Okay guys this is going to be a crap review because Blogger told me they saved it, and I clicked publish like three times, but the dumb site didn't save my first review so now I have this short one! YAY. (No, not yay, I literally just finished muffling my screams of anger.)
So, as much as it pains me to admit it, I am now Descendants trash. I would like to clarify that when I first heard of the movie I thought it was going to be like a terrible fanfiction. Now that I've seen the movie, it's like the really cliché AU that you read, but happens to be amazing.
NON SPOILERS
It's a modern Disney prep school AU, in which all of the villains have been banished out of the kingdom and onto a island called the Isle of the Lost. Prince Ben, son of Beauty and the Beast is about to be crowned king, and as his first proclamation he decides to give the children of said villains a chance to live among the heroes at Auradon Prep. He chooses the children of Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, Jafar, and the Evil Queen to test run the proclamation. Once the villains get wind of this, they create a plan to use the situation to free themselves. It's all up to Mal, Carlos, Jay, and Evie to "save the free world", but do they really want to be evil?
Descendants is a heartwarming tale about choosing your own path and finding worth in who you really are. It's filled with friendship, catchy songs, and the cutest Disney ship so far.
Objective rating: 7/10
Biased rating: 8.5/10
Pros:
1. Life lessons like learning to stand up for yourself, not judging others by their background, teamwork, love and friendship, and choosing your own destiny.
2. Ben and Mal are the cutest thing on earth.
3. The songs are awesome and the dancing is super cool.
4. Cool clothes.
5. The villain kids are super awesome and really good characters. Their friendship is amazing, and their individual arcs are so great.
6. JUST THE EMOTIONAL PLOT IS A+ OKAY?!
7. Super magical Disney feel.
8. Prince Ben's character is A+
9. Positive messages for young girls include: being smart is awesome, you are beautiful inside and out, a boy should not force you to change yourself but instead make you want to be a better version of yourself- not someone you aren't, he doesn't have to be prince charming, and you can be strong and feminine.
10. Shows that even the "good guys" can be mean.
Cons:
1. Villains are super cheesy. They don't feel threatening at all.
2. The CGI is terrible, but I mean, it's a TV movie so it's not like that's in the budget.
3. The setting timeline wise is confusing since the fairy tales literally take place hundreds of years apart in Disney canon, but somehow everyone is alive in the modern 21st century.
4. Cliché
So yeah! There you go. You can watch Descendants at watchdisney.go.com. Sorry the review wasn't that long, but I am seeing Paper Towns today and will do a long review of that.
What did you think of Descendants? Tell us in the comments, and to see more follow us via Tumblr, Blogger, or email.
-Lizzie
P.S. Since I'm a bit late, the August TBR is up on Tumblr
P.P.S. I have a new sideblog for Disney things: i-think-i-want-to-be-good.tumblr.com
Friday, August 7, 2015
Saturday, August 1, 2015
July Wrap Up: Lizzie
Hi everyone! So as this was my first written out tbr, I can thoroughly tell you that I kind of failed. However, I did end up reading a couple of books so I'll give you a quick summary of my reading this month.
1. Move Forward by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul
9/10
So this was my first experience with D.C. comics. I'm still really confused with the whole reboot thing and how it works, but I figure I'll get used to it. I really enjoyed the arc about the expansion of the Flash's powers, and the "Speed Force" (it could use a better name though tbh). Barry's powers are nearly limitless when you think about it, so that was super cool how he could actually predict what was going to happen by speeding up his brain? I was really ticked off with where the comic ended though so sigh. GRODD.
2. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
10/10
I WANT THE NEXT BOOK NOW. GIMME. Hollow City was just as great as Miss Peregrine's, and that didn't really surprise me. Just by reading Ransom's first novel you can tell that he's the kind of author that wraps up things nicely, and the story escalates from book to book. I have no idea how the next book is going down, and I'm so excited about this new revelation of second souls of peculiars. Anything could happen, and if I understand Ransom said that Library of Souls may not be the last book in the peculiar world!!!
3. Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
8.5/10
I actually really like the Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth (2011) so when I saw the book in the YA section I was like, why not? And honestly it doesn't really surprise me that the movie was based off of a book because Disney Channel isn't known for decent movies. The book was really heartwarming, cooky, and fun. I really enjoyed the different themes that went with the characters. I loved how Mo was Indian, how Olivia was often described as overweight (like, wow, awesome female character that isn't a size 2? WHAT?!) and her story with her father in jail was present, how Stella worries constantly about being enough for her family, and Charlie worrying about this cosmic accident with his twin brother. Wen's part was a little weird, but whatever. I just really appreciated the realistic portrayal of issues teenagers go through. Don't be turned off just because it's associated with Disney Channel. Lemonade Mouth was a blast.
