Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 2 Review

Book (season) 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender is such an impressive tour de force of epic storytelling that reminds me of such classics as the Lord of the Rings and even Star Wars. While the first season of Avatar showed promise, season two fulfilled on said promise with an epic sweeping story and a shocking amount of character depth. 

Now the childish moments that remind the audience that the series was originally intended for a younger audience are lessened and instead are replaced by a surprisingly mature story with strong character development and themes. Honestly, I am surprised as anyone that Book 2 of Avatar turned out so well.

The Good: Darker and more serious tone, Strong character drama, Even more impressive action sequences, Deeper look into the mythos, Genuinely hilarious at times, Great new characters, Political corruption and intrigue, Mature themes, Zuko's character arc is superb, Well executed romance, Improved animation, Character conflict, Excellent soundtrack, Unexpected plot twists, Awesome new antagonists, Toph is a total bad*ss,

The Bad: A few weaker episodes,

Plot: 9.1/10- Book 2: Earth, picks up roughly where the last season of Avatar left off with Aang and the gang now looking for an Earthbending master to teach Aang. 

As to not spoil the plot for those that have yet to watch it, I will stop there. As for the quality of the plot, the series started off rather well with two strong episodes, although the next few seemed a tad weak in comparison. However, after episode six, "The Blind Bandit," the series takes a sharp incline in quality with episode after episode of engaging and entertaining stories. As with season one, most episodes are serialized with each having their own mini-story that leads into the big one at the end. What surprised me the most is how mature the themes of the series can be ranging from political corruption to a brainwashed utopian society to loss of a loved one. 

*Possible Spoiler* Book 2's end actually reminded me of The Empire Strikes Back in terms of tone, with it being executed with near perfection! *End Spoiler* Of course the series still contains some more "kid friendly" moments here and there, but once you are invested in the characters, those moments are not as noticeable. Of course, there are a few weaker episodes, but nothing to dissuade potential viewers. 

Characterization: 9.3/10- Another strong aspect of Book 2 is the attention to character development and character relationships. By the end of season one, I was attached to the characters, whereas by the end of season two, these characters are now some of my all-time favorites.

The main three protagonists from the first season, Aang, Katara, and Sokka, all develop in their different ways. To me, Sokka's character arc is the most intriguing as he deals with what happened at the end of season one, whereas Aang, who is more likable this season, is probably the weakest overall. Katara is still very cool, and one of the better characters in the series. Zuko, who was an antagonist in the first season, is given a more anti-hero role. The character is taken in a unique direction, making him one of the most complex and compelling characters in the series. Zuko's uncle Iroh continues to be a lovable character that offers a lot of comic relief and wisdom. One scene in particular with Iroh is surprisingly emotional, which is rare for me to say. In addition to the returning cast, season two features several unforgettable new characters like Toph and Azula. 

Toph is an incredibly skilled, and almost overpowered, Earthbender, who also happens to be blind. In many ways, Toph reminds me of a tsundere type character; however, she is also a complete bad*ss, with many great moments throughout the series. 

Azula is the new antagonist of the series, and she is certainly an impressive one at that. Being that she is Zuko's sister, the dynamic between Azula, Zuko, and “Team Avatar,” is interesting. Along with Azula are two other fun antagonists, Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee is fun and energetic, but also incredibly skilled at rendering most benders helpless. On the other hand, Mai is almost emo with a negative attitude, who is also a skilled fighter. A few other minor characters from the first season make more than welcome appearances.

Action: 8.9/10- Season two raises the action sequences to new heights with even more impressive uses of element bending. All of the choreography is skillfully executed to create action scenes that are genuinely engaging and exciting to watch. The use of Matrix like slow motion in season is a surprisingly effective addition as well.

Acting: 8.4/10- The cast from the first season all give much improved performances compared to their work on the first season. The acting for the minor one-shot characters seems to have improved tremendously as well, with there only being a few weak performances among the cast.

Art Style: 8.3/10- Even though the lack of an HD remastering still hinders the animation from holding up as well as it could, season two most definitely shows a great improvement over the previous season. The animation is crisper with sharper edges and improved fluidity.

Soundtrack: 8.7/10- Many tracks from first season are present with several more epic and well placed tracks throughout from composer Jeremy Zuckerman.

