Fantasy Westward Journey (2021)

For younger audiences

Simple story -- good vs evil. Great graphics. Good looking actors, all around. Basic plot involves a group of friends who can't quite decide whether they're battling as a group, or depending on themselves.

Flat characters with very scripted (stereotypical) words and behavior. The hair-flouncing or finger-pointing anger. Temper tantrums (literally) when things didn't go perfectly. The loyal boyfriend. the Dad (aka Buddhist monk), the PhD psychiatrist, the shy smart kid, the schizophrenic girl, the best-friend-turned-evil... all there. Three couples with very flat predictable relationships. All the girls get pulled in by evil-guy, and the good-guys have to save them. The orphan meme that Disney loves to make sure viewers have enough sympathy.

Acting of the schizophrenic girl is pretty good -- the actress plays three characters, and does each quite well.

Rating scores are clearly a function of age: under 18 rates near 10.0, while ages 50+ rate closer to 2.0. The stereotypes become too simplistic to maintain interest.

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