Movie Review: Frozen II

Copyright: Disney

Icy tundra and horrid caricatures of Disneyfied victims congeal into yet another messy slog. Catching up on the scraps of last year before it’s too late, Frozen II is a film that, regardless of its critical reception, was sure to make boatloads of cash. A key case study in just how fundamentally flawed cinema and its audiences are right now, and why quality doesn’t matter if you’ve got enough funding to funnel into the advertising wing of your department. Smart marketing is the greatest success of this creatively redundant, vacuous void. Drawing in talent from all across the globe, and throwing them into a miserably grating experience is just how we should look to celebrate Christmas. 

Our introduction to the plot points of Act II is rather underwhelming. Tried and tested flashbacks, told in a sage-like manner from the father of our protagonists. Nothing is clearer in Frozen II than the mediocrity it displays. Shovelling in a musical number for good measure, this tale of discovering origins is a bland, emotionless husk. Poured in is the bile and shtick every other modern Disney product has faced. Uninspired is an understatement. Audiences have seen this story time and time again, the traditions of the simplistic narrative structure a parasite to creatively engaged minds. A key difference, though, is that the story is better represented and showcased to us in a multitude of different family favourites. Why anyone would try and find an emotional connection to a snowman and his posse of friends is beyond me. 

From the brief remnants of Frozen that survive on the public conscience, the sequel manages to both appear identical to the first, but also retcon and remove any of the minor interesting design or story choices. Somehow breaking into the cultural mainstream almost immediately, the characters within Frozen II are fascinatingly fleeting burlesque nonsense. Olaf (Josh Gad) the brunt of the flatlining slapstick, involving himself in the odd musical number. A harrowing showcase for anyone with working ears, at least Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel turn these shallow tracks into something briefly palatable. Directing pair Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee don’t piece together a film that feels any different from the first, except in story, which devolves rather naturally into boring farce.  

Bland environments for our one-note characters to travel through, Frozen II will be a nauseating experience for those over the age of four. Difficult it may be to criticise a film made for children, the density and complacency of this Disney flick shouldn’t be accepted. Predictable nonsense and a real waste of time, stick with the underwhelming first in the series, rather than this snooze fest that does little to lead our characters down anywhere but predictable avenues of half-baked storytelling.