Y K

*SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW* Quite frankly, there's not many other words to describe this movie other than UNNECESSARY. First of all, the songs. I've always enjoyed the music from the Descendants franchise, so I was curious to see how this movie would measure up. Unfortunately, it was a letdown. While there were a few good moments, most of the songs sounded overly autotuned, and the lyrics felt forced rather than catchy. Additionally, the sheer number of songs was overwhelming, making it feel like the movie was 60% songs and only 40% dialogue. Secondly, the CHARACTERS. The story centers around Red, an angsty teenager who doesn't want to be like her mom. Unfortunately, that's about all there is to her character. There's little depth to ANY of the characters in this movie. Chloe, in particular, was very unlikeable. She lacked any relatable or likable traits and seemed to be there solely to act as the spoiled goody two-shoes. Even her moment of "redemption," where she and young Cinderella's song tried to explain that things aren't black and white and that the main thing is to follow your heart, didn't feel convincing or meaningful. Like, that’s not a great lesson; just because your heart says something is right doesn’t mean you should do it. The villain Uliana thought revenge was right, and look where that got her. It's also baffling why Cinderella, who had a tough upbringing, would let her daughter Chloe become so spoiled. The VKs were terribly handled. Maleficent, a major villain from Descendants 1, was reduced to a silent figure trying to smile evilly. Hades did nothing, and Uliana felt like the lamest villain ever. Additionally, the portrayal of the Queen of Hearts was disappointing. While I understand they wanted to show a stark contrast between her younger and older selves, her younger self came off as cliché, tacky, and boring. The personalities of the characters need much more development. Third of all, the plot was riddled with issues and plot holes. Firstly, why did Uma let the Queen of Hearts in, considering her notorious tyrannical history? It made no sense. Secondly, was it necessary to show Carlos's death? While they wanted to honor Cameron Boyce, Carlos and Cameron are separate entities. They could've explained Carlos's permanent absence differently. Uma crying for Carlos also felt out of character. The ball was hyped up but never shown, which was disappointing. We didn’t see what the prank could have been or any chemistry between Cinderella and Charming. Cinderella was built up as a villain, but her role wasn't shown at all in the end, which was frustrating. The prank that drastically changed Bridget was underwhelming. Bridget, portrayed as strong and kind, wouldn't have been so devastated by a prank. The spell book was confusing too. If the VKs got frozen trying to open it, why didn’t that happen in the original timeline? Overall, the movie didn’t make sense, and if budget was an issue, they should have reconsidered making it at all.