Humor: 8.7/10- Fortunately, some of the humor is toned down for a more serious tone. However, there are still plenty of laughs to be had with Book 2 of Avatar. Sokka continues to be hilarious and so is Iroh. In most episodes, there is at least one laugh-out-loud moment, along a few smirk worthy moments.

Entertainment Value: 9.1/10- Considering that the series was engaging enough for me to marathon it in three days, is a testament to the quality of the series' entertainment. Almost every episode features a fun action sequence, but the best aspects are the mythos, character dynamic, and character drama.

Overall: 9.0/10- Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2 is simply amazing. I cannot emphasize enough how surprisingly it is for me to be giving the series such a high rating, especially considering my dislike of western animation, but Avatar is something truly different.

Closing comments: Even though the first season can be a little tough to get through at times, it is completely worth it when considering the quality of Book 2.

Recommended for: Animation fans, Fantasy fans, Epic fans, Action fans,

To read more of my anime reviews, you can click here.
Also, if you have reviewed this anime, leave a comment with a link to your review and I will post it here (providing it does not contain any explicit content).

R.I.P. Mako...

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Coming Soon: September 2014

Hello once again readers of J&J Productions! And welcome to what will probably be the lamest Coming Soon in Coming Soon history! But before we get to that, let's recap a very up and down month of August. The month, despite having a few high scoring movies, had an average score of 7.2 which was about -1.3% from the average for this month. So which movies brought that average down? Let's take a look:

Guardians of the Galaxy: I'm not entirely positive if I liked it more than The Avengers, but I wouldn't be surprised if multiple viewings help it to become my favorite Marvel movie ever. Bring on the haters because this was a film that combined an immediately likeable cast of (anti?) heroes and the action/hijinks that ensue are nothing short of movie magic. It's the first film that I saw twice this year. (Rath's Review Score: 10/10 -- Instant Classic)

Get on Up: The structure of how the story was unraveled was atrocious, but other than that, this one was a groovy, in depth look at the life of James Brown, which was much harder than I thought it was. Chadwick Boseman gives the best performance of the year so far. (RRS: 8.5/10)

Into the Storm: Part of me regrets missing this one despite the mediocre reviews. It was short and it's been a while since we have had a good weather film (assuming you aren't counting Sharknados). Probably a film that is prime for a TV viewing someday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: I should preface this by stating that I was never part of the TMNT craze/cult. They just never clicked with me. So I already went into the film not connected or even looking forward to the source material. I found the film to be dull and forgettable but I know that some hardcore fans really liked it. For what it's worth, it did have a few good action scenes. (RRS: 4.5/10)

Let's Be Cops: I skipped this one as it was a busy week (business trip to CA) and the reviews were less than stellar. I haven't heard too much word of mouth from people so it seems like it ultimately might be a pretty forgettable comedy despite the imported New Girl chemistry.

The Expendables 3: It was destroyed by the critics (somewhat unfairly). The film is nowhere near as fun as the second one, but I thought it was still better than the first. Some of the new additions to the cast were fantastic and the action is continuous. The biggest issue? Some truly horrendous special effects. Like almost 1990's bad...(RRS: 7/10)

The Giver: I read the book in preparation for the movie, and I was supposed to see it with my dad and girlfriend, but it just never happened with three schedules. It seems that it captured some aspects phenomenally (the lack of color and memory giving) while it stumbled with others (plot additions, ending, etc.) Something I hope to see in the future.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: Probably the most unfairly destroyed film of the month (including at the box office...what a bomb!). The new Sin City is really 2.5 films. One consists of Jessica Alba getting revenge (pretty good), half a film of Joseph Gordon-Levitt being the dumbest character ever (terrible), and the titular "Dame to Kill For" with an always-nude Eva Green (some of the best Sin City has produced out of both films). All that added together leads to an unfocused film with startling highs and lows. (RRS: 7.5/10)

The November Man: About as generic and cliche as they come with a total disregard for human life. But the fact that we get to see Brosnan in the main role being a BAMF again makes it worth it for the most part. (RRS: 5.5/10)

As Above So Below: My rule with the horror genre is that it must either be a Paranormal Activity film or receive high reviews for me to try it out. As Above So Below is neither of those things so I skipped it. From the reviews I've read it sounds like the awesome, creepy location of the catacombs under Paris is the only positive. 

