode. Each week, and especially the last 3, had a major character, story or location to explore then or look forward to next time. I think this works both for people who want to binge later or those like me who enjoy the anticipation week to week. It’s important to hit both those audiences.

The future

I’m gaga for Gugu!

Like the other marvel Disney+ shows, this show takes place within the universe and continuity of the MCU. However, as this show takes place outside of the timeline with characters that don’t interact with the main story, I expected this show to become more of a side project, a story that could happen while everything else ticks on. So, I was surprised to realise by the end of the season, that this show has more of an impact than either of the previous shows on the MCU going forwards. It really sets the groundwork for where the whole story is going, and brings in a lot of possibilities for it that are very exciting.

As well as setting forward the future of the MCU, this is also the first Disney+ show to get a second season confirmed. I’m hoping to see more exploration of various time periods and alternate realities in season 2 as things get crazier and crazier within the TVA. I’m also interested to see how season 2 will fit into the wider story and how connected Loki’s story will be to the wider MCU, as they have stated that the shows aren’t essential viewing for anyone following the movies.

As much as I hate to admit it, as I have a deep love for WandaVision (it’s still my favourite), being objective, I do think this is the best of the Marvel shows so far, both with it’s scope and the way it was put together. I know a lot of Loki fans are just so happy to see him in the limelight, which is how I felt about Wanda.

Next month we get the next show, What If…, so we will see if Loki can hold on to this position as the best in my eyes. Whatever happens we can safely say that fans of this franchise are being fed, and as Loki would say, its glorious.

Black Widow review: A ‘whelming’ return for Marvel movies

The end times are nearly over, or at least we’re acting like they are, and I finally got to go back to a cinema. The one thing getting me back to the movies in person is the latest instalment in the biggest franchise in the world, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After years of asking, and then waiting, and then a little more waiting tacked on, we have finally got a solo movie for the original female Avenger: Black Widow. But was the wait worth it?

The story

I’m on me sisters bike, vroom vroom!

Set directly after Captain America: Civil War (2016), the film follows Natasha Romanov, aka Black Widow as she is on the run from the government. Meanwhile, Natasha’s sister (from the 3 years she spent undercover as a family in Ohio) Yelena is broken free of her own black widow brainwashing and begins to be hunted down by the remaining widows as a deserter. The two sisters reunite along with the rest of their surrogate family to take down the red room and end the Black Widow program for good.

The MCU has grown a lot since its inception and now encompasses many different styles and genres of movie. This movie is very much an action, spy thriller in the vein of something like Mission Impossible and I was even feeling Fast and Furious vibes (you can make your own mind up if that’s a good thing). Compared to a lot of the magical and sci fi epics we’ve been getting from Marvel recently I think this film has the potential to feel quite small and even underwhelming to some, but for its genre I think it does the job ok. Where it excels is its character moments, exploring the relationships between an estranged surrogate family and particularly between the two sisters.

The characters

I should begin by talking about the main character, that being Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. Johansson has been playing Natasha since 2010, so this character is clearly second nature to her, and everything we love about the character is on full display here. Because we know the character so we’ll it is difficult for her to bring anything particularly new to the role besides her relationship to the characters we don’t know. But it is great to see her finally lead a movie rather than being a side character. That being said…

Pugh goes pew pew!

I have to say that though Johansson may have top billing, the real star of this movie is Florence Pugh’s Yelena. The character runs away with this movie and it really becomes her story, from realizing that her childhood was all a lie, to breaking free of a life of servitude and living for herself the first time. It’s a very emotional story both with her internal struggle and her relationships with her family, and Pugh plays it to perfection. I would not be surprised if this movie was intended to actually be the origin story for Yelena rather than a solo movie for Natasha, as she will presumably be taking on the role of the main Black Widow in the MCU going forward.

The film also serves as an introduction to Natasha’s surrogate parents: Alexei ‘the red guardian’ (David Harbour) who is Russia’s answer to Captain America and much of the comic relief of the film, and Melina (Rachel Weisz), an older widow and a cold scientist who’s allegiance is not always clear.

The villains

Arrow Arrow, what have we here?

