Frozen 2 Review

     

I just got home from seeing Frozen 2, and I've gotta say that I was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked the movie. Was it anywhere near the quality of the first movie? Absolutely not. The first movie had so much heart, not to say this movie didn't, but the first one had so much more. Frozen 2, though, was definitely a great watch, and I would recommend for anyone that wants to see it to go see it. The music is beautiful, and the cast gives it their all once again. Let's get to the in-depth review of Frozen 2.

     The one thing this movie did better than the original was pacing the musical numbers correctly. One of the biggest complaints I have with the first movie is the lack of musical numbers in the second half of the movie, which made the second half feel rushed in a way. This movie did an amazing job with giving the audience music throughout its entirety. While I think the songs in the first movie were much more iconic, the songs in this film were still incredible; I even found myself humming to them at one point. I also liked how Kristoff got his own song about his relationship with Anna. I found the song quite catchy. The other song I really liked was when Elsa was traveling to Ahtohallan. It was similar to "Let It Go", but it was special in its own right. All in all, the music was spectacular, and I am glad the filmmakers paced it properly.

     Olaf remains the stand-out character of both films. He is always great to listen to if you want a laugh. During his "Samantha" line, my whole theater was laughing uncontrollably. His humor wasn't forced either; I thought his funny moments came at the right time especially during his musical number, although I did think the subject material of the song came at a strange point in the movie, but I was okay with it. Moving on from Olaf, Anna remains a bad-ass Disney character. Maybe I am biased because I love Kristen Bell so much, but it's the truth. I was so happy for her to become the queen at the end of the movie. Both Olaf and Anna were standouts in the film, and they made the film what it was.

     I also want to touch on the visual effects in the film. They were absolutely stunning. That is all I really have to say about them. The theme of nature was used in such a soothing way that I felt as if I were inside the movie, an animated film. The invisible elements all had magic contained in them and brought color to them, and it was just so soothing for my eyes. The movie should win an Academy Award in the cinematography category. It was definitely one of the most visually-pleasing movies I have ever seen. 

     Now, before seeing the movie, I had heard that there was criticism directed towards the plot of the film with many critics calling it "convoluted". I went in with an open mind, and while I understood most of it, there were parts that were a bit confusing. If I was confused, I could not imagine how difficult it was for young children to understand. I like the basic set up of Elsa being called to the Enchanted Forest that was taught to her when she was a child. I think the forest being closed and inescapable was an interesting concept, and it was almost flawlessly executed, but there were just too many aspects that felt too much, such as Elsa being the fifth spirit which I did not understand until she revealed this to Anna. I think this was supposed to be known to viewers, but even my family did not pick it up. I thought the fifth element was Anna and Elsa's mother since she was the one that saved their father. That still remains a mystery. That whole revelation I feel could have been explained more clear, but I'm not gonna complain. 

     The revelation of Anna and Elsa's grandfather betraying the Northuldra allowed me to understand the plot a little more especially when he built the dam to break down the people because of his disdain for magic. I also liked how Anna had the balls to lead the giants to break the dam to figuratively let the Northuldra people free and open the forest back. I think the convoluted plot became less strenuous to understand once all of this happened, but it was still a little foggy to interpret.

     All in all, Frozen 2 was a worthy sequel even though the first movie is leaps better than this one. I would definitely recommend anyone to see it, though because it is still a great movie. Let me know what you thought of it if you saw it. Were you confused with the plot? Did you like the music? Leave a comment! Thanks for reading!

*Updated Ranking the Seasons of American Horror Story

Spoilers ahead!!

     The 9th season of American Horror Story just ended on Wednesday, so I have decided to rank all the seasons. Where did the most recent season rank and where did I rank the remaining seasons? Let's get to it. Spoilers ahead!!!

9. American Horror Story: Freak Show

     There has to be a worst season for every show and for AHS, it is Freak Show. The season was just an absolute mess. There was not a cohesive storyline to follow. It was just sort of what ever happened in this episode happened in the episode. Neil Patrick Harris' character was absurd. There was no reason for him to be in the season, and I actually like him as an actor. Dandy was a good character that was honestly the saving grace of the season. His disturbing antics were decent to watch. Twisty was amazing, so I was confused to see him be killed off in episode four. This was also the last season to feature Jessica Lange as a main character. Not such a great season to end on even though she killed her role as Elsa Mars. All in all I was very disappointed with the season. It should have been leaps and bounds better and scarier than how it was presented to us. Sorry Freak Show, but someone has to be at the bottom.

8. American Horror Story: Cult

     I have a mixed reception with Cult. It was not complete garbage, but it was far from great. I really wanted to see an actual cult that was scary. This cult was not so scary. Kai was an amazing character and a very scary cult leader, but the rest of his cult fell flat. I expected so much more sinister acts performed by the cult, but they just never happened. I appreciated what Ryan Murphy tried to do with this season, but it did not work. Sarah Paulson's character, Aly, was actually decent I thought. She bothered me at first with all of the crying, but at the end I really liked how strong she became. Like Freak Show, I feel like the plot got convoluted at a certain point that left me scratching my head at the end of the season. I think Cult deserves to be watched, but it is not anything to die for. 

7. American Horror Story: Apocalypse

     The eighth season of the series comes in the number six slot. I did not hate this season at all; in fact, I thought this season was shaping up to be in my top three. It did not because of Evan Peters' and Billy Eichner's' ridiculous characters that pulled the story down completely. God, they were awful, ridiculous characters. I loved the crossover between Coven and Murder House. It actually made me gain a greater love for those two seasons. Also, seeing Jessica Lange come back to the show was such a pleasure to watch. I have mixed feelings with Michael Langdon's character. I found him super disturbing when he introduced, but I hated how whiny he became in the flashbacks. "Return to Murder House" is the single best episode in the entire series; it was perfect, no flaws involved. Episodes seven and eight brought this season down to the sixth spot; they were absolutely dreadful. Also, the ending where Michael, the Anti-Christ dies from a hit-and-run is so stupid. God, the ending to his story was awful. Apocalypse comes in at number six on my list. I thought it would be higher, but hey what can you do? Not a bad season in any way, but not a flawless season by far either. 

