Frozen 2 review · 12:31am Nov 23rd, 2019
With the original film becoming a cultural phenomenon, it was inevitable a sequel wouldn't quite measure up, no matter how obviously hard it tries.
Spoilers ahoy.
To be honest, this movie is a bit boring at times. Its story goes the obvious places for a sequel to go, namely the fate of their parents and the reason for Elsa's powers. And honestly, it's just kinda bland and done.
There's a bunch of nature spirits themed on the four elements, but there's a fifth element that bridges the two worlds of humans and magic, and there's a tribe of magical Indians they're just Northern European instead of North American, and there's a dark sea, and yeah you get my point. The plot is constructed of cliches to the point you can predict most major plot elements long before they're revealed. When the identity of their mother is revealed it's not a reveal, more like "was this supposed to be a twist?"
That's not to say the movie doesn't have some effectively shocking moments, it does. I got worried when Elsa had cold breath because I knew what it meant and it wasn't good, and I was shocked with what they did with Olaf. The visuals are also amazing, especially with Elsa's powers. The spirits are a mixed bag, but the water spirit is beautiful.
What saves this movie is the style with which these cliched are executed. First up is comedy - this movie is very, very funny. Olaf steals the show with a scene recapping the first film, and they have a few self-deprecating call backs to it. Second, it has more action scenes that manage to be quite intense, though the climax is a bit dull. The new characters are okay. Nothing standout or memorable but they get their moments.
As for Elsa, sorry, no love interest, of either gender. What is most kinda awkward is that they blatantly try to replicate Let It Go, with a song with similar visuals, similar power, and Elsa even gets a new haircut and a new dress during it. And it's an okay song but it ain't gonna stick. And damn Elsa looks fine when it ends, the sex appeal of her new look should bump the age rating of the film.
Overall the film entertains enough for its runtime and has some good, even great parts. But it's kinda just a high-quality fanfic or a really good direct-to-DVD sequel that can't measure up to the original.
I really hate this kind of shit. :| "It worked before, let us chop it up and feed it to the masses again! Maybe they won't notice our lack of originality and give us more money!"