Rating: PG
Runtime: 90 minutes
Director: Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada Writers: Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim Voice Cast: Kelly Marie Tran (Raya), Awkwafina (Sisu), Gemma Chan (Namaari), Daniel Dae Kim (Chief Benja), Sandra Oh (Virana), Benedict Wong (Tong), and Alan Tudyk (Tuk Tuk).
When it’s a Disney movie (or almost anything else that comes from the House of Mouse), the expectation is that it must be a perfect, beautiful, flawless gem. Just like the magical Dragon Gem in the show, you can see its seams that divide the different components — but that doesn’t detract from the luster of the gem, nor does it detract from the sincerity of the film. It’s a genuine and wholehearted attempt to tell a whole new story in a different way, and that earnestness is a tangible one.
Raya and the Last Dragon is a 3D-animated film sees a young warrior attempting to heal a broken land that has fractured into different tribes, each holding a valuable fragment of a powerful artifact. Along the way, she learns to deal with her own distrust of strangers and finds new friends and family. However, the greatest battle might not just be to convince herself, but rather, others of her cause.
The biggest question that everyone wants to know is — does it do justice to Southeast Asian cultures? After all, the movie is explicitly inspired by said cultures, so the uncomfortable question has to be asked. Personally, I think it’s okay. I liked that it focuses on the visuals of the cultures that inspired it, although sometimes it’s really for aesthetic reasons and there’s no real rhyme or reason behind it. And as an animated film, with fewer restrictions on visuals, it’s good that the producers could combine what they loved about the different countries into a relatively unified whole. However, the story ultimately feels Western in nature, since the characters don’t act all that Asian in terms of mentality and relationships. So I’d say it’s a good and fair attempt, although it doesn’t quite hit the mark there.
While the film does feel like a unified whole, it’s not that seamless. The way the film is put together feels like individual components that were developed separately, then blended together for the final product. That’s not to say that the elements are disparate. Rather, there’s a lack of a singular vision that holds everything together. Instead, the film feels more like multiple, not-entirely-aligned parts that work in unison to create what we saw on screen.
But perhaps that’s an incredibly apt metaphor which supports the whole theme of the movie, which is about trusting each other and working together as one. In this era where humanity is more divided than ever, it’s a surprising relevant message. Visually, the whole Power Ranger-y feel of combining magical artifacts and getting five different individuals to work together also works to support this theme.
Plot-wise, the main villains behind the show, the Druun, are super convenient. Their backstory hints at a certain origin, yet the actual narrative in the movie tells something else. There are also too many plot holes about the Druun, their existence, powers, and the like, and it felt like the more was explained, the less made sense about them.
When it comes to characters, Sisu (Awkwafina) is also a little too convenient. She’s a dragon and I expected to like her. But she doesn’t feel like she deserves to be a dragon, and her character seems too convenient and inconsistent (especially in terms of power levels) to be anything more than a plot device. In hindsight, I don’t even really see any sort of character arc for her in the film. Sure, maybe she’s meant to be the mentor rather than one of the protagonists. But I guess the motivation behind putting her in was pure. She’s kind of awkward, but sincere, I guess.
But you know what’s not a disappointment? Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) and Namaari (Gemma Chan). Their relationship is so woke, especially in a film with themes as spot on as this, that I can’t help but sit up and take notice. There are so many undercurrents to their relationship that I can’t help but see the similarities to She-Ra and Catra, and to a much smaller extent, Korra and Asami. It’s because of this relationship that I felt the pain behind their conflict, the tragedy of the rivalry, and the yearning behind their attempts to keep each other at arm’s length. I certainly expected to see more physical displays of affection when the film ended. But really, the sincerity and purity behind this relationship was more than enough for me to truly understand that the film wanted viewers to know about them.
Raya and The Last Dragon is a little rough around the edges, and you can kind of see the nuts and bolts where it was put together. But like Sisu, you know she’s an auntie who means well but doesn’t necessarily go about it in the smoothest way. For its messages and relevance, its definitely worth a watch — even if it wasn’t based on Southeast Asian culture.
This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com
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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
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