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Reviews
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021)
Pfffft....
I love the premise, and the animation was good. Hence the initial 2 stars. The execution however... utter rubbish.
I know it's aimed at children, but ffs! How about being a bit more genuine in the story telling. A bit more Irish! Don't you think Irish folk can tell a tale?
I thought it was a cheap Disney flick, is it by Disney? No? It certainly ticks all the boxes and follows the trite Disney money making formula.
Ancient Irish mega-fauna with American accents and modern American turns of phrase? Pffft... yes, got them.
The typical inept clown sidekick with an African American accent who turns out to be the hero? Yes, got that, it was Donkey... I mean, some chubby deer with munted antlers who can't gallop.
End the race along the dry river bed was straight out of another Disney movie.... something about lions....
All the common tropes and stereotypes used when American writers depict the Irish. Yep, got them in spades. I was waiting for the drunken wife beater and the bumbling copper, missed a great opportunity there guys! Or maybe they were at the start and I missed them. If so, sorry.
The saddest part was that the children watching, aged 8 and 10, were disappointed it wasn't more like the "real Riverdance".
Maybe we are a bit harsh because we aren't the target audience.... citizens of the United States of American with a drop of Irish blood. The sort that get p!ssed on weak green beer on St Patrick's day.
Because I've been so harsh in my review, I'll give it an extra star for the excellent following of the Disney script. 3/10.
Bran Nue Dae (2009)
nothing flash
OK... Maybe I'm not aboriginal enough, or too 'southern', but it just didn't click with me.
Firstly, well done to Rocky McKenzie. You were the light in the otherwise bleak cinema.
I wasn't impressed by Mauboy, who just seemed to be cashing in on her background and five minutes of fame.
It was a bit Disney to me... the smart-arse side-kick for comic relief, the wise old elder with his/her own baggage, the baddie who gets his/hers in the end, the whore with the heart of gold etc etc.
It all seemed cobbled together and twee. If you want something light and boring to fill your day in with, give it a try. But I think you could do better with a long walk off a short pier.
I just expected more.