6. American Horror Story: 1984



     The most recent season of the show comes in number six on my list. My overall thoughts? I liked this season. Was it perfect? By no means, but I thoroughly enjoyed most of the episodes. It's weird because I loathed the premiere episode; I think it's actually the worst premiere ever, but the episodes got drastically better as they went on. I think Leslie Grossman stole the season with her unhinged character of Margaret Booth. She balanced evil with camp, and she did it well. This is probably the only season that I did not mind the campiness. It took place in the 80's and was supposed to be a slasher, and those two things do contain camp. What were the negatives of the season? I think the supporting cast (Cody Fern and Gus Kentworthy to be precise) were a complete waste. I wish they would have had more character development, and that is something I cannot stand with the show sometimes. They bring characters in and don't do anything with them. All in all the performances (particulary John Carroll Lynch as Mr. Jingles and Angelica Ross as Donna) were solid and the writing was mostly good, but I do wish Sarah Paulson was in the season. So, 1984 gets a decent score overall. "Kajagoogoo is dead!"

5. American Horror Story: Murder House

     The first season of the show is number fifth on our list. At first, I found the season a bit flat. I know that is an unpopular opinion, but it is the truth. Looking back, the season was very solid and consisted of many memorable scenes. Constance's introduction scene, Tate and Violet's "you're all I want" scene, Constance and Moira's feud, Violet's reaction to finding out she did not survive her suicide attempt. The list goes on. My flaw with the season is that it felt repetitive at times, and I felt it went on longer than it needed to. Maybe that is why I got bored at certain places. I did love; though, the concept of the ghosts murdered in the house being trapped there for eternity. It was a great narrative for the season as a whole, and I loved seeing the various stories of how the residents of the house met their demises in the past. I found the ending to be a bit lackluster, but that is explained in Apocalypse, so that explains a lot. The season was a decent introduction to the show. 

4. American Horror Story: Hotel

     This is another controversial opinion of mine. Many people I know absolutely despise this season, but I did not. It was the first season to not feature Jessica Lange and instead Lady Gaga "replaced" her. I thought Lady Gaga did a great job as "The Countess", the vampire who runs the hotel. Many people hated her acting, but I think that was how the character was supposed to be portrayed. Also, Denis O'Hare's portrayal as Liz Taylor was truly magnificent. Liz Taylor might be one of my favorite characters in the entire series. Iris was another character I loved, as well. I think the characters carried the story and well for that matter. The main plot was very boring with John trying to find the Ten Commandments killer in which the reveal was just flat out bad. I did really enjoy this season, maybe because it was my first season watching live, but it will always have a special place in my heart.

3. American Horror Story: Coven

     Like Murder House, I was not too keen when I first saw the season because I did not like the campiness of it, but as time went on, I finally concluded that this season is iconic. The coven of witches all played their part well. Jessica Lange as Fiona Goode gives me goosebumps with how despicable of a human and witch she is. Frances Conroy does an impeccable job as Myrtle Snow. I loved the battle for the next supreme including the Seven Wonders test. This was also the first season to include Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett, and they were great additions to add to the show. My only problem with the season was Evan Peter's character Kyle. Why was he on the show? He added absolutely nothing. Also, like Murder House, I found there to be a pacing problem, but I did not find it to be that bad. 

2. American Horror Story: Roanoke

     Coming in as the runner-up of my list is Roanoke. I absolutely loved this season because it felt like a return to the form to the series. It felt scary and disturbing again, which is one of the reasons I watch the show. I enjoyed the twist the show gave to us, which sort of felt like a “true crime” feel. The Butcher was a great villain. I loved the throwback to her reign as the colony’s leader where she poisoned them all and made them haunt the grounds forever. The backstory of the farmhouse was great. It was similar to the residents of the Murder House, but I found a few of the murders to be more gruesome. The cast of characters were a bit forgettable, but I would rather have a better story than memorable characters. The ending was also very boring, but the previous episodes balanced the season out as a spectacular one. The season felt almost near perfect, so I really enjoyed it a lot.

1. American Horror Story: Asylum

     We are finally at our number one spot. Asylum. This season is American Horror Story at its best. The season is almost near flawless, and I usually rank it one of the best seasons of any T.V. show. Evil nuns. Possessions. Crazy inmates. The “Bloody Face Killer”. The Name Game musical number. It is scary, witty, and disturbing shit. Jessica Lange provides in what I think is her best role as Sister Jude, the nun in charge of the asylum. I loved the 1960’s settings; it provides an eerie tone to the series considering Murder House took place in the present. This is Sarah Paulson’s first season as a regular where she portrays Lana Winters, and like Sister Jude, I think this is far and away Sarah Paulson’s best character in the series. Her acting is simply amazing especially when she finds out her doctor is the psychopathic “Bloody Face”. The ending to the season made me so emotional, and it made me question everything about my life. No joke. Jessica Lange’s portrayal of her respective role brought a tear to my eye. It takes true talent to make someone feel this way. The only issue of the season is Kit’s subplot. Evan Peters was exceptional in his role, but the alien storyline was just…no, but I pretend that never happened. I honestly do not ever see any other AHS season beating this season as the best. That is how exceptional it is!

Thank you for reading my ranking of American Horror Story seasons. What is your favorite season of the show? What is your least favorite? Leave a comment.