Elemental movie review: Some excellent chemistry!

June was a crazy month for me, so I didn’t get time to see much, let alone review anything. But I was determined to get to the cinema and see a new release, so I got out to see Pixar’s latest offering, Elemental!

I really didn’t know what to expect from this film given the hit and miss nature of Pixar (and Disney in general) recently, and the concept of elemental people living in a city seemed pretty basic. But I ended up very pleasantly surprised by what I saw!

Plot

Water cute pair

When Ember is left in charge of her parent’s shop in Fire Town of Element City, she accidentally causes a water leak which threatens to put them out of business. Along with city water inspector Wade, they must find the source of the leak and save her parent’s shop from being shut down. Along the way the pair develop and unlikely romance despite Ember’s parent’s opposition to elements mixing.

I thought it was going to become a plot where it’s a mystery to find who or what is causing the leak with a grand adventure through the city. However, that plot point was actually more just a catalyst for the real focus of the movie which is exploring the relationship between Ember and her parents and Ember and Wade. I think that could be a little disappointing for some people, but I did appreciate that it was more character rather than world-building focussed. Whether that lends itself to the big screen or small is another matter.

Characters

Speaking of being characters I have to talk about our main characters, Ember and Wade. Each one’s character obviously took the form of the element they’re based on. So, Ember is fire so she has a temper and she ‘flares up’ a lot, whereas Wade is water so he’s a lot more mellow and he cries easily. I think they did a good job not making Ember too angry all the time at the risk of making her unlikable, her temper was always justified if a little unhinged. Wade cried a little bit too often for my taste, but what did work was how his emotions brought about a change in Ember as she learned more about the elements outside of fire.

I really warmed to this family

Ember has the best storyline as she is the lead. She has to come to grips with her parent’s expectations for her versus her feelings for Wade and what she wants for her future, so we really get to know the most, whereas Wade has a lot more tell rather than show for his development. Wade is still a very likable character though because he’s just really lovely and is the kind of supportive and uplifting person that I think a lot of people would like to be with.

The next best characters are Ember’s parents, Bernie and Cinder, as they are the secondary protagonists with their own story to tell. Being refugees who came to element city for a better life, their story is about trying to hold on to their own culture and the things they’ve built while also allowing their daughter to grow beyond what they want for, and it’s some really quite beautiful stuff.

I also have to mention that Wade’s mum, Beook, is played by Catherine O’Hara (whose voice I recognized instantly) so she does an excellent job with the comedy in her voice acting.

World

Ember is not in her element here

In terms of world-building, I don’t think Element City itself was super creative in terms of design as it was mostly just regular buildings with an elemental theme. However it wasn’t lazy in any way, and it still looked gorgeous.

What was fun about the world though was the way elemental people interacted with it. If Ember breaks a window for example she can pick up the pieces and melt them down to create a new window and replace it. If Wade gets pushed into a fountain he can through the pipes and rise back out the top. You could tell they considered how each element could use their skills as a form of problem-solving which is just a really fun bit of creativity.

It also lent itself to a lot of fun gags throughout the movie. One that made me laugh early on was a blimp carrying air people deflating when the passengers got off but blowing up again when the new lot got on.

Themes

This movie actually had a lot more to say than I expected, with its major theme being that of immigration. Because the fire people were not part of the originally established element city, they had to find their own patch to build a community and they therefore rarely mix with the other elements.

At least her outfit is fire

I think it was clever to use the fact that fire doesn’t physically mix well with the other elements (it would burn plants and evaporate water for example) to illustrate how immigrant communities often feel outside of and othered by the communities they come to join and that sense of wanting to belong but being unable to integrate.

It also somewhat addresses the financial inequality between immigrant families like Ember’s and more well-off families like Wade’s, and how that affects their choices and paths in life.

It’s heavy stuff on paper, but I think, much like Zootopia did with race, this movie puts out these ideas in a very accessible way. And I hope it will teach the kids (and frankly the adults) watching to be understanding of different communities that surround them.

