Frozen II

Frozen II sees the return of the same team that brought you the original urban classic. Using the earnings from the first film, the directors definitely upped the technical standards for this sequel! Christophe Beck's score is once again, magical! The visuals, which goes without saying, is premier class stunning! The attention to detail in terms of hand gestures and real life human emotions is nuts! Sound design to lend voice for the nature is superb! And the camerawork; the way it shows first person perspectives and landscapes, is simply fantastic!

However, you could tell from the get-go, that a story is almost non-existent. Frozen II is yet another sad example of sequelitis - sequels made with no organic reason. The plot is invented as the runtime takes its steps forward. These characters travelling to the Enchanted Forest is forced. Some of the choices, such as Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel) sending her sister away to the oblivion of danger in a flick of a finger and Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) deciding to open the dam without thinking about what would happen to her kingdom Arendelle, are really foolish. It's funny that Anna's become the Queen of Arendelle after pulling off such an act. The significance of the elements introduced in this picture, such as the dam, Elsa being the fifth spirit, the fire salamander and the Earth Giants are never explored nor spent time on really.

When audiences already figure out the revelation your plot is holding secret, it can't possibly serve any good. Elsa's and Anna's mother being a Northuldra is an instance. Subplot surrounding Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) trying to propose Anna but failing at it over and over again is clichéd and tiresome! There're no strong motivation or reasoning that could bolster any of the conflicts writer Jennifer Lee's trying to present, thus making almost all of them weak. That's why Kristoff's and Olaf's (voiced by Josh Gad) single numbers are truly out-of-place. Coming to Olaf, his antics are funny. Exposition based narration is cheap, and the enactment of whatever happened in 2013 (not once, but twice!) can wear your patience thin. The songs are good, with 'Into the Unknown' being the best, but the pacing could have been evened out better.

With all the negatives out of the way, let's drive back to the feature's sturdiest aspect, which is undoubtedly the high quality imagery it has in store. Baby Anna and Elsa listening to their parents' bedtime song and story, the fire salamander plus the closeness between Anna and Elsa are extremely cute to say the least! Elsa taming the water horse and paving a path into the ocean is epic! One thing to be glad for is how the filmmakers have always kept their focus sharp when it comes to the point of the Frozen franchise, and that is the relationship between the sisters Anna and Elsa. Their reunion in the end can make you weep, and the resolution is somewhat satisfying one must say.