Movie Night - Dragon Movies

Since I finally wanted to check out “Raya and the Last Dragon” I decided to make it a dragon themed movie night.
 
I watched all three movies on my own.
 

The first film I watched was the “Raya and the last Dragon”. And I loved it. Disney didn’t disappoint. It has been streaming on Disney+ for a while, but we had to wait to watch it for free. And it was worth the wait. Tuk Tuk was such a cute character and Raya is yet another strong female Disney character that isn’t a damsel in distress. Check out my review HERE
 

Number two was a rewatch. A movie from my childhood: “The NeverEnding Story”. A movie that both traumatized me and gave me good memories as a child. I used to refer to it as ‘that movie with the flying dog’, which we all know is a luck dragon. The film isn’t timeless, it hasn’t aged well. But for nostalgia sake it’s still one of my favorites. Check out my review HERE
 

The last movie was one brought by Netflix. “Wish Dragon”, doesn’t stand out as original, because it has many similarities with “Aladdin”. But it didn’t bother me, since I never really liked Aladdin anyways. “Wish Dragon” I did enjoy, I really loved the friendship between Din and Li Na and also Din and the dragon Long. Check out my review HERE
 
I liked all three films and I really liked doing a more specific theme for a movie night this time.

Movie Review - Wish Dragon

Director: Chris Appelhans
Genre: Animation/ Fantasy/ Adventure/ Family
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: John Cho, Constance Wu, Bobby Lee, Jimmy Wong, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Aaron Yoo, Ronny Chieng

Description: Determined teen Din (Jimmy Wong) is longing to reconnect with his childhood best friend (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) when he meets a wish-granting dragon (John Cho) who shows him the magic of possibilities.

Review: It’s almost a deadly sin to compare this film to a Disney classic. It’s unfair too, because most other studios lose out to Disney. But I’m doing it anyway: “Wish Dragon” feels an awful lot like “Aladdin”.
Like “Aladdin”, the main character in “Wish Dragon” is a simple guy, who grew up in a small home with not much money. He wants to impress a girl who lives a better life in terms of wealth. Din, our hero, gets the help of the Long, a wacky pink and purple dragon who can grant wishes. Three to be exact.
Din is hopelessly naïve. He doesn’t want to show off Rolexes, sports cars or an expensive tailored suit, he just wants to give a present to his childhood friend Li Na. Friend, not sweetheart. This is where “Wish Dragon” differs from the other story. There is no romance involved. I loved that about this film. And it works well.
Given the many similarities with “Aladdin”, “Wish Dragon” is not likely to win the originality award. But it doesn’t matter, because it is still a catch adventure with beautiful animations. I’m not a fan of “Aladdin” anyway (one of the many unpopular opinions I have :D )

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 59

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Troy (2004)
An adaptation of Homer’s great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.
 

Drama: Blow (2001)
The story of how George Jung (Johnny Depp), along with the Meddellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American Cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
 

Comedy: Happiest Season (2020)
A holiday romantic comedy that captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family’s acceptance, being true to yourself, and trying not to ruin Christmas.
 

Animation: Wish Dragon (2021)
Determined teen Din is longing to reconnect with his childhood best friend when he meets a wish-granting dragon who shows him the magic of possibilities.
 

Romance: Love, Rosie (2014)
Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) have been best friends since they were 5, so they couldn’t possibly be right for one another… or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.
 

Horror: The Ninth Gate (1999)
A rare book dealer (Johnny Depp), while seeking out the last two copies of a demon text, gets drawn into a conspiracy with supernatural overtones.
 

Science Fiction: Space Sweepers (2021)
Set in the year 2092 and follows the crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy that’s known to be a weapon of mass destruction, they get involved in a risky business deal.
 

Crime: Mystic River (2003)
The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them has a family tragedy.
 

Thriller: Shutter Island (2010)
In 1954, a U.S. Marshal  (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a murderer who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.
 

Documentary: Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (2021)
David Attenborough and scientist Johan Rockström examine Earth’s biodiversity collapse and how this crisis can still be averted.
 

Family: Finding Ohana (2021)
A summer in rural O’ahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to a long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.