DESCENDANTS 3 by Urizen

  Fun fact, the Disney Descendants movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. While I had a lot of problems with the first one, there was a charm about it that got me excited for the second one and now the third. The movies deal with the kingdom of Auradon, a land created by Belle and the Beast by uniting the nearby kingdoms. They also banish all of the villains to the Isle of the Lost, surrounding it with a barrier that prevents magic. One day Belle and Beast's son Ben announced his first proclamation was to let four of the children from the Isle come to Auradon, being free from their evil parents and being allowed to have a fresh start at Auradon Prep. The one’s selected were Maleficent’s daughter Mal, the Evil Queen's daughter Evie, Jafar's son Jay, and Cruella de Vil’s son Carlos. Originally, as part of a plan to take down the barrier and let the villains loose, Mal instead starts to turn to the good side and ends up dating Ben. She and her friends learn what it is like to be good and be themselves, rather than being what they were told they were all their lives--the villains.

   I have problems with the series as a whole, and there is a lot more I would like to see from the series, but that doesn’t mean I don’t immensely enjoy the films. Unlike a lot of larger name movies, I feel as if these movies have gotten better with each one. The acting, storytelling, and music greatly improved from the first to the second, and when I saw the trailers for the third, I could tell it was going to continue that trend. I was very happy for this movie, so naturally I couldn’t wait. Sadly, Cameron Boyce, who plays Carlos, unexpectedly passed away a month before the film’s release. Cameron was always a highlight of the films, and was a great actor and from what I have seen, a great person. I was very saddened to see the news that day. I had a hard time bringing myself to watch the movie, and even as I did, I couldn’t help but get hit by the occasional sadness, but his performance still brought a smile to my face. He will certainly be missed.

   Descendants 3 starts with the original group going to the Isle and choosing four new children to go to Auradon and get their chance. Choosing Dizzy Tremaine, granddaughter of Lady Tremaine; Celia, the daughter of Doctor Facillier; and Squeaky and Squirmy, sons of Mr. Smee, the group heads back to Auradon, almost letting Hades escape through the barrier. Mal changes into her dragon form and fights him back, sealing the barrier again before driving back to Auradon Prep. While there, Ben proposes to Mal, upsetting the daughter of Princess Aurora, who used to be Ben's girlfriend before Mal showed up. One night, the Auradon Queen's crown and Maleficent’s staff are stolen, leading Ben, Beast, Belle, and Mal to assume Hades stole them for revenge. He doesn’t feel he belongs there as he is a God, not a villain. Ultimately Mal decides to close the barrier for good, despite her desire to bring all of the Villain Kids out and to Auradon Prep. That day though, the kingdom is hit with a sleeping curse and we get to know that Hades is actually innocent and Audrey, out of jealousy, has turned evil, taking her rage out on the kingdom that she feels has betrayed her. To reverse and fight the curse, she must go to the Isle and talk to her father, revealed to be Hades, and get his ember. Along the way, she teams up with an unlikely ally, her former enemy Uma, the daughter of Ursula, and her band of pirates while they work to save Auradon and restore its citizens.

   This movie is a great end to the series, and just a fun movie. I knew I would like it, but it really exceeded my expectations. While it still somehow doesn’t get decent visual effects, it is easy to look past that and enjoy the fun story. The cast also does a great job, and while I can't get into everyone as it is a pretty decent sized cast,  I can say a little.  We have Dove Cameron as Mal, Cameron Boyce as Carlos, Booboo Stewart as Jay, Sofia Carson as Evie, Sarah Jeffrey as Audrey, Mitchell Hope as Ben, China Anne McClain as Uma, and Cheyenne Jackson as Hades. They all did an amazing job in this. One standout for me was Sarah Jeffery as Audrey. Audrey has been a character I have never cared for. I know a bit has to do with the writing for her in this, but Sarah just nails the more evil version of the character and seems to be having a blast doing it. The song she had, “Queen of Mean,” was also one of the greatest songs on a soundtrack of already excellent songs. Hades was another great character in this. Cheyenne has had plenty of Broadway roles, and his experience really shows in here. What is especially great is, despite how amazing he does, he doesn’t outshine the main cast. The character also brings up a lot of good points of the hypocrisy in the Descendants universe and creates a lot of questions. Though one big one I have is, are there any repercussions that go with locking of a God like Hades? I imagine that would have an effect on the world.

   The strongest thing in this movie though is the interactions between the characters. The chemistry of the cast really shows, probably more so in this movie than in the previous ones. With a theme of working together in this one, it really gives the chance for more moments between characters. Evie and Mal's friendship, Uma and Mal's, Jay and Gaston’s son Gil, Harry and Uma, Carlos and Jane. There are a lot of good moments. Characters that didn't get nearly as much to do in previous movies also get a chance to shine here.  The chemistry is probably where Cameron's death really hits. The cast all works so well together and you can tell it is because they all were such good friends outside of the show. I can’t imagine the pain they must be going through. I wish the best for them all.

   The soundtrack in this movie is also a step up from the previous ones. The first had a much more pop feel,  while the second added in some more epic sounds and hip hop influences. This one takes aspects from both soundtracks and then also adds new elements. You still have some larger numbers, some more pop ones, and some hip hop aspects, but also music spanning genres and decades almost. Hades is this rocker character with a Mohawk (love his design), so naturally the song he performs with Mal is more rock. Evie performs a more traditional sounding music number that's a lot of fun, and there are even throwbacks to other songs in the series.  Some of my favorites are Audrey’s “Queen of Mean,” Hades’ “Do What You Gotta Do,” and “Night Falls,” by quite a bit of the cast. That list one throws back a bit to the battle between Uma's Pirate crew and the main cast during Descendants 2 and was a really nice touch.

   Ultimately,  Descendants 3 does have its problems. From the first trailer, you could pretty much tell exactly where it was going to go. Nothing really caught me by surprise plot wise as I was watching this movie, but I am also not the demographic for this movie. A child most likely won't pick apart a trailer and notice the details that piece together the story. Either way, it was still a blast to watch.

   The CGI is also exceptionally bad in this movie as it is in the others. Mal turning into a dragon is supposed to be this big, scary thing,  but the dragon just looks so goofy. Then the green screens…they are so obvious, it’s painful. I know that these Disney Channel movies never have the budget that the big screen movies do, but Disney is a huge corporation. Surely they can spend a little bit extra to get decent effects for these movies.

   The movie also makes you question some decisions made. Why not just let all of the kids go to Auradon? They all seem eager to change. Choosing four at a time could only create rifts between the citizens.  Why do the kids of the villains need to be punished? They didn't do anything.  Arguably Audrey is worse than most of the Villain kids. Why do these kids get the short end of the stick? Also Smee wasn't that bad of a guy, so do all villain sidekicks get stuck on the Isle forever? A lot of these villains died in the Disney movies, so how are they alive? Is this because they have Hades trapped instead of doing his job? Just a lot of questions like that pop up. Then again,  it's a kids movie so I can't say much.

   Despite its imperfections and the sadness that comes with it, I would probably put Descendants 3 as my favorite in the series.  It greatly improves on most of the flaws of the originals while naturally progressing the story. The acting, writing, wardrobe,  choreography, and singing are all beyond excellent. While I don't see a Descendants 4 being possible, I do look forward to seeing what the cast does in the future. If you are a fan of Disney and like different tales on the tales, definitely check this out if you can handle a movie being aimed more at teenagers.  If you have watched the others previously, what are you waiting for? Go and watch this now, it’ll have you agreeing that it’s good to be bad.