By far the worst part of this movie for me were the villains.
Firstly we have Taskmaster, a mysterious mercenary for the red who can perfectly mimic the moves of anyone they see in combat. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a really cool power set, and we get to see them use moves of avengers like Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Panther as they have studied them in battle. But the character gets very little screen time and basically no personality as they exist as a powerful lacky for the red room for the entire film with no story until the big travels of their identity near the end. The character is also completely changed from the comics which I can already see upsetting people who are a fan of the character. There was a lot of potential and there’s the possibility of seeing them again in the future with more development, but I was underwhelmed.

The worst character though was the big bad of the movie, Dreykov, played by Ray Winston. As the head of the red room, he is a Soviet general with influence over worldwide affairs. He should have been really intimidating and carry himself with an air of menace and intelligence about him, but he came across as more of a sub level gangster than a kingpin. Also, if you’re casting a Soviet leader I would say the base requirement is someone who can do a Russian accent. Winston’s attempt at forcing a Russian accent through his thick cockney voice was painful to listen to. I really didn’t care for this character in a movie that was otherwise very well cast and performed.

The MCU

Where I think this movie mainly struggles is its relationship to the MCU as a whole and its timing. Last year we had an unintentional year long break from MCU movies which has meant that people were really anticipating more marvel content. Our need for MCU stories has been met this year up until now through the shows on Disney+ which have met a pretty high standard and have moved the story forward in terms of what to anticipate next. I think Wandavision and now Loki have been particularly phenomenal. So, there was a lot of pressure on this film as a return to movies, specifically big screen entertainment, for the MCU.

“I hope i never fall from a great height again”

The fact that this story takes place in the past, in an era of the MCU that we already know everything about, with a character that by our point in time is already dead, does serve to make it a little less exciting. There’s not as much anticipation about what could happen, because if anything earthshattering happened we would have heard about it in the stuff we’ve already seen. Its more about introducing us to new characters and learning about some small things we didn’t know about.

There is however an after credits scene as always, that is very touching and does set up a place for the story to go in the future.

A sequel?

When mom tries to talk to you about tick-tocks and tweeters

If this were a one of film to serve as a send-off for Natasha and an introduction to Yelena and other characters that can pop up in other projects going forward, I wouldn’t be mad. I think it works as a one-off movie and I’m not sure how much story there is really left here for a sequel, not to mention all the other franchises marvel are starting and continuing. However, if this film is really well received, I can definitely see them wanting to make another one, and Florence Pugh can definitely carry a sequel as the new lead. I guess we’ll have to watch this space.

If it had come out when it was supposed to, I don’t think it would have been as ‘whelming’ as it is. Coming out now, especially in a time where people are still nervous to head to the cinema, I think this is a film that people are going to feel like they can skip, and to be honest they probably can.

Luckily, there is the option of getting it on Disney+, which I would recommend if you don’t want to head out. Alternatively, you could wait a few months until it comes out for no extra cost, and I don’t think you’ll be missing a lot. But I will say the movie is enjoyable and worth watching if only for Yelena alone. I can’t wait to see more of her, and by the sounds of it we won’t be waiting long.

Luca Review: Twee fun with very low stakes

If you hadn’t already guessed, I’m a huge Disney fan. This past year Disney+ has been a huge bonus for being able to watch Disney’s films as soon as they release without having to find the time to get to the cinema. So, here I go reviewing yet another release from the mouse house, this time it’s Pixar’s latest offering, released straight to Disney+, Luca.

Plot

How it feels when you’ve been in the bath too long

The film follows Luca, a sea monster from the coast of Italy who is fascinated by the surface. He makes friends with another sea monster, Alberto, who lives on an island on the surface, discovering that sea monsters turn human when they dry off. When Luca’s parents threaten to send him away to the deep to stop him from going to the surface again, he runs off with Alberto to the human port town of Portorosso. There they meet a young girl called Giulia who wants to win the annual triathlon but has no team. Luca and Alberto team up with her in hopes of using the prize money to buy a Vespa and explore the world.

