Series: Raising Dion
Starring: Ja’siah Young, Alisha Wainwright, Jason Ritter, Sammi Haney, Ali Ahn, Gavin Mann, Deirdre Lovejoy, Jayzmin Simon
Streaming: Netflix
Review By: Klep Napier
Rating: 3X’s out of 5X’s
Straight from the pages of yet another comic book property thanks in large part to executive producer Michael B. Jordan who brings us “Raising Dion”, a series about a young boy and his mother, after finding out her son Dion has special abilities, she tries to cope with life as a single mother while raising a son who has ambitions to become a superhero. As Dion channels his new powers, dark secrets begin to arise in connection with his capabilities and also the death of his father. Raising Dion is the perfect treat for younger audiences. An awesome introduction for kids into the superhero genre without the violence and adult humor that most superhero films come with. It’s innocence shines as bright as it’s fresh young cast with potential to do so much more. Ja’siah Young is a natural lead with a certain charm that will have you championing him throughout most of the season. The chemistry between he and his mother played by Alisha Wainwright is very relatable while doubling as a driving force behind the premise. I mean, at the end of the day even superheroes have mothers. And even mothers are protective of their children no matter how weak or powerful they are.
The supporting cast is minimal but stand outs like Jason Ritter, son of tv/film legend John Ritter bring an interesting texture to the story as the awkward geeky yet often smitten sidekick to Dion and his mother. And let’s not forget the real MVP of Team Dion, Sammi Haney is fearless, witty and full of joy as everyone’s favorite best friend, Esperanza. Though all the characters help Raising Dion stay colorful and entertaining much of it's losses stem from poor CGI quality. This series looks made for tv in a cheap way and that is half the battle when executing a series about powerful people. Without believability, there’s really not much left for the imagination. This takes away from the series in a lot of places. Outside of that this should be a hit with younger audiences and for fans of creators Dennis Liu and Jason Piperberg’s comic book series. So although the show could’ve used some fine tuning in the visualization department, Raising Dion is age appropriate in its actors, pace and stylization and should really connect with younger audiences. In closing, they say it takes a village to raise a child and in my opinion Raising Dion is the perfect combination of loyalty, family and true friendships which all play a major part in the growth of a young man destined for more. You don’t want to be playing catch up after a season two is announced and released. Check out Raising Dion on Netflix now!
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