Disney+'s Luca + Raya and the Last Dragon

 

Luca

Gillipedia Official Rating: Low-tier Pixar is still better than average fare

          I was surprised to see Disney not change its distribution strategy as people are finally starting to show that they’ll go to the theaters for the right movie. Luca is the latest entry for Pixar after Soul, and just like its predecessor, the film released exclusively on Disney’s streaming service that continues to rocket up in viewership and has reached about half of Netflix’s subscribers. Whereas Soul’s Christmas 2020 timeframe made sense to not release in theaters, I thought Luca would either pull the premium access route or go the HBO Max route where you can stream it for free briefly within a month of release or go see it in theaters. And then I saw the film and the marketing made more sense. I shall explain.

          I believe pre-pandemic that if Luca had arrived in theaters, it would’ve ended up as one of the worst performing Pixar films. Having it only release on the streaming platform makes it feel like a smaller-scale film, and that fits it perfectly. Because that’s what it is. Luca is a low-key film for Pixar standards. There’s not too many locations, the cast of characters is relatively small, and the conflict remains confined to the city of Portorosso where the story takes place in 1950s-60s era on the Italian Riviera. 

          But that’s not to say the film is bad by any means. Rising star Jacob Tremblay stars as the titular Luca, and the best moments are from his evolving friendship with Alberto Scorfano (Jack Dylan Grazer from It and Shazam!), the orphan sea monster who pretends to know all there is about the world. Luca is the sea monster strictly prohibited from leaving the depths of the ocean by his parents played by Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan, and the first 20 minutes of the film set Luca and Alberto up into the real plot as they eventually do reach land and dream of owning their own Vespa Italian scooter to travel the world on.

          On shore they run into the bully Ercole Visconti—who I thought was a young adult at first but I guess is only a little older than the other kids and runs around with his obeying henchman and penciled in mustache—where their identities are almost revealed when he tries dunking Luca’s head into the fountain (the water triggers the transformation from sea monster to human), but they’re saved by adventure is out there girl Giulia Marcovaldo. She too is an outcast in her own right, and she’s happy to take them in with her sea monster hunting father who looks identical to the dad from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs minus an arm.

          So there’s a couple different conflicts and subplots that intertwine. The main event is preparing for the local triathlon where Giulia will swim a leg, Alberto will eat the famous spaghetti, and Luca will bike the final leg, and Giulia will finally beat Ercole, and the boys will have enough prize money to buy a cheap Vespa. Meanwhile, the action takes breaks while Luca’s parents eventually come to shore and humorously splash the local children with water in hopes of finding their son—the sequence with soccer is particularly good. So you have the race, you have Ercole, you have the protective parents, you have the constant threat of being discovered as a hideous, dangerous sea monster, and you even have one other conflict where Luca and Giulia bond over learning about the world and Alberto starts feeling replaced and expendable. With all the threads, it makes sense to keep things primarily to the one city, but I will say that none of the resolutions end up hitting home as strong as other Pixar films. There’s decent tension as two characters have an argument in one later scene, and Giulia’s dad is a joy, but otherwise, I hate to say it’s a bit paint-by-numbers.

          The climax is the triathlon event, and it really could’ve been punched up more with some dramatic music or more obstacles thrown in the heroes’ way. Even the previously mentioned Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs set up its climax with “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project. Like the big reveal is nice, but it falls short to what Cars and Cars 3 did with their races. There’s also even a twist thrown it at the end too, and it makes perfect sense, but it’s also out of left field and should’ve had more foreshadowing previously with the characters involved for its impact to work better. Instead, you’re left feeling just a bit shocked and confused instead for a brief moment.

