Martinus Tejakusuma

SPOILER FREE ## 💡| My Opinions **Story:** While its simplistic linear storyline is enjoyable to watch, it is suspiciously similar to that of the hit kids' cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender (hell, even the title is too). The film did well in representing the Southeast Asian culture, though it did lack depth in world building, choosing instead to focus more on story progression. **Screenplay:** Memorable or meaningful dialogue was few and far between—intermitted with classic, cheesy Disney lines that would only hit off with the younger audience. Furthermore, the script was riddled with so many modern phrases and terms, it took the immersion out from the relatively primitive world that was Kumandra. All in all, this I found to be a bit disappointing, since films like Moana, Frozen, or other recent Disney films have had better dialogue overall. This shows that some refining parts of the production may have been rushed or skipped. On the other hand, the dynamic between characters were charming and amusing, though still in line with Disney's classic cheesiness. **Acting:** Facial articulation was downright revolutionary. Unlike older, 3D-animated Disney films, subtle expressions in this film had more depth, for example, concern coupled with slight movement in the lips displayed an ironically lighthearted attitude. This was especially evident in the facial expressions seen on Raya's father. **Cinematography:** All technical aspects were superb. Lighting was super realistic, and artifical cameras were comparable to that of Toy Story 4—meaning it was hyper realistic. Water animation was incredibly fluid (no pun intended), as with fur and hair, with their slight imperfections in texture. **Character Arc:** While character arcs were there, they were too obvious to be optimal. In addition, characters who were 'bad' in the beginning weren't given enough screen time for their character change to feel realistic, forcing the 'there are no real bad guys' doctrine into the story. ## 📝| Conclusion Raya and the Last Dragon is a film nicely fit for the general audience, revolutionary in its technicalities and well-representative of Southeast Asian cultures, sparking joy for people who relate to them. However, its lack of depth in its messages and world-building may be disappointing for film enthusiasts who seek new innovations in story writing, since it used so many tropes already present a decade ago.