Romance

A couple with literal chemistry

I think by far my favorite aspect of this movie was the love story between Ember and Wade. It’s the age-old story of two people who shouldn’t be together falling in love against the odds, but cleverly done in the way of two people who literally physically should be opposites.

It’s also one of the most romantic Disney couples I think there’s ever been. Things get pretty steamy (pun absolutely intended) between the two and it’s very tender. I’m also extremely glad they didn’t use the enemies to lovers trope that had been done to death at this point. The pair pretty much like each other from the get go, which means you get more time seeing them together developing the connection.

The issue

This movie came out in the US a month before it came out here, so we already know it’s a box office bomb and it’s not doing well. Obviously, I’m disappointed because I really liked it but I think it’s down to two factors.

Firstly the ad campaign was not good. The trailer did not convey what this movie is at all. I thought that it was just going to be a knock off Zootopia but with elements, and I had no idea of the deep themes and the heavy focus on romance. And to be honest I barely saw any advertisement for it in the first place.

Firing on all cylinders

The second problem is streaming. I think (and have been told this by a few people) that most people are just going to wait to watch this film on Disney+. Everyone knows now that everything will eventually show up there so they’re being much more selective about what they pay to go see in cinemas. People have been trained to see Pixar films on streaming as 3 of the last 4 have been released only on Disney+ and the one that wasn’t (Lightyear) was not very good. It’s not just a Pixar problem though as Disney Animation’s last 2 movies have suffered at the box office before finding an audience in streaming. Encanto is the best case scenario as it completely blew up in popularity once it hit Disney+. I’m hoping for an Encanto situation with Elemental because I know people are going to love this movie when they give it a chance.

If you fancy seeing a great animated movie in the cinema then I’d definitely recommend going to see this one. Equally, please give it a watch when it comes out in Disney+ (probably in about a months time) because it really is worth your time. I’ll definitely be watching it again!

The Little Mermaid review: An acceptable remake

While many are firmly opposed to the trend of Disney remaking all of their old animated movies in live-action, I am more lukewarm about it. while I don’t want or feel they need to be remade, I accept that they are and some of them actually end up being good. As much as I hated Beauty and the Beast (2017) and The Lion King (2019), I enjoyed Aladdin (2019) and Cinderella (2015). And so, in the run-up to The Little Mermaid (2023) coming out, I was nervous about which way the dial would turn this time.

The plot

Beach please!

If you don’t already know, the film follows Ariel, a mermaid who is obsessed with the Land. Despite being forbidden to go to the surface by her father she continues to collect human trinkets and learn all she can about the world above. After saving a human from drowning and falling in love, she visits the sea witch Ursula and exchanges her voice for the chance to become human.

This being a remake, the story is the same as the original. There are not really any major changes to the story to speak of, just a little addition to Ursula’s spell that has a small impact on the romance. This change, while random and unnecessary, wasn’t destructive at all to the plot so I can understand and live with it. I’m actually surprised they didn’t try and meddle with the plot more in the name of empowerment, as the original has long been criticized for being bad for young girls.

Would I have liked it if they had made a dramatic change to the story? I’m not sure, but I would have respected it for not being straight-up remake. I’m still in the camp of not needing the classics remade.

Ariel

One of the biggest talking points about this film was of course the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel. Casting someone who does not look like the original version of the character, and changing the character’s race, became very controversial, which put a lot of pressure on Bailey to prove that she deserved to have the part. Luckily, I believe she did.

Isn’t it neat!

Ariel is a hard part to adapt because she’s extremely naive and fairly passive, so it’s hard to take that and make it palatable for modern audiences, especially women and young girls, while not deviating too much from the source material. I think Bailey was really good at capturing that innocence and sweetness of Ariel, but didn’t come across as stupid. She was still very assertive and had a strength to her, but through a lease of childlike glee that I feel perfectly captures Ariel.

I think this is a lesson in unconventional casting working better than the more superficial choices. Thinking back on how much I disliked Emma Watson as Belle I can see that they went for the obvious choice; she’s brunette and she’s a feminist so she’s perfect for Belle, but they didn’t take into account that she couldn’t act or, more crucially, sing the role very well. Halle Bailey may not have been the most obvious choice for Ariel but she got the character down perfectly, and I’m so glad they chose her.

