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!