Even so, no one bats an eye at the weird hair color. There’s even one part where Sisu shapeshifts into a human, but her hair is blue and purple like her dragon fur is. Even though it seemed like they were old-fashioned in a lot of ways (still using swords and having modern-day technology) they use language like “dragon-nerd” and concepts like “credit.” It would completely take me out of the story and make me wonder what time period this was actually supposed to be taking place in. The story took place in a mythical place called Kumandra, yet there are several moments that seemed very modern-day America. The other main issue I had was the contradiction in worldbuilding. I don’t mind a clueless character, but the comedic writing/timing was really not there.
She spends basically the entire rest of the movie making bad jokes that don’t ever land quite right and ruining any tension that might’ve been building in the story. Sisu’s personality, however, is quite obnoxious. But when Raya actually meets the dragon (Sisu), it turns out that she was actually one of the lesser dragons, and she’s kind of clueless to the ways of the world. The characters spent a lot of time building up the dragon to be this fantastic, mythical creature. The first part of the film explains how the world was destroyed by creatures called Druun, and the only hope is to find the last dragon. Like the title of this piece says, the dragon was probably the worst part of the whole movie. But still, I have quite a bit to say about what I didn’t like. So don’t get me wrong, this isn’t Boss Baby bad. There were some moments that were genuinely funny and I think it had a few plot points that were unique and put a cool spin on the fantasy genre. The graphics (per Disney-usual) were incredibly mesmerizing and I thought the score was very interesting to listen to. Now, before I go on with my remarks, let me say this: even though I didn’t think it was a good movie, I still enjoyed it. I thought it looked awesome, the story was unique, and who doesn’t love a story about dragons? About halfway through, I turned to look at my brother in the theater and gave him a look of, “This is not a good movie.” He gave me a look that said, “Yup. To do this, however, she must rebuild the fragile trusts between regions in order to give Kumandra's people a true fighting chance.Y’all, I had such high hopes for this film. After an attempt to reunite the regions again goes wrong, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) must seek out the water dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) in hopes of saving the world from a revived Druun. The story of Raya takes place in a world known as Kumandra, which comprises the five dragon-themed regions Heart, Fang, Spine, Talon and Tail, and was formally guarded by living dragons until they sacrificed themselves 500 years ago to stop the Druun forces from overrunning humanity. Since then, the five regions have grown more estranged. This extends to its fight scenes, which, according to new footage for Raya and the Last Dragon, showcase characters battling each other with techniques native to that region, like muay Thai and Krabi-Krabong. In addition to boasting a more action-oriented direction in its trailers and Super Bowl promo compared to previous Disney animated movies, Raya and the Last Dragon also notably contains a predominantly Southeast Asian cast and world inspired by Southeast Asian culture.
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