Characters

Don’t be so crabby!

While Bailey as Ariel was the big stand out from the movie I also really enjoyed Daveed Diggs’ voicework as Sebastian. He had most of the funniest parts as the comic relief side character, but also did really great in the musical numbers. I also enjoyed the dynamic he had with Awkwafina as Scuttle, who I was surprised I enjoyed just as much.

I wasn’t mad about Johan Hauer-King as Prince Eric. I think he did an ok job, but was a bit bland and forgettable to me, especially opposite the inspired casting of Bailey. But I suppose the original Eric was never really that interesting to begin with, and they at least tried to give him more of a motivation and a story arc this time. He also had much stronger chemistry with Ariel this time around.

Body language!!

I really wanted to love Melissa McCarthy as Ursula but I think she was ultimately poorly cast as the villain. She wasn’t horrendous but some of her choices were not great. She was trying to be really hammy and over the top, which is great, but they she didn’t go far enough and it felt lackluster. There were no exaggerated villainous laughs or maniacal screams. Ultimately it ended up just feeling like someone doing a poor impression of the animated Ursula rather than making the character her own.

The absolute worst part of the movie for me, however, was Javier Bardem as King Triton. Every line he delivered felt like he was reading it off a cue card with zero emotion and commitment to the role. It was so phoned in, which was so jarring when everyone else was at least trying to give their all to such iconic characters.

Visuals

When going from hand-drawn animation from the 90s to modern day technologies, you’d expect there to be some difference, and hopefully some improvement in the visuals of the film.

Looking for Nemo?

I’ve always been a big lover of fish and the oceans since I was very little, so I was really hoping that the underwater sequences would make me happy, and they really did. All the colours and the scenery in the ocean sequences, particularly during Under the Sea, were so lush and vibrant. It was so magical and filled me with wonder, which is just what a fairytale should do.

The on land visuals were not as strong, but still had a great fantasy style that they mixed in heavy Caribbean reference with to make the kingdom seem more rooted in that culture than just a generic European fairytale setting.

I was a little disappointed with the costuming of the film. Ariel only really wore one dress for the whole film, which was pretty but not very exciting. There are some iconic Ariel outfits that I was excited to see interpreted in live-action that weren’t used at all. I think Colleen Atwood tends to create more historical outfits for her fantasy movies, like she did with Into the Woods for example. Whereas I prefer the approach of someone like Sandy Powell, who created over the top, colourful fantasy dresses for Cinderella (2015), which are to this day some of my favourite movie costumes.

Songs

Goin’ down the bayou

The Little Mermaid has one of the most iconic Disney soundtracks, so I was really nervous about how new versions of the songs would come out; especially as most of the other live-action remakes haven’t done that great a job.
While nothing will ever compare to the originals, I do think they did a good job with the soundtrack. They didn’t do anything to egregiously bad to change the songs but they gave them new arrangements and things to make them new enough. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack and enjoying it.

The new songs I don’t think work as well but that may just be because I’m not as used to them. I don’t think Jonah Hauer-King’s voice worked for the solo they gave him and it sounded very strained. Awkwafina also got her own rap song which I found a little excruciating to get through. I do however like the new solo song they gave Ariel, but that’s because Halle has the most beautiful voice and every song she’s featured in sounds divine for that reason.

Do I think we needed another version of the mermaid? No. Am I happy with the one we got? Absolutely. There are some really good things about this movie that cancel out the lower-quality parts. I will always prefer the original, but this version doesn’t tarnish it in any way. I’m quite happy to have both to live happily alongside each other. Most importantly, I’m excited to see Halle Bailey get more opportunities to share her remarkable talent. I can’t wait to see her in The Color Purple this Christmas!

Black Panther Wakanda Forever Review: Marvel back on their A game!

