Raya and the Last Dragon

 

Directors Don Hall’s and Carlos Lǿpez Estrada’s Raya and the Last Dragon is an exquisite and totally delightful animated film that is sure to become a classic.

In the land of Kumandra, there are 5 separate peoples who lived in harmony with each other and dragons until hideous creatures of dark smoke called Druuns invaded.  

The dragons sacrificed themselves to save the humans, but 500 years later, the Druuns have returned and both greed and mistrust on the part of the tribes causes the destruction of the talisman that have kept them at bay.

It is up to Raya and the last remaining dragon, who had been in hiding, to resurrect the talisman and destroy the Druuns.

 The film poses a unique solution of becoming sure enough of oneself to be willing to trust one’s enemy.  And so, it succeeds on all levels…story, emotion and presentation.

I give Raya and the Last Dragon a 4.9 out of 5.  This is a film the entire family will enjoy.

Wonder Woman 1984

 

 

FilmsToSeeOrNot is back from the pandemic (and though NYC is not, thankfully, NJ is) with Wonder Woman 1984, which, unfortunately, I found to be uneven in its delivery.

 

Don't get me wrong. The action scenes are up to Director Patty Jenkins’ excellence, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is fabulous and Kristen Wiig performs well as her nemesis, but the premise of “what happens if everyone gets what they wish for,” though interesting, bogs down the film's flow in its presentation, making the children in the audience antsy.

I, also, found Pedro Pascal’s performance as the super-villain more manic than menacing.

I give Wonder Woman 1984 a 3.9 out of 5, but hope for even greater thrills from Jenkins and Gadot in the future. 

                                                                                           

An Easy Girl (Une Fille Facile)

Writer/Director Rebecca Zlotowski’s An Easy Girl (Une Fille Facile) is a delightful coming-of-age story that takes place in and off the coast of Cannes, France. 

It’s summer and 16-year-old Naima (Mina Farid) is visited by her 22-year-old bombshell cousin Sofia (Zahia Dehar), who pulls her away from working or auditioning to hang out and party with wealthy yacht owners.  

Director Zlotowski artfully moves Naima from naïve fish-out-of-water to assured young woman, who retains her integrity.  

I give  An Easy Girl a 4.1 out of 5.