The plot of the film is nothing particularly inventive, while I was watching the first 20 minutes I kept thinking how much it reminded me of The Little Mermaid (1989) and Ponyo (2008). Now every film has influences and parallels to other films, but if you’re thinking about those during the movie it’s a little unfortunate. The rest of the movie once their on land does diverge from those other movies plot wise but takes on a generic coming of age, kids on summer break feel. Now I will say that I don’t think creating a stellar plot was Pixar’s intention this time around. The plot seems almost secondary to its themes, those of childhood, exploration and discovering your yourself and who you want to be. These themes are explored very nicely, so I believe they achieved what they wanted to achieve.

Scope

Building off the plot of the movie, I did want to touch on the scope this movie has. Compared to other Pixar movies, particularly it’s recent ones, the scope is quite small. It all takes place in one relatively small location and the stakes for the climax are never really that high. It they lose the race they lose, if they get discovered they just go back in the ocean. There is the threat of being killed by sea monster hunters but because the film is so sweet you never feel like anyone is actually going to get killed. Now having a small scope and low stakes isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there are plenty of small films, but it does come with ramifications.

When you find out you’re going straight to Disney+

There was some anger when it was revealed that this film would debut on Disney+ for free rather than with premium access like Cruella (2021) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), especially as Pixar’s last film had gotten the same treatment. With Soul (2020), the reasoning seemed to be that they needed to get the movie out in time for it to get an Oscar and cinemas weren’t open. This obviously worked out exactly as they intended. After seeing this film, I think the fact that its not particularly grand or epic, and movies still aren’t making a ton of money in socially distanced cinemas, lead Disney to think that it would do better on streaming. It is a charming and easy-going story that you can sit down at home and watch with your family, and I think people will.

Characters

Is liking pasta a personality trait?

Much like the plot, I do find the characters to be somewhat generic and uninspired. Luca is the shy, nervous yet inquisitive kid, Giulia is spunky and outgoing but weird and Luca’s parents are overprotective but mean well. These are characters that we’ve seen before, but that’s because they work. I wasn’t blown away by how original the characters were, but I did like them an I enjoyed following them on their journey.

The one character that was a little outside of the cliché unfortunately ended up being the one that I liked the least and that was Alberto. He started off in the role of the confident kid that Luca latches onto and learns from. But as the movie progressed, I found that a lot of his actions and traits became more selfish and a little arrogant. He came across to me like a really bad friend to Luca, or to anyone really. This was supposed part of his narrative in the story, but I think they pushed it a little to far to where he just became mean.

Visuals

What the characters lack in fresh personality, they make up for in design. The design of this movie is inspired by European art, reflecting its setting. I’d describe it as a cross between a 50s art deco travel poster and Aardman Claymation. It’s a different animation style for Pixar that helps to differentiate it from their other movie, and also serves to elevate the more basic elements of the move that I’ve touched on. The character design is lovely, I particularly enjoy the design of the sea monsters and the way they use scales and fins to mimic what will become their hair and other features when they become human on land. They also have a really nice way of animating the transformation with rippling scales (it kind of reminded me of Mystique from the X-Men Movies).

Little town, it’s an Italian port

As usual with Pixar and Disney animation, the locations in the film look marvellous. As someone who loves water and the sea, I enjoyed underwater locations at the beginning of the film; they made the seabed with its seaweed look like rolling hills and farmland which was clever. I do wish we’d spent more time in that location but Portorosso was not a bad place to spend a majority of the time. I’ve not been to Italy, but I have been around Europe and I felt Portorosso authentically captured the look and feel of a Small European coastal town. It definitely felt like a real place that you could visit and have a great holiday, depending on how well received this movie is I can see them building at least a small Portorosso area at one of the Disney theme parks. Epcot does have an Italy pavilion.

Queer Theory

Can confirm that gays love ice cream

Queer film theory is something I’m very interested in as a queer person myself, seeing movies that have intentional or unintentional elements of queer coding in their story’s/characters. This movie is one of the latter. There’s quite the buzz around this movie in particular from a LGBTQ standpoint, with the nature of the sea monsters having to hide their true nature and being feared, leading to found family among those who will accept you. Also the movie focusses on a close relationship between two male character, which though platonic could easily be read as something more.

Now obviously queer coding was not the intent of the creators, and the characters are arguably much to young to be discovered or exploring their sexualities just yet. However, if some young queer people see a bit of themselves or identify with this movie in some way I think that’s something they should be happy with. It’s a sweet movie that could bring people together.