After a recent string of disappointing or mediocre Marvel projects, I have started to worry that the MCU had lost the luster that it had not too long ago, as it continues to expand. I had a lot of hopes for the sequel to one of my personal favourite marvel movies, Black Panther, but was nervous that it wouldn’t be able to capture the magic of the first film, especially with the tragic loss of its lead actor.

Story

Yassss Queen

After the death of King T’Challa, the Black Panther, Wakanda is left vulnerable as foreign nations try to get their hands on the powerful metal, vibranium for themselves. When America finds deposits of vibranium in the ocean it threatens to expose the secret underwater kingdom of Talokan. Led by their leader, Namor, Talokan blames Wakanda for the world’s eagerness to mine the metal and the threat to their way of life. A conflict between the two nations begins as Wakanda still reels from the loss of its protector.

The narrative is one of the absolute best parts of this movie. In what may seem surprising to some from a superhero movie, the storytelling was very sophisticated. This felt truly like an epic war story. Each side in the conflict, Wakanda, Talokan and America, had clear motives behind their actions. It wasn’t just armies turning up and randomly fighting each other, but there was negotiation and tactics behind their moves. It felt like a real war that you can believe was happening in this fictional world.

Characters

White is the new Black (Panther)

Though the movie has many characters and is more of an ensemble than the first, the main character is undoubtedly Shuri, Princess of Wakanda and tech genius. Shuri became a fan favourite character after the first film with he wit and fun-loving attitude. But here Shuri is older and changed by the sudden death of her older brother, as well as her inability to save him. Letitia Wright has become somewhat of a controversial figure lately, due to some I’ll informed tweets about covid vaccinations, however it is impossible to deny what a phenomenal job she does acting in this film. She portrayed a young woman, totally torn apart and broken from constant loss and it’s glorious and heart-wrenching to watch.

Someone else who is broken by tragedy is Queen Ramonda, played by living legend Angela Bassett. What stands out about her is the regality and stoicism Ramonda maintains as a ruler, despite the immense pain she feels, which of course begins to fracture her relationship with her daughter and others around her. She gets some of the juiciest lines and monologues in the movie which means we get Bassett at her best.

She may destory you

Like the first film, the supporting cast is rounded out with strong black women, with the Dora Milaje, once again led by Okoye (Danai Gurira) and new member Aneka (Michaela Coel). Aneka doesn’t get a whole lot to do because she’s not the most important character in the story, but when she does have a story of her own and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of that later.

The other new character is Riri Williams aka Ironheart (Dominique Thorne), who unwittingly plays a major part of the conflict. Having an African-American character interact with all the Wakandan’s added a fun dynamic and it was a really great way to introduce us a character who is going to get her own solo adventures. I think this was also a nice way of tying this film back to the ending of the original, with the promise of Wakanda reaching out and supporting the black community around the world, which builds on the kind of symbol Wakanda has become for people in the real world as well.

Villain

Don’t be fooled by the rocks that he’s got

The major new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe from this film is our antagonist, Namor (Tenoch Huerta). He’s a character that people have been wanting to see for a long time, so there was pressure on this film to get him right. In the comics he flip-flops between hero and villain, so I was interested to see how they would make him the villain, but still redeemable enough to be a hero in the future. I think they struck the balance really well, while he was clearly the villain, as he antagonized Wakanda, it didn’t come from a place of pure malice but from eagerness to protect his people. What I liked most about Namor was his characterization. He was hot-headed, impulsive and just a little bit cocky, which made him a good foil for the more proud and honorable royalty coming from Wakanda.

The Talokan people as a whole were also an intimidating group of adversaries for Wakanda as they are the only other nation with access to vibranium of weapons and armour, meaning both sides were evenly matched. Although the Talokan’s did have some extra superhuman abilities that gave them a slight upper hand. This match-up made the conflict just more interesting to watch as you genuinely didn’t know how it was going to resolve itself, all the way up until the very end.

Worldbuilding

One of the best things about the original Black Panther was the way in which it created the country of Wakanda. Blending futuristic technology with traditional African culture made a world that was totally unique and breathtaking to behold, from its architecture to its clothing to its characters. All the goodness from then is right back in the sequel, but this time there was a second kingdom to introduce too.

