Posted in: Disney, Movies | Tagged: Brandy, The Descendants: The Rise Of Red

The Descendants: The Rise Of Red Tries Too Hard & Fails {Review}

The Descendants: The Rise Of Red is a complete mess and it is a shame, as the original trilogy is one of Disney's best in recent memory.

Published Sat, 13 Jul 2024 15:32:08 -0500

by Jeremy Konrad

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Article Summary

"The Descendants: The Rise of Red" falls short of its predecessors.
Incoherent storyline and weak dance sequences disappoint fans.
Kylie Cantrall shines; other stars underutilized in the film.
Time travel plot twist leaves much to be desired in the finale.

The Descendants: The Rise of Red has an impossible task when it begins: living up to a modern and beloved Disney series. They certainly seem game, as the cast tries really hard, but the material betrays them. This is half a movie, with a non-sensical plot full of contradictions and half-realized ideas. It is all about getting to that next choreographed dance scene, and none of them come close to reaching the heights of the original trilogy. It is a shame, but at this point, Disney needs to put the gate back up and keep The Descendants universe behind it.

Descendants: The Rise Of Red Tries Too Hard & Fails {Review} — Credit Disney

The Descendants 4 Is A Mess

Part of the problem with this is that it feels like a bunch of SNL skits in between dance numbers. The other three films didn't feel that way, but the script is so scatterbrained and all over the place that it gives you whiplash. Stars Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker are a good pairing, but Baker especially looks lost in some scenes, as if it was the first time she was told what to do in the scenes they are filming. Cantrall as Red is the film's best part; the only one in the cast who brings the same energy and commands the screen as the original trilogy stars. Brandy is fun to see as Cinderella again, but she is barely in it, same with Rita Ora as the Queen of Hearts and China Anne McClain as the returning Uma. Even the songs and dance sequences fail to meet the standards set by the first three films.

There is no energy, no stakes, no coherent story, and it feels like maybe half a movie. I am unsure why they did this, but it is a complete mess. The time travel story was a big mistake, as it took us away from the story that we care about, and the payoff to the time travel is unsatisfying, to say the least. As it plays out on screen, all you can say is, "That's it?" and then the movie ends. It's such a shame. The Descendants is one of the best things Disney has put out in the last decade, and seeing the franchise reduced to this is a shame. If they do more, as teased at the end, of course, hopefully, they will take the time to put more effort into it than this.

The Descendants: The Rise Of Red