Descendentes

Hallmark movies: bad. Reimaginings of classic Disney properties: bad. Yet mixing those two wrongs together somehow makes a right. Descendants is better, smarter, more original, more entertaining, and thematically deeper than nearly every live-action Disney remake (still stan hard for Branagh's Cinderella).

I wanna make it very clear that this is a Disney Channel original movie. It is not exactly held to the same level as other movies. I watched this film keeping in mind that it is made for TV and targeted towards children. I will say that I liked the casting, I thought the actors fit their individual roles. Also, the musical numbers and singing is very good mostly. There are a couple of the teenage actors that haven't quite gotten where they need to be as far as singing goes, but Kristen Chenoweth was of course incredible. How could you star in one of the biggest Broadway hits ever and not be superb at singing. So I really enjoyed her and most of the singing. I also liked the character Mal, and I liked Ben too, and their connection. They had great chemistry. The plot is very very predictable, you can for sure predict what is gonna happen next. Of course that is a thing with Disney Channel, so just know that. I think this film is pretty good for a child audience. 7/10 for Descendants.

Don't be fooled by the premise; Descendants is not a nostalgic romp through classic Disney, nor is it a gritty reinterpretation of the source material a la last year's Maleficent. It has much more in common with High School Musical, Camp Rock, and Teen Beach Movie. These film franchises are so stylistically similar that they may as well be considered a single series with Descendants as the next in line (pun intended.) It is a series Disney is likely going to milk until it stops being profitable, so you might as well enjoy it until then. These films are shallow, cheesy, and unintelligent, but they're also so harmless and fun that there's no point in hating them. The target audience is clearly preteens, but there is plenty of enjoyment for adults and older teenagers due to three main factors:

1. The films don't take themselves too seriously.

2. The musical numbers are catchy and memorable.

3. The actors seem to be having fun which makes it easy for the viewer to have fun.

Here's how Descendants stacks up against its predecessors:

1. The moral of the film is "do what makes you happy and be with the people who make you happy even if it's not what others expect from you." It is no coincidence that High School Musical, Camp Rock, and Teen Beach Movie have that message in common. Descendants somehow manages to be even more rushed and less subtle in conveying it. While the film is lighthearted as a whole, it takes breaks to be serious and enforce its moral which detracts from the experience.

2. The very first song, "Rotten to the Core" is a blend of dubstep and poor attempts to be edgy. It is every bit as cringe-worthy as it sounds. The later songs are significantly better with "Did I Mention" as a highlight, but I'd still choose the Teen Beach Movie soundtrack over this one in a heartbeat.

3. To be blunt, there is no chemistry between the actors whatsoever. Dove Cameron's individual performance as Maleficent's daughter, Mal is somewhat captivating, but everyone else seems to be struggling to click with their characters.

I could go on about the predictability of the plot, the awkwardness of the dialogue, or the costumes which look like bad cosplay, but honestly, anyone who doesn't expect all that from a film like this is simply unobservant.

If High School Musical is your guilty pleasure, Descendants probably will be too even though it slips a little from the better aspects of its predecessors.

I won't be the first in saying this movie was a bit slanted toward the cheesy, campy side of Disney. But then again, what Disney Channel movie isn't? I would like to point out, however, that the leads (Mal and Ben) were relatively believable (and likable) characters. I'm not spoiling the movie when I say that Dove Cameron did well at portraying an independent young woman with conflictions about living up to her mother's expectations. On the good side, Mitchell Hope made me believe he was the son of a Disney prince and princess (now king and queen).

Granted, there were several times I wanted to stop watching this film due to the gross amount of cheese and horrible scripts, but I stayed each time for those moments of sincerity and sometimes cleverness. I will probably watch this movie again, and maybe again after that. (Guilty pleasures...) Oh, and P.S. Kristin Chenoweth is an amazing actress who was clearly having fun with her role. She might have come off as mostly cartoonish, but there were some moments where she brought the dread-factor in some subtle ways.

Definitely a cute little movie, and certainly worth a watch. The plot may be clichéd to a point, but the characters are pretty likable and the overall atmosphere is fun. Kristen Chenoweth is delightful as Maleficent, and even adds a couple of nods to Glinda, something which other Wicked fans are sure to pick up on. Unlike some family comedies, this one doesn't rely on crude humor to be funny and instead remains appropriate for all ages. Disney fans will enjoy the little tributes to some of the classics. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone looking for some light, musical entertainment. I'm looking forward to the sequel!