Hmmm, something smells fishy

Talokan is similar to Wakanda in that it’s based on a culture that was colonized by Europe, but imagines how it would be if it had not been. Rather than African culture, the kingdom and people of Talokan are based upon mesoamerican, particularly Aztec history. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the way the kingdom of Talokan was realized. It was very darkly lit (because it’s deep underwater) so it was hard to make it out, but I was expecting something futuristic, akin to Wakanda but underwater, whereas they seemed to go a more traditional underwear reef type vibe for the world. The Talokans themselves were brilliantly realized, however. Their clothing was clearly South American tribal inspired but with an obvious aquatic twist, such as a headdress that looks like a fishes fins or a helmet akin to a hammerhead shark.

Tone

Black is the new Black (Panther)

Recently it has seemed like the MCU has pivoted more towards light-hearted comedic storytelling, particularly in Thor: Love and Thunder and She Hulk: Attorney at Law, which I have not been a fan of. I have always found that Marvel are at their best when telling a serious and grounded story, with moments of comedy added for levity, rather than the other way around.

As its main focuses are grief and war, this film was more of the latter, which was a refreshing return to form. Setting such a deep tone made the events unfolding feel more important, which made the stakes feel higher and the build to a climax more exciting.

Chadwick

Obviously, the elephant in the room when talking about this film is the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020. He was so special to so many people, but not least to the cast and crew of this movie who worked so closely with him on the first.

T’Challa does not appear in this film in any way other than in clips from his previous appearances, however there is barely a moment where the loss is not felt; and that’s not a bad thing. It was clearly the intention of Ryan Coogler to not just kill him off and move on, but to be remembering him constantly, and feeling the legacy the Boseman left behind, both as that character and his real life. It’s powerful stuff, and very emotional.

I’m so happy with the way this sequel turned out in the face of a seemingly insurmountable tragedy. It was epic, it was emotional and of course, it was entertaining. Most importantly it managed to revive my excitement for a franchise that was beginning to lose my interest. Now I can’t wait to see where these characters and this story goes next.

Encanto Review: A magical but medium Disney musical

Now you should know by now that I am very much a hardcore Disney stan. Disney Animation in particular is something I have a lot of sentimental love for, so I’m always excited about anything new they put out. This does not mean I’m always going to like it unconditionally, but I will admittedly always see the good in it. This well the newest addition to animated Disney canon, Encanto was released and I obviously was very excited to see it.

Story

Rule 1: You must demonstrate your powers in every photo!

The film centers around the family Madrigal who live in a magical house that was conjured from a miracle candle that never goes out. As part of the miracle, each member of the family is bestowed a gift when they come of age, except for the protagonist Mirabel, who was not given a gift. When Mirabel has a sudden realization that the house is beginning to crumble and the miracle may be dying, she must do what she can to find out why it’s happening and what she can do to stop it.

I would say the story of the film is the weakest itself is fairly predictable. It focuses on Mirabel and her feelings of inadequacy and isolation for not having a gift and wanting to prove herself, you can probably guess where things are going to end up and it’s pretty clear to see where things are going as it goes on. It also does not do a terribly good job of explaining what’s going on and why certain things are happening in terms of the magic. But I did like the way the story focussed on the family unit and what the gifts do for them both in the positive and negative.

What’s interesting about the story is that it all takes place over a few days and all within the house itself and sometimes the surrounding village. I think this is an interesting choice to focus on the family unit and the feeling of home, however the downside is it does make the stakes a little lower as there’s not so much that can really happen; worst case is the house falls down. Being small in scale doesn’t make the movie bad by any means, it does mean that the film is quainter and comfier than being epic and exciting, as a lot of Disney’s recent films have been. It’s a nice change of pace but I’m not sure it will be to everyone’s liking.

Characters

Mirabel tell us about your family. I have one!