          Ultimately, Luca takes from some previous Pixar works for not quite as satisfying results. Like I made brief mention to it earlier, but Giulia is essentially the late wife in Up, and it feels like there’s borrowed elements from the Cars franchise. And you could tell the filmmakers struggled to hit 90 minutes. There’s 3 separate dream sequences. Granted, none are particularly long, and the moon fish one is pretty cool, but all are unnecessary and absolutely just filler. The bully Ercole is one of Pixar’s flattest characters ever, and there are hardly any risks taken. The messaging of the film is inclusive and sweet and has undeniable Pixar charm, but I also didn’t laugh as much as I’d like in a Pixar film. There’s a couple of scenes with Sacha Baron Cohen as Luca’s uncle, and I can admit I was dying laughing in those. The potential for a sequel is out there and could be interesting, but I’m slightly doubtful considering the end credits already take care of it a bit.

          Luca works on the smaller streaming service of Disney+, but I think I would’ve come away disappointed had I paid to see this in theaters. This isn’t even mid-tier Pixar, this is low-tier. But that still makes it better than the average animated film.

 

 

Raya and the Last Dragon

Gillipedia Official Rating: Please tell me you didn’t pay $30 for premium access

          This wasn’t a film that was on my radar much and only caught my attention when it continued Disney’s cash-grabbing policy of hiding the film behind a pay wall for a service you already have to pay a monthly subscription for. Now there’s aspects it should be lauded for like how it employed so many artists having to work from home during the pandemic and how the film still came together. Now that the premium access has been removed, I decided to go ahead and check it out.

          Raya and the Last Dragon compellingly uses southeastern Asia culture and utilizes messages of trust and warns against borders I guess. In the opening narration, part of Raya’s explanation as to how the world fell apart is “people being people.” It’s kinda cynical and isn’t the best start. It also doesn’t help that the opening of the film is Raya rolling around on the amazing Tuk Tuk voiced by Alan Tudyk in a desolate land—immediately followed by Raya narrating how she’s riding around in a desolate land. And then she explains what happened 500 years ago when there used to be dragons, and then she explains that to understand present-day, we have to go back to when she was a kid to fully know what’s happened. It’s not like she’s in grave peril and her past will explain how she will get out of her current predicament. Basically, there’s no reason to start the film in present times to have to flashback. Just start in the past and then you can flash forward to the present—there’s no value added to the way the finished film is. In fact, it’s now all too easy to predict what happens while Raya is a child because we already know how the world ends up.

          There’s 5 kingdoms, and after the dragons used the last of their abilities to form a dragon stone and repel an evil form known as the Druun, Raya and her father lead one of the tribes that now protects the stones. The other clans believe that the stone is the secret to prosperity, and eventually, everything falls into turmoil and the stone splits with each clan ending up with a piece. There isn’t a great explanation as to how Raya knew what to do, but she awakens the legendary dragon Sisu, but Sisu wasn’t the mythical, all-powerful dragon she was made out to be, and she requires the other pieces of the dragon stones to gain the powers her dragon siblings held so that the Druun can be defeated.

          Kelly Marie Tran, the annoying Rose from the recent Star Wars films, voices the titular Raya. And Awkwafina voices the titular last dragon. It takes a little getting used to Awkwafina’s unique voice as a dragon, but she’s playful and naturally funny, and she’s easily the standout performance here. As a quick aside, if you have Amazon Prime, her film The Farewell is a must-watch. The cast here is rounded out by other big names like Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, and Sandra Oh.

          The film is outlined surprisingly similar to a videogame. Raya and Sisu must travel to a place and gather a magic stone, they meet a new character that joins their misfit group, and they repeat this 3 more times. The Druun shares the Signs aliens’ weakness of water, so Raya employs a kid named Boun to act as ship captain as well as chef always looking to drum up customers. Then there’s a con baby and her monkey friends, and finally Wong’s Tong—one of the clan leaders whose entire tribe turned to stone by the Druun. The story works best when Raya, betrayed by a friend as a kid, keeps wanting to work alone, and all of the companions fight for their places on her crew and remind her that she’s not the only one who has lost loved ones to the Druun.

          The one that betrayed Raya is Namaari, and they have a couple fights throughout the film. I thought they could’ve pushed things even more or extended the fights, but these fights are some of the best in an animated film. A huge part of that is the culturally appropriate fighting styles and the use of real stuntpeople to help with the choreography.