I would also possibly be interested in a sequel in the future that picks up with the characters as adolescents or young adults. I think there would be a lot to explore with these characters even if they don’t go down the gay route.

Coming straight after Soul (2020), which was very mature and sophisticated, this was a swap back to childlike whimsical storytelling for Pixar, which may come across to some as a step backwards. If I had to rank this among other Pixar projects id have to put it at a low middle. It doesn’t do anything particularly ground breaking or with an outside of the box concept like Pixar has become known for, but what it does do has a lot of heart to it that will endear people to the film.

Cruella Review: A silly but fun origin story

Yes it’s that time again, another unnecessary remake from Disney of one of their classic animated movies. When formulating these remakes they go in one of two directions, follow the exact same plot with very few (if any changes) or tell the story from a different perspective. Since Maleficent (2014) did so well telling the story from a villain’s perspective, it seemed inevitable that Disney would try and repeat their success with another of their popular villains, in this case Cruella De Vil.

Plot

Estella’s weird, she’s a weirdo. Do you ever see her without this beret?

Serving as an origin story for the character, Cruella (2021) follows young grifter Estella who dreams of being a fashion designer and struggles against her impulses to be mischievous. When she gets a job as a designer for famous fashion mogul, the baroness, a shocking revelation inspires Estella to take revenge on the baroness for a past crime. Taking on the alter ego of Cruella, she creates a competing brand of fashion to outshines the baroness and take away her power and influence.

Unlike Maleficent, which followed the basic story of sleeping beauty but from a new perspective, this story is wholly its own thing, taking place entirely before the events of the original story. I overall enjoyed the plot even though it had a lot of silliness (I’m just gonna say ‘death by Dalmatian’), and I found some plot points to be a little too convenient. My favourite story point was by far the double life between Cruella and Estella. It gave her the vibe of a Batman villain, or like an evil Hannah Montana.

With these live action remakes, I always appreciate when they give you something new, and this was almost entirely new, so I’d rank it among the better ones. At least it has some value in existing as opposed to making you pay to see the same movie over again, I’m looking at you The Lion King (2019).

Characters

Obviously we need to talk about the titular character, and that’s Estella/Cruella. Emma Stone was a wonderful choice for Cruella as she captures the sophistication and mania of a villain in this vane, taking influence from the punk rock vibes of the 70s location. While I liked the alter ego aspect of the story, I do wish  Stone had done more to differentiate between Estella and Cruella as there were a few times they essentially came across the same. Also if we are talking about the silly aspects of the plot, I need to mention the fact that the white and black hair is natural, not a wig or hair dye. I’m fact she’s dies her hair red to hide her abnormal hair condition. Is it stupid? Yeah. could I get over it and enjoy the story? I could.

Here to remind you that responstible is still not a word!

I am a huge Emma Thompson fan, in fact she is probably my favourite actress, if I had to pick a favourite. The baroness is a very Emma Thompson roll, so if you are a fan of her like me you’ll get you love. In the vain of previous Thompson rolls like P.L travers in Saving Mr Banks (2013) and Katherine Newbury in Late Night (2019), she had a pompous arrogance to her with that very British dry wit. But where the Baroness differs is that she is the villain, she she can turn it up to 11 with no worry about being unlikable. She is a little unrealistically evil in a lot of her actions, and I can see people finding the character a bit too much. I am completely biased towards Thompson, so I just couldn’t help but enjoy this performance.

The supporting cast didn’t have many stand outs to me, everyone was ok, no horrible performances. But the one character I need to talk about is Artie, Cruella’s designing collaborator. Disney has been trying for years to have some meaningful LGTBTQ+ representation and failing miserably. One gay kiss in the background of Star Wars is pathetic. While this is a small roll it’s the best they done so far, because it feels so organic and not forced. The London fashion scene in the 70s is the perfect place for queer characters. He was also played by a gay actor, John McCrea, who originated the roll of Jamie in Everybody’s talking about Jamie. This is a really promising step forward for LGBTQ actors playing LGBTQ characters on screen. I’m hopeful that it can lead to a precedent for better more organic representation to come.

Fashion & visuals

You can’t talk about this movie without this talking about the clothes, that’s kind of the whole point. Now I love costume in movies but I know nothing about fashion or design, so I can’t give you any technical breakdown of the costumes, but I can tell you they look amazing.