I think Stephanie Beatriz (yes that’s Rosa from Brooklyn 99) does a great job as Mirabel. She manages to capture the sadness and the try hard aspects of the character that come from her being the one without a gift, but never makes her too mopey or depressive as she could have been. She has this energy in her voice that projects positivity and amplifies those moments where Mirabel is being her dorky and excitable self. Mirabel is the heart of the movie, and of the family too. I also really love her look, in particular that she wears glasses. It’s rare to see a protagonist, especially a female one, as a glasses wearer so I like that a lot of kids with glasses are going to see her as a hero. I don’t know if she qualifies to be a Disney Princess (I would argue that her family technically rules the village, she gets her own songs) but I would love to see her in with that group.

The other important character is Abeula Alma (Maria Cecilia Botero), the head of the family to whom the magical gift and house was given. I think she’s a really interesting parallel and contrast to Mirabel as she also does not have magical powers, but she has a purpose within the family, to keep them together and protect the magic which she was gifted with. Seeing the different ways in which the two women interact with the family and the magic itself is what drives the story towards its end point. I think they did a good job of making Abuela the stern matriarch who wants things to be perfect without making her overly villainous. Her backstory of fleeing violence and persecution while also losing her husband is heart-breaking and rings true to a lot of real history in South America which I appreciated.

The rest of the family are all secondary characters to Mirabel’s story but most do get some kind of characterization and story. Mirabel’s sisters get the most attention as her closest family, and they get their own songs. Luisa (Jessica Darrow) has the gift of super strength, but that strength is also built into her character, as she deals with staying stoic and taking on the needs of the town and family. It’s also great to see a female character who is big and muscular and that not being taken as a joke but being celebrated as a strength.

Pink is the universal colour of the mean girl

Mirabel’s relationship with her sister Isabela (Diane Guerrero) is the most explored. Isabela has the power to make flowers grow, which is the most beautiful visual gift and they make sure to utilize that as often as they can. But beauty and flawlessness is also part of Isabela’s character as she is antagonistic towards her sister, who can never live up to her perfection. But Isabela is not just a pretty mean girl as there is another side to her that is explored. Im also quite a fan of Guerrero from her work on Jane the Virgin and Orange is the New Black, and I liked seeing her here, she’s also a great singer.

Casita

Welcome to the house of fun!

The best part of this movie for me was the magical sentient home in which it’s set: Casita. It was exciting seeing all the different ways the structure would move and shift to interact with the family, and it was all within the realms of how a house could actually move if each part of it came alive. Like a stone tile can’t physically bend but it can lift up and down to make a step or move something forward.

It’s clear that the animation team put a lot of thought into how the house would work and I bet they had a lot of fun coming up with new things to do with it. That commitment to building a world is what really excites me about good animation.

I can alreday see them someday building a real Casita at one of the Disney parks. If they could get it it to move and intereact with the guest as they were inside it that would make it a really fun attraction to visit.

Songs

Mirabel is feeling like a plastic bag

A big selling point Disney made for this movie is that the songs were written by current Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda, now a frequent Disney collaborator. You can definitely see Miranda’s style in the songs, as most are very hip hop heavy, which is obviously what he’s known for with Hamilton. But the style also works well with Reggaetón which is a prevalent genre of music across Latin America.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like the songs were as strong as some of Miranda’s past work, and in particular none of them particularly stood out as THE SONG of the movie, which Disney usually does have (and uses to promote it). I’ve listened to the soundtrack a fair bit since watching and I do enjoy it, the songs are good, but I still agree with my original assessment that they aren’t the strongest aspect of the film. Colombia, Mi Encanto is probably the best song, which is weird because it’s not part of the actual story, but to me it gets the atmosphere of the movie down and the Colombian flavour in there, so if I was going to push a song towards an award (which is usually the goal at this time of year) I’d choose that one.

Culture

The current mission for Disney seems to be to work on representing and telling stories from all over the world, and particularly in showcasing cultures that haven’t been seen in a lot of Hollywood movies, particularly Disney animation, which built its bread and butter on predominantly European fairy-tales. As Moana focussed on Polynesian culture, and Raya and the Last Dragon on Southeast Asian, Ecanto embraces its Colombian setting.

