So, Raya and the Last Dragon finally got out of Premier Access. Yeah, this one was a bit late, but Disney's decision to put films on Disney+ behind a paywall is legitimately one of those things I can criticize the service for. Like, we're already paying for the service, why must we pay extra to see a movie? I could have bought the movie on DVD but I wasn't gonna shell out forty bucks for this movie. Still, it is embarrassing how late I am to the punch on this one, but at least I have an excuse, I still need to cover The Mitchell's Vs the Machines and I have no excuse for why I'm late on that one.
So, Raya and the Last Dragon is... fine. It is perfectly fine, not a bad movie, I don't think it is anything spectacular, but it was fine. Yet, it is undeniably a Disney movie.
I think I should talk about what I did like about the movie, and there is a bit. There were some moments that I did enjoy, some scenes I thought were really well done, and actually took me into the movie a lot more. I don't think these scenes will really get up there for my favourite movie moments, but like, that is comparing to some of the timeless masterpieces which I don't think is really fair to this movie yet, a wine does have to age before it becomes fine after all. I also did like the design of the dragons, I don't think they're my favourite dragon designs, but they are unique, I don't see a lot of furry dragons... don't take that out of context.
I think the main story elements like the plot, characters and world building are all fine. The performances were good and the animation was not bad. I feel like this is one of those movies where a home release really kills it, some of the scenes, even ones I really liked, probably would have been better on a giant screen with surround sound in a specifically engineered room to optimize the viewing experience. In other words, this is a theater movie, through and through.
I guess it does make sense to make more of these "Theater movies" now since home theaters are becoming a reality and televisions are getting bigger and bigger. The thing is though, while these movies look and sound great in a theater environment, the same cannot be said for home environments, or travel environments, or really any place you might watch a a movie that is not the theater. Once in this movie I thought back to Abominable, which I liked, but had to admit a lot of that was because I did see it in the theater, it was a movie that needed the big screen and completely encompassing audio to mask what was, ultimately a rather simple story. I do feel Raya is, at the very least, in the same category of films, where they mostly live off the experience in the theaters.
Of course, I also can't deny that this is a Disney movie, through and through. Now, I love Disney, I literally have to stop myself from just going through every single Disney movie in a row on this blog. I grew up with Disney movies and TV, and at least a quarter of my favourite movies were made or owned by Disney. I do love Disney... but they have an undeniable formula, they love to hit on familiar beats and you do catch on quick. If there is a trope or cliché that people are familiar with in Disney movies, chances are it appears in this one. This does include the fast talking comic relief, who... I mean, it kind of was cool that she was also the powerful McGuffin of the movie, but I still didn't find her that amusing. Really I didn't find the movie that funny, I only laughed at one moment, but this isn't a comedy, it's an action/adventure movie. The fight scenes were okay, the editing on the first one was terrible, but overall they weren't bad, just not my favourite moments.
Though, all of that being said, I may be looking at this movie with bitter eyes. Yes, I am a critic so I should be able to slide personal stuff aside, but firstly, screw that nonsense, I am a person and my opinions can not only change, but also be swayed by outside influences. I want to embrace that, but secondly, I want to be totally fair to this movie, I want to lay my biases out in the open because I want to be fair to every movie I look at. So, let's talk about Nimona.
Salt in the wound here, as I am still a bit upset about the cancellation of Nimona, and it really was not this movie's fault that it came out during that whole debacle. I also don't want to make it seem like Raya is the only movie that Disney released recently that is covered by that particular shadow, the newest release of Cruella did bring up Nimona once more, for me at least, but it still is really upsetting that Disney released this movie behind a paywall around the same time they cancelled a movie that lots of people were excited for. I kind of went into this movie expecting a typical Disney affair, and I got a typical Disney affair, which is not the movie I needed in Nimona's place.
Yet, all of that having been said, Raya and the Last Dragon is still a fine movie. I don't think it is a bad movie, I think it is fine. If you have kids, they'll probably enjoy it more than I did, if you love everything Disney puts out, you should probably get some help, but you'll enjoy it more than me as well. I think most people will enjoy it more than me, I can admit when I am off the ball. There were some scenes I liked, and I do think the message of unity is very pertinent in this moment of history, though I'd also recommend watching Fraggle Rock for that message. Overall, I may be casting some unnecessary glares at this movie, I may unfairly bring up an issue that is not this movie's fault, and I may not think it is particularly great, but I would be wrong if I did not on some level recommend it. It is fine, it is a passable movie that will do more for other people, I'll admit that.
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