Most Surprising: None

Most Disappointing: The Expendables 3

Worst Film: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Best Film: Guardians of the Galaxy (by far)

Like I said...it was a weird August! Now let's dive into September. Remember to click the titles for the trailers.

No Good Deed -- Sep 12

Why It's Worth Seeing: Before I get started, no, you aren't reading that date wrong. There is literally nothing coming out that first weekend of September. Or at least nothing that I would most likely see or imagine you will see. Anyway...No Good Deed has potential with Idris Elba, plain and simple. The dude is a great actor and really fun to watch. If things go well, this could be his "Taken". 

What Could Go Wrong: This may sound racist, but I assure it's not. Often with fully African-American casted films, they cater heavily to a certain demographic. While that demographic loves the films, the rest of the movie going world is often unable to relate. That doesn't make the movie bad at all, but it's just hard to enjoy a film if it's completely unrelateable. I tried to make that statement as politically correct as possible, but I think you get my jist. Given that this is about all that is coming out this weekend (other than Dolphin Tale 2...YAY!!!) I'll be seeing it so I guess we will see.

The Maze Runner -- Sep 19

Why It's Worth Seeing: I just finished reading the book and it's probably my favorite YA series behind The Hunger Games (not including Harry Potter of course). The premise is awesome and the mystery unfolds in a very LOST-esque manner. If the film can get some decent child actors, make the film serious/dark like The Hunger Games does, and give us some thrilling action then it could be the start of an awesome new series.

What Could Go Wrong: Luckily there is no love story in this one so I don't have that point to make. I am slightly concerned about the budget. The story indicates that it would need a lot of special effects. I just hope they look good in the film. And there are always the children actors too. 

A Walk Among the Tombstones -- Sep 19

Why It's Worth Seeing: With Liam Neeson there is always reason to pay attention just in case we get another Taken or The Grey again. He's got this genre on lock (which is amazing he hasn't been asked to be in The Expendables yet). If the story is worthwhile then count on Neeson to make the film something special.

What Could Go Wrong: I don't think Neeson is particularly picky about the scripts he chooses. Taken 2, for example. Hopefully this adaptation of the book is strong and, having not read the book, hopefully the story avoids cliches and does something to stand out.

The Boxtrolls -- Sep 26

Why It's Worth Seeing: It comes from a strong studio and the animation looks quirky and fun. If it can give these trolls some lasting personalities then this could be a surprise hit. 

What Could Go Wrong: Animated movies kind of have to be funny (there are exceptions of course). If this one can't bring the laughs, especially with the stiff competition from The LEGO Movie earlier in the year, it could get swept under the rug.

The Equalizer -- Sep 26

Why It's Worth Seeing: Denzel Washington taking down badguys. Need I say more?

What Could Go Wrong: His latest films seem to not be as memorable despite how enjoyable they are for a single viewing. I'm hoping this one stands out a bit, but I imagine that come the end of the year none of us will remember The Equalizer, not matter how much fun we had watching it.

Must See: None :-(

On My Radar: No Good Deed, The Maze Runner, A Walk Among the Tombstones, The Boxtrolls, The Equalizer

 Predicted Duds: None :-)

There you have it! Told you that September was really lame. Basically we got Liam Neeson vs. Denzel Washington, with the potential for a YA novel to breakout. Keep your eyes out for a slightly busier October Coming Soon which will then be followed by a jam-packed November. Thanks guys! As always, I'd be REALLY appreciative if you came and followed me through Blogger at RATH'S REVIEWS and like me on Facebook HERE! I follow-for-follow 100%. Thanks again! 

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Doctor Who: Into the Dalek Review

After the semi-disappointing season premiere, the most recent episode, Into the Daleks, picks up the pace with a solid storyline that delivers both a fun and surprisingly compelling new look into the Daleks.

*Spoilers are ahead, so go watch the episode before continuing*

Sometime in the future, humans are fighting a never ending war with the Daleks, and the Doctor swoops in to save Journey Blue, a soldier in the human resistance. After returning Blue to her spaceship, the Doctor is told that the human resistance has captured a live Dalek that is requesting a "doctor." The Dalek is apparently a "good" Dalek since it is exclaiming "All Dalek must be exterminated," (or something to that effect). Now the Doctor, along with Clara and a few soldiers are task with going inside the Dalek to determine why it has "turned."