Disney likes mums now!

Once again you can see that they tried to be as authentic as possible to the culture, including having a cast of Colombians and Colombian Americans. As I always say, I am not the person to determine whether or not they portrayed it accurately but I am seeing a lot of Colombians and Latin Americans reacting favourably online to the characters and the songs etc so that gives me pause to think they’ve done a good job.

I do feel a little like they could have explored even more of the country and it’s varied regions and cultures within the film. However, I get that they wanted to explore this family unit in the one house so they did what they needed to do to benefit the story.

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All in all, I do think this was a good movie, though it did not live to the expectations I had for it. It’s strengths are in its characters and it’s concepts rather than the narrative and the soundtrack.

The story is more quaint and cosy than it is thrilling. But I also think it will mean more to Latin audiences than it will to this white person, which is totally fair.

Where I think this movie will do best is on Disney+. It’s a great thing to sit with a family, or by yourself, all relaxed and just enjoy it.

They have already said they are trying a new release strategy for this movie and pushing it onto Disney+ early, during the holiday, so I feel like that was part of the plan all along.

I would recommend this movie if you like Disney and animated musicals in general, it is a lot of fun. I’ll certainly be watching it again, and I might appreciate more knowing what I’m getting the second time around.

Shang-Chi Review: An elevated new step in the MCU

After a year away, the MCU came back this year swinging, by branching out into the new spaces of TV and animation, while also releasing their usual big budget movies. I’ve talked about their Disney+ shows (Like WandaVision and Loki) have been really promising, bringing in new ways of presenting MCU content, and how their return to movies with Black Widow was somewhat lacklustre. So, there was a big worry that the MCU had run out of steam, at least where its movies are concerned, after the big climactic story of Avengers: Endgame (2019). But, the MCU’s newest release, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, may just show that Marvel Studios has plenty of ideas to keep their gravy train going.

Plot

Someone didn’t get the memo about wearing red!

The plot follows Shang-Chi, who was trained as an assassin by his father Wenwu, a powerful and immortal Chinese warlord, after the death of his beloved mother. As a teenager her fled to San Francisco and a normal life alongside his new best friend Katy. After his pendant, left to him by his mother, is stolen by agents of his father, Shan-Chi must reunite with his estranged sister and face his father once again. He must discover what his father plans to do, while making some new discoveries about his own heritage.

Parental issues and being trained as an assassin is something we’ve seen before, we just saw it in Black Widow, but what I thought made this a different take was its interpretation of the theme of family. Family and honouring ancestry is something that is extremely important to eastern and particularly Chinese cultures, and I like that they took that as the frame of reference to tell this story. Shang-Chi at the beginning of the story is someone who wants to run away from his past and family, but by reuniting with them and returning to his home he gains more power, by embracing the gifts from his mother and his father. I thought it was a really sophisticated way to take those Chinese ideals, and work them into a western superhero narrative.

Characters

This movie had a lot of new characters, in order to full flesh out the world of Shang-Chi and The Ten Rings, so I can’t discuss them all in great detail. I should start by discussing our titular hero Shang-Chi (Simu Liu). I think the benefit of Shang-Chi being such an unknown character before this movie is that Marvel and Liu himself got to basically build this character from the ground up. You can see a lot of Liu’s own cheeky personality within the character, he’s very lovable. However he was also able to convey the pain of the character, you could feel the weight of his past coming down on him as the movie progressed, which made him compelling and somewhat in more of a grey area than a lot of past marvel heroes, as he has the light and dark of his parents inside him.

One should always take their child on a murder mission!

Speaking of his parents, I have to talk about the villain of the film, Shang-Chi’s father Wenwu (Tony Leung). What I loved about this villain is that his motivations are so different from what we expect from a superhero villain. He starts the movie as the formulaic power hungry conqueror, but by the time we meet him in real time his motivations for doing the bad things he does come from a place of love and devotion to family. This not only makes him a unique and compelling villain but ties into Shang-Chi’s own struggles with family.

