'Raising Dion' Review: A boy with superpowers and his protective mother make the perfect duo to fight racism, entitlement and, of course, villains
Dion (Ja'Siah Young) is an innocent, well-meaning boy who just wants to fit in or seem cool, and he cannot use his superpowers to make either of these happen.
His newly widowed mother, Nicole (Alisha Wainwright), is struggling to figure out how to help her superhero son reach his full potential while hiding his powers from the rest of his world.
The mother-son duo may still be trying to figure out how to navigate their new normal, but they are a pair you don't want to be messing with.
The unique story of these two, who also happen to be people of color down on their luck, is told by Netflix's 'Raising Dion' in an organic and realistic way.
While the crux of the story lies in Dion's superpowers, its originality and beauty lie in who they are as people, specifically, who Nicole is.
She passes on her values and beliefs to her son, and while he may be able to do things she cannot even dream of, her teachings allow him to tell right from wrong.
He is a phenomenal young man, and as his late father, Mark (Michael B. Jordan ), predicts, he is going to rule the world someday — just not in a villainous way.
'Raising Dion' is obviously a superhero origin story, but it is so much more than that — it is a very human story that talks about doing the right thing without being preachy.
It also addresses social issues such as systemic racism, male entitlement, personal boundaries, and people's ideas of "normal" in a way that even a nine-year-old can understand.
And this was possible only because there was ample representation of minorities both on-camera and behind the scenes.
Dennis Liu, whose comic book and short film inspired the Netflix series tells MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) that this was, in fact, a priority for him. He reveals that he had decided at a very early stage that if he got the story far enough to make a decision in hiring, he would try to help minorities and women.
"I have always felt marginalized as a filmmaker. I felt that I had talent, but never the right mentors to help me. Over my 10 years in the DGA, I felt only a handful of people stepping up for me," he explains.
"I do think some of it is unintentional; people just like people who have similar backgrounds to them. That's human nature. That's natural, and I get it. So ipso factor, there's not a lot of Asian American executives or producers in Hollywood, and not a lot of opportunities for Asian American directors," he adds.
However, he wants to change the status quo for the generation that followed him. He clarifies, "I'm not trying to be self-righteous, and I'm not saying I'm going to change and fix everything. Far from it. But I wanted to make some impact."
"We had mandates on 'Raising Dion' to look at directors, writers, and crew of color and women. I didn't want to look back at 'Raising Dion', which was created with these goals, and then just move the goalpost," Liu shares.
" And here's the happy ending to this story — we did it. We made a small difference! And I think the cast and crew can remember Raising Dion years from now and know that they helped on a project with true, lofty goals to change the world."
Liu, who has since created another short film and a comic book called 'Ling', certainly fulfilled what he set out to do in this regard. The cast and storylines addressed in 'Raising Dion' are almost as diverse as America itself.
Another great win for the series is the ease with which it is able to merge the special effects with regular acting. With localized storms and a man made up of lightning, there are many supernatural phenomena that the show has to visualize and it does them in a very realistic way.
Even the beautiful visuals need to be commended, especially those of nature, which make us yearn for the power of teleportation.
The acting performances on the show also need to be commended, especially that of Jason Ritter as Pat. He may have perfected the art of being an awkward nerd, accustomed to constant rejection.
All in all, the show would be a great watch for all ages, and potentially a binge-watch for most of us. If you are free this weekend, we have a feeling you won't be able to leave your couch or bed for anything other than food or nature's calls.
And if you are not free this weekend, we would advise you to cancel your plans, because 'Raising Dion' is definitely worth it.