          Namaari starts to see the value in what Raya and Sisu are trying to do, but her mother continues to remind her that they are only doing what’s best for their clan. And this is a bit of a spoiler here, but once things get resolved, all the tribes come together. Like welcoming Namaari is one thing, but they totally gloss over the fact that her mom really never repented and they just welcome her back with open arms after she literally was part of the reason the world was crumbling apart.

          There’s a shocking moment pretty close to the climax. And it’s the type of thing that feels like one of those alternate dream sequences, and for a solid 2 minutes, I really thought that’s what it would be because of the extremity of the characters’ actions and the resulting effect. But nope, the characters just have to deal with the consequences. And they get over themselves pretty easily and it’s the way tension is built up for the climax as well as setting up the big fight. Points to not expecting them to go through with it, but it did feel like a dream sequence for a bit because things start happening really quickly afterward and there’s no pause in the action to reflect on what just happened. So it’s also a little jarring.

          Tuk Tuk, Awkwafina, and the fight choreography are the highlights here. But the story is pretty predictable throughout, the messaging isn’t anything special, and like with Luca, it’s not as funny as other entries from the studio. Also like with Luca, it’s an entertaining watch on the service (after how many months it was initially released) but I would’ve been livid to pay the premium access for this. With that said, the premium access for this film is way more worth it than freaking Mulan. As long as you didn’t pay for Mulan, you’re good. I think the takeaway here is that despite my critiques, you’ll enjoy yourself if you watch Raya and the Last Dragon.

 

In Brief:

• I have another doubleheader review in the works, so stay tuned. I know you guys can’t hardly wait. Which is why I’m offering a $49 premium access to the review before anyone else. It’s good for 48 hours, and you can even setup the projector in the backyard next to the firepit and the barbeque as the whole family gathers to read the review. An extra 5 bucks even gets you a t-shirt.
• If you’re a fan of Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi’s style, he has an extremely quirky New Zealand film called Hunt for the Wilderpeople starring Sam Neill from Jurassic Park and the fat kid from Deadpool 2. It’s very Waititi, and it holds plenty of charm and heart.
• I finally got around to Best Picture winner The King’s Speech. It’s a really enjoyable film through and through, and it’s a cool true story. But what blows my mind and cracks me up is how this was from a newcomer director in Tom Hooper. He found success after this with Les Miserables, but we all know about what happened when Cats released. That’s right. The King’s Speech and Cats is the same director. Let that one sink in.

A Quiet Place Part 2

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: The sequel: bigger, badder, quieter than ever

          This will be a bit of a common theme this year, but I was more than excited for this sequel when it was supposed to come out last year. And while some films that came out in the beginning of March 2020 suffered by a shortened life in theaters, A Quiet Place Part 2 was delayed roughly one week before its scheduled release. The original was a massive hit; Stephen King went so far as to call it a masterpiece, and I can’t find myself disagreeing. It was a close to perfect horror film. And while it lent room for a sequel, I still had some hesitation because I didn’t want the original to be tarnished if the sequel bombed. But with John Krasinski returning to write and direct and Emily Blunt leading, I was very optimistic. People are finally starting to head back to the theaters. Is this one worth getting up off the couch to go see?

          One-hundred percent. Go watch this movie. I was concerned over the fate of this film when I ended up getting my own private screening, but this film is actually performing well. And I’d like to see it stay that way. There’s a certain amount of novelty that simply can’t be replicated from the original, but the sequel does just about everything right to succeed on its own.

          This film takes place essentially right after the original ended, so make sure you have seen the first one. But the film actually starts off with a flashback to the first day when the creatures first appeared. This scene strongly evokes Children of Men, and that is both a tremendous compliment and a truly justified comparison. It allows us to still be treated to some Krasinski, and it also sets up the biggest new addition in Cillian Murphy. Again, if you haven’t watched the original, stop reading this review and go watch it. Like now… I’ll wait.

