‘Descendants: The Rise of Red’ Review: You Didn’t Think Part 3 Was the End of the Story, Did You?

It didn’t take long for me to become a full-on Descendants head while watching the original trilogy for the first time in preparation for the release of the franchise’s latest installment, Descendants: The Rise of Red. While imperfect, it’s easy to immediately latch yourself onto its bubbling protagonists, whose chemistry pops off the screen as soon as they’re introduced to their final scene together in the third installment. With each movie, director Kenny Ortega also smartly improved upon elements that didn’t work in the first film and added completely jubilatory storytelling arcs in parts two and three that enhanced our appreciation of the magical world of Auradon. Making Dude the Dog talk in the second and third films was a simple – but powerfully effective – moment that made both sequels even better than the first. 

With Descendants: The Rise of Red, Jennifer Phang takes over Ortega’s directorial reins and immediately dazzles by crafting musical numbers with striking verve and visual whimsy. This wasn’t possible with the first three movies’ made-for-TV budget, containing action scenes worthy of Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids 3D: Game Over and dull camerawork that hampered the energy brought by its terrific leads, Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart, Sofia Carson, and Mitchell Hope. 

However, with a larger, made-for-Disney+ budget, Phang goes all out in painting Auradon as a far more developed land than the last time we left it. In the third film, King Ben (Mitchell Hope) and Queen Mal (Dove Cameron) have broken the barrier between Auradon and the Isle of the Lost for good, welcoming both princes/princesses and people who are “rotten to the core” but would like a chance to be good. A few years have passed since the events of Descendants 3, and Auradon Prep’s Fairy Godmother (Melanie Paxson) has accepted a job at a University. She passes in the reins to Uma (China Anne McClain), who seeks to finish what Mal and Ben have started by welcoming everyone from all kingdoms to Auradon so they can have a chance at redemption, as she did in the third film. 

She writes invitations to Cinderella (Brandy, who reprises her role from the 1997 television film, alongside Paolo Montalban as King Charming) and the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), who both accept to send their children, Chloe (Malia Baker) and Red (Kylie Cantrall) to the school. Red does not believe her tyrannical mother’s intentions are sincere since she does not let her do anything with her life outside of the confines of Wonderland. She is ultimately proven right, with the Queen of Hearts revealing herself to Uma and the Fairy Godmother as she stages a coup to take over Auradon and kill Cinderella, having never forgiven her for a prank that occurred many years ago. 

This leads Red to turn back time through the White Rabbit’s stopwatch, with Chloe accidentally joining her, as they discover what Auradon Prep was like before Beast united all kingdoms. Supervised by Merlin (Jeremy Swift, in another great performance from this ace character actor), Red and Chloe are now trapped in time and must investigate what occurred on that fateful day that made her mother (played in the past by Ruby Rose Turner, with Cinderella portrayed by Morgan Dudley) turn evil. It’s a simple conceit, executed fairly well, with many fun musical numbers to keep the energy moving. 

The entirety of Descendants: The Rise of Red’s 91-minute runtime may contain more musical numbers than the original trilogy. The songs never stop coming, which could prove a deterrent for many, but not when they’re as well put together as here. Some effects shots keep the hokey feel of Ortega’s original Descendants movies, but there’s a legitimate cinematic eye to how Phang crafts the numbers, such as a sequence in the midpoint of the film where Merlin’s students try Bridget’s (the original name of the Queen of Hearts) flamenco-feathered cupcakes. It’s also a more visually pleasing film than the past Descendants movies, with elaborate camera movements and creative sets expanding our knowledge of the film’s world in a far more compelling way. For example, the camera moves as its own dancer whilst the students perform breakdancing feats as their clothes turn pink. This is an absolute bravura moment in that aforementioned cupcake scene, with the rest of the film filled with incredibly creative musical numbers and catchy tunes. 

However, the same can’t be said for its rather simple story, which sets up a thrilling conflict in its first act but contains very little tension as Chloe and Red travel back in time. Back to the Future is the main inspiration for all time travel stories nowadays, and it’s equally evident here, with each trope being stolen from Robert Zemeckis’ seminal picture. As a result, none of the time travel jokes hit, and the conceit itself of messing up with the space-time continuum doesn’t seem as relevant as it should, especially when Red’s stopwatch has a weird way of messing around with time itself. How does that change time in the present? Who knows, and it doesn’t even feel like that much of a concern, either. 

It also doesn’t help that the runtime itself gimps the climax, with a lively action scene bogged down by a rapid conclusion that immediately sets the stage for another Descendants film. While I won’t mind another movie, the conclusion doesn’t feel as complete as when Mal and her gang completed an adventure in each Descendants installment. There was a sense of closure while always teasing the promise of more since the adventures in Auradon will always continue, with or without the audience’s presence. And while Cantrall and Baker are a terrific pair, they’ll never be able to match the main actors’ chemistry, no matter what they do. That said, Phang doesn’t forget the legacy of the Descendants franchise and paints a moving tribute to Cameron Boyce, who tragically passed away in 2019 before the third film’s release, closing Carlos’ arc satisfyingly and respectfully.

It’s the presence of McClain’s Uma and Paxson’s Fairy Godmother that ensure the fourth installment is rooted in the same continuity, but they’re unfortunately missed for a good chunk of the picture, where Red and Chloe must put their differences aside to change the fabric of time itself so Bridget does not turn evil. However, the presence of veteran stars doesn’t feel as important as in other legacyquels because the characters are fun to watch on their own and promise to be further developed should more installments arise. As a result, Descendants: The Rise of Red ultimately stands on its own two feet as an entertaining offshoot of the main Descendants franchise and a fun expansion of the lively world of Auradon, with enough musical numbers to distract us from its paper-thin screenplay and rushed time travel plot. 

But with more Descendants films likely on the way, perhaps we’ll see the grand return of fan-favorite characters after all, hopefully in a far bigger production than the one we currently have. Though only time (pun intended) will grant all of our wishes…

Descendants: The Rise of Red releases July 12 on Disney+.