Miss tutu tulle and fabric and felt!

Cruella’s fashions are clearly inspired by the punk movement of the setting and Vivienne Westwood, with newspaper prints, exposed corsets and contrasting colours. Honestly every outfit is a serve but my personal favourite is one featuring a military jacket covered in chains, with a crown and a huge ruffled red skirt. There is a Dalmatian coat, however Cruella’s relationship with dogs is very much flipped on its head, this Cruella would never make a coat out of a real puppy, only pretend to. You could say that goes against the whole point of her character, which it kind of does, but I guess it would be hard to justify your hero being a literal puppy murderer, so this is what we got. I by the way also do not want to advocate for the murder of dogs for the sake of a consistent character. They do include a line about how her attitude to dogs had been misconstrued, so I guess in this version of the story she’s just misunderstood.

I enjoy the way that Cruella’s designs contrast with the designs of the baroness, who’s designs have that high glamour executive feel bleeding through from the end of the sixties. It serves to fill the narrative of the old school vs new school of fashion. Costume designer Jenny Beavan should be commended for elevating the movie with her designs. Without these costumes I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it so much.

The movie also does some interesting things with its visual elements. The stand out to me was the consistent use of newspaper to surround the action. Anita, who is a reporter in this version writes about Cruella and the baroness throughout the story to sway the public in their opinions of the two designers, and so whenever the articles come out, they can be seen in amongst whatever’s going on screen. It was a small detail that I again felt added some much needed elevation to the material. You can fault the writing and maybe some of the performances, but you can’t deny that with both costume and visuals, the movie does look gorgeous.

A Sequel?

When you’re sweeping chimney’s at 9 but have a fashion show at 10

Unlike Maleficent before it, by the end of this movie, all the pieces of the story are in place for the original 101 Dalmatians to go on basically exactly the same way as the original. While can on some level appreciate the faithfulness to the source material, this does leave a problem when considering a sequel, as it would be difficult to create more story without throwing the set up put the window. The other possibility of course would be the do another remake of 101 Dalmatians, but that would be somewhat disappointing when this story was so original. With these Disney remakes I think changing them up to be something new is what makes them fresh and worthwhile, so I secretly wish they had left themselves room to change the narrative a little more.

If you’re looking for a completely different take on the character of Cruella and you love boss bitches and fashion, I’d say you will get some enjoyment from this movie. If your a huge fan of Glenn Closes campy performance as Cruella from the 90s then this is not that. Overall I had fun watching this movie. It’s not genius storytelling and like all Disney remakes it doesn’t really need to exist, but for a bit of entertainment it’s got enough great elements to make it enjoyable.

Jez recommends – Film Documentaries.

As you can tell from the fact that I have a blog about movies, I watch a lot of things. With the advent of streaming services, entertainment has become more accessible, meaning there is a lot more available to watch. For example, this week I’ve been expanding my mind and watch some documentaries.

So, in the spirit of sharing, I thought id try a new thing where I recommend some things that I think are worth watching and you may not have known were available.  Seeing as I talk about Movies and TV, I though id recommend some documentaries I have watched about film, television and entertainment from the two streaming services I can currently afford, Netflix and Disney+. I’ve picked 3 from each service.

Disclosure (Netflix)

Disclosure takes a look at the history of how trans people have been represented in entertainment from the birth of film until the modern day. You are taken through this history by trans celebrities and scholars who detail their experiences and how this media both informed and affected them and the world around them.

What I think is so important about this documentary is that it really highlights the importance of good representation in media and what it can do for a group, but more importantly the damage that irresponsible or intentionally negative representation can have on a group of people in the real world. It highlights the important of hiring trans people to have a say in telling these stories, rather than just assuming things about them however good your intentions. If you think about it that’s also a lesson, we can apply to all minority groups, to be authentic to their real lives to present an accurate picture of who they are.

I also found it interesting that it highlighted that not everyone interacts with media in the same way. There were many times that one individual said they identified with a character or story in the same beat that another interviewee found it problematic. It shows the importance of having a wide array of trans voices in this space, not just one or two token hires.

I think everyone should give this a watch to not only understand why there is a need for trans representation on screen, but also why it needs to be good.