4. The Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
6.5/10
I was really excited picking up this book because of the cover and the synopsis, but getting into it I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. It's got a good message, and it's actually based off of a real life event in the authors life, which I think is cool, but it felt really dramatic and middle school esc. Anika seemed much younger than she was, like this entire thing was about 7th graders, and the whole thing about her father being Romanian was really weirdly handled; it just kind of tipped off the feel of the story. I mean all she did was call him Count Chocula.
To me the book was a good enough read, but the feel was completely different than what I was expecting. However, I really liked the story with Logan, and I found the ending satisfying and bittersweet. I understand this book is based off of a real life experience and that makes the book much more touching. Logan is based off of a young man the author knew I guess, and I think it's beautiful that she uses his story to teach and honors his memory.
All and all this book wasn't really my cup of tea, Anika and I kind of clash, but I can see why it has become popular.
5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephenie Perkins
9.5/10
I'm planning on writing a review for this which should be published next week (?).
Anyway, I LOVED IT! This book was so cute and emotional and St. Clair is my new fictional crush. Anna was so sweet, and the book was either making me glow with cuteness or making my heart ache. So good. The European setting made it even more magical. Lola is the next one right? Gimme.
So yeah! Wrap up done. August tbr will be coming in a day or too so check that out, and remember to follow via tumblr, blogger, and email.
1. Move Forward by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul
9/10
 |
| goodreads.com |
So this was my first experience with D.C. comics. I'm still really confused with the whole reboot thing and how it works, but I figure I'll get used to it. I really enjoyed the arc about the expansion of the Flash's powers, and the "Speed Force" (it could use a better name though tbh). Barry's powers are nearly limitless when you think about it, so that was super cool how he could actually predict what was going to happen by speeding up his brain? I was really ticked off with where the comic ended though so sigh. GRODD.
2. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
10/10
 |
| amazon.com |
I WANT THE NEXT BOOK NOW. GIMME. Hollow City was just as great as Miss Peregrine's, and that didn't really surprise me. Just by reading Ransom's first novel you can tell that he's the kind of author that wraps up things nicely, and the story escalates from book to book. I have no idea how the next book is going down, and I'm so excited about this new revelation of second souls of peculiars. Anything could happen, and if I understand Ransom said that Library of Souls may not be the last book in the peculiar world!!!
3. Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
8.5/10
 |
| en.wikipedia.org |
I actually really like the Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth (2011) so when I saw the book in the YA section I was like, why not? And honestly it doesn't really surprise me that the movie was based off of a book because Disney Channel isn't known for decent movies. The book was really heartwarming, cooky, and fun. I really enjoyed the different themes that went with the characters. I loved how Mo was Indian, how Olivia was often described as overweight (like, wow, awesome female character that isn't a size 2? WHAT?!) and her story with her father in jail was present, how Stella worries constantly about being enough for her family, and Charlie worrying about this cosmic accident with his twin brother. Wen's part was a little weird, but whatever. I just really appreciated the realistic portrayal of issues teenagers go through. Don't be turned off just because it's associated with Disney Channel. Lemonade Mouth was a blast.
4. The Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
6.5/10
 |
| goodreads.com |
I was really excited picking up this book because of the cover and the synopsis, but getting into it I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. It's got a good message, and it's actually based off of a real life event in the authors life, which I think is cool, but it felt really dramatic and middle school esc. Anika seemed much younger than she was, like this entire thing was about 7th graders, and the whole thing about her father being Romanian was really weirdly handled; it just kind of tipped off the feel of the story. I mean all she did was call him Count Chocula.
To me the book was a good enough read, but the feel was completely different than what I was expecting. However, I really liked the story with Logan, and I found the ending satisfying and bittersweet. I understand this book is based off of a real life experience and that makes the book much more touching. Logan is based off of a young man the author knew I guess, and I think it's beautiful that she uses his story to teach and honors his memory.
All and all this book wasn't really my cup of tea, Anika and I kind of clash, but I can see why it has become popular.
5. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephenie Perkins
9.5/10
 |
| Amazon.com |
Anyway, I LOVED IT! This book was so cute and emotional and St. Clair is my new fictional crush. Anna was so sweet, and the book was either making me glow with cuteness or making my heart ache. So good. The European setting made it even more magical. Lola is the next one right? Gimme.
So yeah! Wrap up done. August tbr will be coming in a day or too so check that out, and remember to follow via tumblr, blogger, and email.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)