          …

          That’s enough waiting. So Krasinski? Yeah, he died at the end of the first film, as all of us continuing to read this are well aware of. Anyways, in his absence, Cillian Murphy takes over as a protective figure. It’s a smart addition, and there’s also nuance to his character to still make him quite different from what Krasinski was. Also, if you’re not familiar with Cillian and his ocean blue eyes, please go watch any of his roles from Christopher Nolan films, 28 Days Later, and Sunshine.

          Where the first film remained confined to the valley, the remaining members of the family take the new baby and seek a new haven while spreading the word about the creatures’ weakness to the high-pitched sound from the hearing aid. After meeting up with Murphy, the group splits off each with separate goals in mind. The daughter believes she can reach a radio station that has been playing a single song over and over, Emily Blunt has to find supplies like oxygen tanks to safely support the baby, and the son watches over the baby. Let’s recap on this sequel. We end up learning more about the creatures, there’s bigger scope in the direction of the narrative, and we are introduced to new and interesting characters. That hits all the notes of what a sequel needs to do to stand on its own merit instead of remaining in the shadow of the original.

          The other big star added is Djimon Hounsou, and I’ve mentioned him enough in past reviews for his name and face to finally be familiar. But just in case, I’ll say it one last time: Hounsou is an underrated actor and always deserves recognition. Cillian gets plenty of screen-time here, but Hounsou receives a shockingly small amount. I wouldn’t be too surprised if there was an extra scene or two filmed with him that ended up being cut. But I digress. Krasinski does a tremendous job staging the scenes and creating tension with his direction. The kids continue to shine, and Blunt and Cillian provide a level of talent that is taken for granted in a genre that isn’t always known for its acting. Although I occasionally faintly heard the action film happening in the theater next to me, this film continues in its clever use of sound design as well as in its score as well. I just used this praise in my last review for Tayler Sheridan, but it applies here as well; this film has smart characters that make smart decisions. Films with dumb characters are frustrating, but films with smart characters are cool to look at and make the audience feel rewarded for watching their actions.

          Believe it or not, but there is a climax. On one hand it doesn’t have a huge scale with lots of explosions that you might expect from a sequel with a larger budget, but it does come together in a special way that makes this a fun continuation of the original. I will also say that when it does end, it almost feels like you were expecting 20 more minutes. You do become invested in the situations and the film does breeze by, but perhaps it could’ve stopped to smell a couple more roses or tacked on more to the climax. That would be my biggest complaint. I am truly pleased to see the box office results coming out for it so far, but that only makes me double down in my message to you to go watch it. If you haven’t figured it out from this review or even just by the title, this franchise simply can’t end after this film. Now that they’ve continued the story and done so very well, now Part 3 has become a necessity. But no matter how many hashtags may be out there, the easiest way to ensure a trilogy is by making this film a box office success. Don’t go spitting into people’s extra jumbo cherry coke, but you can go view this film safely, and the large screen, sound system, and comfy chairs are easily worth the price of admission.

 

In Brief:

• I watched Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. I think the concept of a zombie heist movie set in Vegas ended up being a bit cooler than the final result. Snyder obviously takes genuine joy in setting up cool shots, and there’s some fun campiness, but some stuff like song choices feel too on-the-nose. It’s fun and worth the watch, but I wouldn’t call this a homerun.
• If you watch The King of Staten Island, don’t go in expecting a light-hearted comedy from Judd Apatow and Pete Davidson. The film is semi-autobiographical and does a come with some moments that made me laugh pretty hard. It drags in the middle, but then the last hour is surprisingly poignant and touching. I’m not much of a Davidson fan, and he also isn’t always likable in the film—but that’s the point. All the characters are flawed, and it has a great cast including Marisa Tomei and a grounded Bill Burr.
• There’s a film with Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage called I Care a Lot. It takes an interesting left turn, but it doesn’t know what to do afterward and the whole final third is a mess.