Waking Sleeping Beauty (Disney+)

When it comes to Disney+, Disney of course has a lot of documentaries about themselves. They have a long history and a lot of stories to tell. Waking Sleeping Beauty details the turbulent years at Disney Animation between 1984-94, when animation was very nearly shut down. If details the creative individuals and the events that breathed new life into the artform and lead to the Disney renaissance of the 90’s, as well as all the drama that was going on all the while.

Living in the era of Frozen, Moana and Pixar, it’s hard to imagine a world where Disney animation was not popular or lucrative but that’s where they were. It’s a really interesting part of Disney’s history to know about, where things were just not being run properly and creative ideas were being steamrolled. It’s also refreshing to see Disney (a company that traditionally has a rigid control of its image) be so open about its turbulent history and how things are not always going well within their ranks, even when things on the outside are on such a high note.

The standout part for me was the way that the late Howard Ashman (along with Alan Menken) was able to shape and enhance these movies with the visons for his music and songs. You can really see what he meant to the studio in the short time that he was there and how deeply his tragic death affected them. There’s another documentary on Disney+ specifically about him called Howard that you could also check out.

Dolly Parton: Here I Am (Netflix)

This is perhaps a slight pivot away from explicitly talking about movies, however, remember that Dolly has had a strong film and TV career too. This Documentary takes you through Dolly Parton’s long and varied career, using her iconic songs to focus on specific moments in her life and aspects of her personality.

I love Dolly, in fact can’t think of anyone I’ve ever encountered that didn’t at least have a passing appreciation for her, which is a testament to how well she connects with people. As well as just being a portrait of Dolly as a person it really acts as a representation of how a woman could, and can, navigate themselves through a career in the entertainment business. She was able to learn from those around her, adapt to new trends and career moves, yet manage to stay true to her own beliefs and not let herself get walked over by those who would view themselves as above her.

In terms of movies, there is of course a whole section on her famous song 9 to 5 and the movie that inspired it. If you haven’t seen 9 to 5  before, it’s available on Star on Disney+ and it’s well worth a watch. In this doc they detail how the film came to be and why Jane Fonda wanted Dolly to be in it, despite never being in a movie before. On top of learning about the making of the film, and how Dolly wrote the theme song, you also get interviews with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who are icons in their own right.

Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (Disney+)

Tuesday was May 4^th, AKA Star Wars day, so I wanted that evenings documentary to fit the theme of the day, hence this pick. It’s certainly the longest doc on this list at 2 ½ hours, and its fairly old, being made in the early 2000s, however the story it tells is s moment in time that is worth knowing about.

The documentary follows the journey George Lucas too to crate the first three Star Wars movies, where the ideas came from, the struggle he took to get studios to believe in them and the difficulty creating something that had never been done before. I think it’s amazing to see how a franchise we all take so much for granted now came into existence and the passion that so many people had to push it through, despite everything that was against them. It puts the original trilogy even more up on a pedestal for me, for how groundbreaking it was, not just for sci-fi and fantasy, but for cinema in general.

An interesting takeaway I got was the struggle Carrie Fisher faced with her weight. How she was told that she needed to be less chubby to play Leia and how that affected her throughout all 3 movies and beyond. The interviews with her on this subject had that typical cynicism and wit she innately had and it made me empathise with her and further miss the spark that she brought to the world.

Road to Roma (Netflix)

I love Roma, it’s a beautiful and cerebral film and I find it so comforting even in its darker moments. So, I wanted to take some time to learn about how the movie itself was made and what inspired it. If you haven’t seen the Roma you might not be that into this so I definitely would recommend checking it out on Netflix first. Both the films are in Spanish so if you’re not into subtitles I apologize, but I believe it’s very accessible.

I knew the movie was inspired by director Alfonso Cuarón’s childhood, but I didn’t realize until watching this documentary just how personal he made it. For example, about 80% of the furniture in the main house in which it’s set was actual furniture acquired from Cuarón’s family. Not only is this movie an in-depth conversation with a director about his process but there’s also a lot of information about Mexico in the 70s and it’s political landscape.