Now, you should know by now that I love a good female character, and this movie has no shortage of them. The main female character is Shang-Chi’s best friend Katy (Awkwafina) who fills both the best friend and comic relief roles. I know that Awkwafina is not everyone’s cup of tea but I’ve always found her very entertaining and she is no different, she gets most of the good MCU one liners, and most of her comedy comes from her hilarious interactions with the new world of magic and assassins she is thrust into. But I like that they also gave Katy her own storyline to follow rather than just leaving her on the side-lines. As a character she goes on a journey of self-discovery where she learns to find her own passion, something that she can do to be a valuable member of the group.

I believe in Xialing supremacy!

Finally, I need to talk about the girlboss herself, Shang-Chi’s sister Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). Her storyline focusses on her, as a girl, not being allowed a seat at the table in The Ten Rings and so going out and become a fighter and a powerful figure by herself. This is a story that’s quite familiar nowadays with female action heroes, but it’s a story that resonates, as women are often undervalued in the east just as they are in the west. The way Zhang plays Xialing, she has a not just grit but also heart, like with her brother you can see the affect her past has had on her. She also has a unique fighting style and weapon that makes her stand out in a crowded film. I think the character is going to be one that a lot of Asian women and Marvel fans will really resonate with and want to see more of, I certainly do.

Action

Obviously, you’re going to expect action from any Marvel superhero movie, but perhaps here more than ever, the action is integral to the world the characters are inhabiting. This is because the fighting in Shang-Chi is heavily routed in Chinese martial arts, particularly the styles of Wing Chun, Wushu and Tai Chi. The different styles of fighting actually are integral to telling the story of Shang-Chi as he grapples with his two sides. The Wing Chun represents the aggression of his father and the Tai Chi and Wushu, the grace and the heritage of his mother.

Because of the martial art’s importance to the overall story, there are a lot of fight scenes in this movie, and what I liked is that each seemed to work on its own visual style. The film has been said to have been inspired by many different Chinese martial arts movies, and you can see each fight scene having a frame of reference to that ilk.

Bangles are very in right now

My personal favourite was the fight at the very beginning which took on the Wushu elements from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a reference that anyone who’s seen that film would immediately see. What made this scene stand out was partly its setting, with rich nature and vibrant colours, that are really important to that style of fighting, but mostly the way the majesty of the martial art was used to tell the story of the characters completely visually.

Culture

I realize that I’ve talked about good Asian representation a lot lately with movies like Over the Moon and Raya and the Last Dragon, but this speaks to both the importance of Asian box office to Hollywood, and also the power that putting people in front of and behind the camera from that community in focus can make a movie so much better due to its authenticity. And this movie is no exception.

Just like Black Panther before it, which was unapologetically African, Marvel were obviously keen to allow director Destin Daniel Cretton to soak this movie in Chinese culture and lore. Not only does this make people like me who aren’t part of the culture appreciate and learn about it, but it also adds something fresh and new to the MCU. The are places, characters and even creatures that are totally different from what we’ve had before.

I want to learn more about these fox creatures (& cuddle them)

What I particularly liked was the new location of Ta Lo, a new location within the multiverse and home of Shang-Chi’s mother, which is obviously based heavily on Chinese mythology. Not only was it an interesting new location to set some story in, but it was also visually stunning, with the tropical landscape based on China and East Asia and also its beautiful architecture. I hope that this place becomes just as iconic and as popular as Wakanda did, and that we get to visit it in more movies to come. It would be the perfect place for some Avengers to hide out from a threatening villain.

Anyone who is a fan of the MCU is already going to see this movie, so I don’t need to recommend it to them, simply say that is it magnificent.

However, because this film focusses on new characters, new worlds and a new story, it definitely one I can say you will enjoy if you go in blind, not knowing anything about the previous movies in the franchise. It’s a beautiful story, rooted in a cultured that we all could stand to embrace some more at the moment, with great action and gorgeous visuals.

This is a top-tier action movie that I could not recommend more highly!

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.