My Quick Frozen 2 Review (Spoiler Free)

My Quick Frozen 2 Review (Spoiler Free)

Well folks, it's finally here, the movie that millions of children, and their parents, all around the world have been waiting for. This movie is breaking records and it hasn't even been out for a week yet. It's possible that this movie may even outperform its predecessor and go on to claim the throne for highest grossing animated movie of all time. And in my opinion, I think it's earned that title.

In recent years, I've been slightly dissatisfied with Disney and Pixar's sequels. It started, in my mind, with Monster's University all the way back in 2013. We were given a movie that had the same characters and world, yet lacked the heart and passion of the first movie. Then, we had Finding Dory, which wasn't "terrible" mind you, it was just too safe. It almost felt like a re-telling of the first movie's plot--but centered on Dory instead of on Nemo and Marlin. Then, last year, we got The Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet. The Incredibles 2 initially caught me off guard. I was so stunned by the visuals and the action, that I didn't actually pay attention to the movie itself. I remember telling a friend of mine that I even thought it was better than the first Incredibles. But then, I actually started thinking about the movie, and realized something. It's sort of just a carbon copy of the first movie with updated visuals and a less entertaining villain. Ralph Breaks the Internet had a beautiful ending--but the middle of the movie was kind of a slow rehash of the first movie. These movies are still above average (at least a B) in my book, they just don't reach the same level of excellence that the first movies did.

Even DreamWorks, which is known for having glorious sequels, hasn't had the best follow ups recently (in my opinion). How To Train Your Dragon 3 wasn't quite as good as the first two, and Kung Fu Panda 3 was nowhere near as powerful as the first two movies. Oh, and let's not forget Illumination's abysmal Despicable Me 3 (the less said about that one, the better). However, this year, we did see the Lego Movie 2, which succeeded in surpassing its predecessor in every conceivable way.

So, when I walked into the theater to see Frozen 2, I had mixed feelings. Was this going to be another "not as good as the original" sequel? Or would it surprise me, like Lego Movie 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2 did?

(every kid walking into the theater)

Well, here's my answer: Frozen 2 is different from the original--but just as good, if not even better in some areas. I've noticed some people are saying that this movie "doesn't have the same emotional depths" as the first movie, which I think is a fair statement. This movie doesn't really have a "Let it Go" moment, per se. However, it does a much better job than the first movie with its emotional pacing. In the first movie, the emotion climaxed at "Let it Go" and right before the ending--but then sort of slumped during the middle of the movie. Frozen 2, on the other hand, gives you consistent, emotional story beats that keep the narrative going strong. There are still quite a few powerful moments, but those moments don't eclipse the rest of the movie, like the original's tended to do.

Also, like any great sequel, Frozen 2 ties in to the character arcs that we saw in the first movie. I won't spoil anything directly, but let's just say that all the big character moments we saw in the first movie will pay off in this one. We'll see Elsa learn more about her powers, and how to use them to benefit her people. We'll see the bravery and independence Anna developed in the first movie be put to the test in this movie. Kristoff will finally have to face his emotional/social insecurities. Even Olaf has a character arc in this movie, which seems silly on the surface, but actually has quite a bit of deepness to it. The movie tests each of its characters in powerful ways, and definitely does their roles from the first movie justice.

The one critique I could say about this movie is that the plot does have some predictable twists. However, in my opinion, it performs the plot so well that the lack of true surprises is justified. I mean, look at Lord of the Rings. Nobody was really surprised by its plot. It's a standard good v.s. evil story. However, it's the delivery of that plot that resonates with people. It's the same way with Frozen 2.

I'll talk about this movie in more detail at a later time, when y'all have seen it and I don't have to worry about spoiling anything. But for now, just know that this movie isn't the same as the first movie--it is different in all the best ways.

(Just a little sprinkling of "awesome dust")