I was interested to learn that when he cast Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo he used the fact that she could speak both Spanish and Mixtec. Having her switch from Spanish to a language the family she works for do not understand was a way for him to highlight the racial divide affecting the indigenous people of Mexico. As someone who does not speak either language, this bilingual aspect of the film is something I missed when I watched the film, so this, along with other revelations from the documentary served to deepen my understanding of the film.

The Pixar Story/ Inside Pixar (Disney+)

The reason I included both of these together is that I feel together they tell a more complete story of Pixar Animation Studios. The Pixar story takes you from the studios very beginnings up to 2005 when they released cars. Even if you have some knowledge of Pixar, it’s amazing to see just how much of a risk this company was to build and how it so very nearly never came together at multiple stages. It makes you appreciate where this massive company came from and what pushed it to the heights it reached. But at the same time, the documentary is quite old, so it represents a Pixar that is very different from the one that exists today. A lot of the people featured are no longer working there and some are dead, which is why I would also recommend Inside Pixar.

Inside Pixar is a documentary series of short 15 min episodes that takes you through Pixar as it is today spotlighting different people who work their and what they do, from writers, to production assistants to even the pastry chef and the employee café. It really paints a picture of what goes into running such a big studio now, and how diverse the group of people that work there have become, as well as what that diversity brings to the screen. My particular favourite episodes were kemp powers talking about how he used his experience as a black man to write a scene in Soul, and Jessica Heidt discussing a tool she created to evaluate how balanced their scripts are in terms of distributing lines between male and female characters. Also the one about Marylou the pastry chef made me super hungry. The episodes are really short and bite size so you can easily watch them on a break or before bed.

I hope you feel inspired to check at least some of these documentaries out, if not all of them. When I feel able to subscribe to more services, I may return share what the likes of Amazon have to offer. But until then I hope you enjoy my recommendations and learn something new.

Raya and the Last Dragon review: A gorgeous and surprisingly profound adventure.

Walt Disney Animation Studios hasn’t released an original (non-sequel) movie since Moana back in 2016. So Disney and animation stans, like myself, have been eagerly awaiting the release of Raya and the Last Dragon since it was announced a few years ago. Like everything on Disney’s release schedule, it was somewhat mucked about by the pandemic, but its finally here, both in cinemas and on Disney+. I’ve already watched this movie twice since it came out, so spoiler alert, I love it. But it’s my job here to convince you why you should love it too.

Plot

When she realizes she has to hang out with Cinderella now

The movie takes place in the dystopian former kingdom of Kumandra, now divided into 4 lands, all at odds with one another over possession of the Dragon Gem. This is the last piece to dragon magic left by the dragon Sisu. The lands have been overrun by dark creatures known as Druun, which turn anyone they touch to stone. Raya , princess of the land of Heart, must find Sisu, reunite the broken pieces of the Dragon Gem and rid the world of the Druun.

Right of the bat, the story this sets up is a lot more nuanced than typical Disney fairy tales. Instead of a cheerful musical land of optimism, it’s a more realistic world where political differences between neighbouring countries drive a wedge between trust. It’s quite profound for a family movie. Also, it’s building on Disney’s recent push away from their traditional villains. They went through a phase of having twist villains, but in this movie there is no real villain outside of the Druun. The antagonist is humanity and it’s propensity for dispute.

World

Makes the UK look boring af

The absolute best thing about this movie is it’s world building. The kingdom of Kumandra is split into 5 lands, each named after a section of the dragon shaped sea in the centre. Each has its own unique landscape and colour scheme. Raya’s land of Heart is a forest covered land who’s colours are blue and green. The land of Tail is a vast desert and they use shades of yellow and brown. Talon is a floating city full of merchants who use pinks and purples. Spine is a snow covered bamboo forest and they are grey and green. And finally Talon, Hearts main enemy are a golden city on an island and they use white and of course gold as their colours. My personal favourite location was Talon as I love their colour scheme and I’m a sucker for any water-based location.

I love any piece of media that goes into this much detail putting together the world that it takes place in. My only complaint is that there is not enough time in a movie to fully explore and flesh out this world. A TV show would be the best place to explore properly. Seeing as Disney Animation is developing series based on Moana and The Princess and the Frog, I’m hoping that could mean a Kumandra action exploration type show could end up on the board eventually.

