This review was made possible by Popped receiving an advanced screener of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.
After rewriting the past and saving Cinderella (Brandy), Red (Kylie Cantrall), and Chloe (Malia Baker) finally appear to have secured a happy ending. However, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland quickly reveals that their actions have created an entirely new threat in Maddox Hatter, played by Leonardo Nam. When Maddox captures the now-reformed Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora), Red and Chloe are forced back into action, joining forces with Red’s newly discovered sister Pink (Liamani Segura), Luis Madrigal (Alexandro Byrd) and Maddox’s own son Max (Brendon Tremblay) to rescue her and restore order to Wonderland.
My immediate reaction after watching the film was simply that it was dreadful. Having now had several weeks to sit with it, revisit the songs and properly consider what went wrong, I am struggling to find a more generous conclusion.
Welcome To Wonderland!
“We’ll figure it out together” echoes throughout the film, first sung by Chloe and Red in “Perfect Princess”, before their friendship is tested during the mission to save Red’s mum. The rift between the former enemies turned best friends gives the story some emotional grounding, even if the film never explores it with sufficient depth, only surface-level acknowledgement.
Wonderland itself looks nothing like Wonderland. At times, the characters appear to be wandering through the bioluminescent forests of Pandora; elsewhere, they are simply standing in a brightly coloured garden. The maze is one of the few locations that actually works visually. Descendants films have never been particularly strong when it comes to plot, so it is hardly surprising that this one follows suit. Still, the continuation from The Rise of Red is fine, picking up with the consequences of changing the past and essentially delivering a Flashpoint-style storyline within the Descendants universe.
The bigger issue is what this means for the original films. Their place within the franchise’s continuity now feels increasingly uncertain, with little beyond Fairy Godmother keeping the different iterations properly connected. It’s a smart move from the Mouse House if the goal is to keep milking the franchise indefinitely, but it also makes everything feel far less meaningful at the same time, a clear conflict of interest.
The Music Keeps The Film Alive
The music is easily the strongest aspect of Descendants 5, occasionally convincing you that the film around it is much better than it actually is. “Perfect Princess” is a great opener, packed with ensemble choreography (where the budget is clearly visible, and rightfully so!), we’re offered new VK introductions and far more extras than usual. It sets an energetic tone, which is unfortunate considering the film that follows is crap.
This film’s villain song, “Mad”, is a fun number, although Leonardo Nam is buried beneath far too much autotune and remains more convincing as Maddox’s strange former ally than as a full villain. Shortly after is a Cardi B-inspired R&B sound, and gives Alexandro Byrd and Kiara Romero another chance to prove they are the strongest new additions. We get a musical number with our protagonists shrunk down, fighting for their lives on a chessboard against dancing guards. Big fan of this one, definitely one of the film’s most entertaining sequences.
There is also a sweet enough romantic ballad between Red and Luis, despite the clear narrative nods to Mal and Ben. “Heartless” is the weakest track, forcing Chloe into an unconvincing storyline. Red’s big solo sees her running through a maze, doubting herself, and eventually remembering she has a sister (maybe the screenwriters remembered at this point, too). The song is fairly forgettable, but Kylie Cantrall certainly hits the notes – a true star. Unfortunately, the finale may be the weakest Descendants ending number yet. It simply happens and then ends, all whilst having the musical flair of a RuPaul song, and not one of the good ones…
Too Many Cooks In The Kitchen
Of the many things this movie gets wrong, its biggest issue is that, once again, it fails horribly to juggle an enormous ensemble cast. Several plot threads are introduced, some are given no resolution, and characters who actually matter are repeatedly sidelined in favour of those who do not. It takes almost half of the film’s runtime for the writers to realise they simply do not need this many characters, leading them to expel a sizeable chunk of the cast on a torturous tea-cup ride through a huge sea storm, featuring some of the worst CGI put to screen this decade. There is simply no need for this many VKs and HKs, and do not even get me started on Rita Ora and Brandy’s Queen of Hearts and Cinderella. What a waste of two performers who genuinely believe they can act!
Luisa Madrigal’s son, Luis, and Captain Hook’s daughter, Hazel (Kiara Romero) are easily the strongest of the film’s new additions, with Byrd and Romero both delivering genuinely enjoyable performances. Luis is an especially good match for Red, with the pair sharing some great chemistry across several scenes and even getting a song together. At times, though, it feels as though the film is simply reheating the beloved Mal and Ben nachos from the OG trilogy, hoping that a familiar romantic dynamic will distract from how little else it has done to develop them.
Robin Hood’s son, Smee’s twin sons and Facilier’s son are all similarly pointless, existing almost entirely to boost the headcount and fill out the film’s larger dance sequences. Squeaky and Squirmy Smee even return from a previous iteration of the franchise with new actors, yet the film still gives them virtually nothing of consequence to do; they’re light comedy relief at best. They are not characters so much as bodies placed around Red, Chloe and co. whenever the choreography demands a busier frame.
One of the biggest selling points of the opening number, and much of the film’s marketing, is essentially: “Oh, look! Red has a sister now.” Pink is introduced as though she will completely reshape Red’s story, only for the film to repeatedly forget about their relationship whenever it becomes inconvenient, right up until it is too late… What a waste of Liamani Segura, who shone in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and will no doubt be great in Camp Rock 3 next month. Here, she is handed a potentially important role and then left fighting for scraps of screen time among an already overcrowded cast.
Cinderella and the Queen of Hearts fare even worse. The film briefly gestures towards a meaningful continuation of their complicated history, with Cinderella attempting to help her former enemy and the pair later sharing one of the film’s few genuinely sincere moments. Unfortunately, the story quickly pushes both characters to the sidelines, leaving Brandy and Rita Ora trapped in the same dull location for much of the adventure while everybody else gets to move the plot forward. Considering neither performance is particularly convincing anyway, perhaps keeping them out of the main action was for the best.
Back for another appearance, Maddox is even weaker as a villain. Despite supposedly driving the entire plot, he barely interacts with the VKs and HKs at all, instead causing trouble from afar through the Queen of Hearts’ cards or by sending Chessy the Cat to interfere. There is no real confrontation until its too late, offering no opportunity for Leonardo Nam to establish Maddox as a genuine threat. It is a baffling choice that leaves the film’s central antagonist feeling completely detached from the adventure, yet another boring choice made by the writers…
‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland’ – Final Thoughts
I do wonder where this once-beloved franchise is next to go. One only has to look at the complete departure the Zombies franchise has taken from its original film to suspect that, unfortunately, another Descendants sequel is inevitable, if only so Disney can flog the next Descendants x Camp Rock x Zombies x The Cheetah Girls concert.
There are still things worth preserving here. Kylie Cantrall remains a strong lead, the soundtrack is easily the film’s greatest asset, and several of the new additions show real promise. However, Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is ultimately dragged down by an overcrowded cast, a weak and distant villain, wasted returning characters and a plot that is somehow both busy and boring. The franchise deserves a clearer identity and a stronger reason to continue than simply keeping the brand alive, though without Kenny Ortega, is that even possible?
At least the wigs are miles better than Descendants: The Rise of Red!
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland releases on Disney+ on July 17.