Disney has shown in recent years a commitment to representing the cultures they base their fairy tales in. This particular story was inspired by the cultures of Southeast Asia. Now I’m obviously not the person to best speak about how well they presented the culture, but I can say that there is a clear need to honour it and present it in a way that is respectful and positive. Disney is a worldwide brand, so it’s my belief that it should do its best to make everyone feel included in their movies.

Characters

I do think Raya (Kelly Marie-Tran) as a character is a little bit generic from what we’ve seen from Disney before, particularly recently. She’s a princess, she’s a fighter, she’s sure of herself and a little bit sassy. I will say the one thing that sets her apart from other Disney heroines is that she’s more mature, and more jaded. Part in parcel coming from a dystopian world where everyone is out to get one another. I also think that after the debacle that was the Star Wars sequels, Kelly Marie-Tran really took this opportunity to prove how great she can act, and also lead a movie.

My personal favourite characters were Sisu and Namaari. Sisu, the titular last dragon, is voiced by Awkwafina, who is having the career of a lifetime right now. In her first scene I was worried that she was going to play the role too comedic, but the character quickly settles down and really becomes the heart of the movie. Her insistence that people can be good and that trusting someone can change the world is the thematic core of the whole story.

Lets go lesbians! Let’s go!

Namaari (Gemma Chan), princess of Fang, spends most of the film as its primary antagonist, as an old enemy of Raya who betrayed her when they were children. Yet you get a clear sense early on that she is only looking out for her land and her people, and she ultimately wants what all the other characters want. She is more the anti-hero than the villain. Also, the relationship between Raya and Namaari is very clearly queer coded without actually ever making it clear that there is romance there, which does lead to a conversation about how Disney presents LGBTQ+ characters. But that’s a conversation that I need longer to go into.

Raya also makes friends with characters from each of the other kingdoms which are fun additions to the cast. Boun, the young owner of a boat restaurant from Tail. Noi a baby from Talon, who works as a con artist with her monkey friends. Finally, Tong a warrior who is the last living person from the land of Spine. Raya also has a trusty animal sidekick (she is a Disney princess after all), a giant armadillo-like creature named Tuk Tuk.

Animation

Alright now I’m hungry AND I want to move

The animation in this movie is stunning. I may sound like a broken record every time I talk about a Disney or Pixar movie, but they have so much money to sink into computer graphics they can’t help but make beautiful scenery. The world building I mentioned earlier is only made more impressive by the sweeping shots of the environment. There were many times I wanted pause the movie just to take in how gorgeous it looked.

They also do something I really love with animation, which is mix different styles of animation in with the typical CGI. There are sequences, such as the prologue, in which the visuals seem to mimic traditional Southeast Asian art, which is a fun way to embrace and acknowledge the culture. There is also sequences which I felt were supposed to mimic classic comic book style drawing, which was a creative and unexpected way of portraying the action.

My concern

Sisu is judging you for not seeing this movie

My concern with this movie is not with its quality, but with how well it’s going to do. Unlike Soul (2020), but like Mulan (2020), this movie is available in cinemas and on Disney+ for an extra charge of £19.99 (about $30 in the US). Seeing the movie in cinemas is off the table for most people in the world, and everyone in the UK, and it’s totally understandable if the high price point on Disney+ is too high for people. For this reason, I’m concerned that not a lot of people will see this movie now, and will instead wait a few months until it comes out at no extra cost on the service. I also think that releasing it on the same day as the WandaVision finale might lead people to overlook it for now.

Now I’m not worried about people discovering this movie later and falling in love with it then, as I’m sure they will. I’m concerned that if the movie doesn’t make enough money on release, Disney will consider it a flop, and they don’t tend to let flops hang around. If they decide this movie wasn’t marketable, hopes of any kind of sequel or return to the world of Kumandra could be off the table. I just hope that word of mouth and recognition from those that are in a position to pay for it right now can convince Disney that this is a really good movie, and it just came out at an unfortunate time.

I’d highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys action, adventure or animation, chances are you’ll enjoy the characters, the world and the message. It’s really worth the money, especially with repeat viewings in mind.

If you really can’t afford the high price point on Disney+ that’s totally understandable, but make sure you check it out as soon as it becomes available at no extra cost.