After barely being defined in his first episode, Capaldi's Doctor gets to show us a little more of what his incarnation is going to be, albeit still lacking the definition that the last three Doctors have had by this point. One moment that has clearly shown how different Capaldi is from others is his reaction to that soldier’s death. The Doctor throws him something for the soldier to ingest when the Dalek antibodies surround him. Of course, almost everyone, myself included, expect the Doctor was doing something clever to save him, but alas the Doctor says that the man was already as good as dead, and the thing he ingested was to find the Dalek's protein stomach thing. 

So far, my favorite aspect of Capaldi is his almost narcissistic attitude. If something similar happened to Smith or Tenant's Doctor, they would have been more unsettled, while Capaldi just does not care. In general, it seems that Capaldi does not care nearly as much about other people as the previous Doctors, yet he is doing good for the most part. His relationship and banter with Clara continues to be a highlight with the Doctor continually making fun of her, while she takes a few friendly jabs at him as well. 

Favorite line from the episode: 

"She's my carer. She cares so I don't have to."

Moving back to the plot, Into the Dalek introduced some intriguing new concepts to one of the Doctor's oldest enemies. The "good" Dalek suffered radiation damage causing its thing that suppresses memories and thoughts that do not include hatred (can't remember the name) to malfunction, thus making the Dalek, who the Doctor dubbed "Rusty," to remember the birth of a star. Seeing the star made the Dalek come to the conclusion that "Resistance is futile," but resistance to what the Doctor asks? Life itself. Intriguingly, the Dalek came to the conclusion that the Dalek quest to destroy life is futile because life will continue on regardless of what the Daleks do, which is one of the more interesting philosophical dilemmas Doctor Who has raised in a while.  

 

 After more stuff happens (you know because you presumably watched the episode), the Dalek returns to normal and then the Doctor and company try to make it remember the star again. To further convince it, the Doctor lets the Dalek look into his mind, and after seeing the wonder and life of the universe, the Dalek sees the Doctor’s inner hatred of the Dalek, thus making the Dalek decide that all Dalek must die! The Doctor's remark: “You looked inside me and saw hatred. That’s not a victory.” is another intriguing exploration of his character. Also, the “good” says that the Doctor would make a great Dalek.

On the negative side, the new side characters ranged from unlikable to forgettable with Journey Blue being a little annoying for a lot of the episode. Another negative is "Missy," who apparently teleports certain people right before they die around the Doctor to her place. Right now, I am skeptical about Missy since she seems all too familiar, whereas the rest of the series is gradually heading in a new direction. 

Earlier in the episode, we are introduced to Danny Pink, a former soldier and new teacher at the school where Clara works. After a little glimpse of his inner struggle from his time in the war, we get some fun dialogue exchanges between Danny and Clara. After the revelation about how much the Doctor dislikes soldiers, it will be interesting to see how the Doctor reacts or what events eventually make Danny a companion on the TARDIS. 

 

 

 So far, the impression that I get some Capaldi is that his Doctor is completely unfiltered. While the three previous Doctors did show some how much they hated the Daleks or how much they enjoyed being right or even their dislike of soldiers, Capaldi is that like, without the "courtesy filter," and right now, I am really liking it. And it helps that he is Scottish.

Overall 7.9/10- Into the Dalek is a return to form for the series with a fun episode that further defines who Capaldi's Doctor is, as well as expanding upon the Daleks themselves.

As before, if you have reviewed the episode, please let me know and I will add it to the list of links.

Into The Dalek Review by Tegan

Into the Dalek Review by Gypsy King
Into the Dalek Review by Alyianna Baggins

 

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The Wind Rises Review

In conjunction with my review of Frozen, which you can read here, here is my review for the other film up for Oscar nomination, The Wind Rises.

The Wind Rises, the last film by critically acclaimed director, Hayao Miyazaki, the founder of the famed Studio Ghibli. 

The film follows Jiro Horikoshi, the man responsible for designing several of Japan's airplanes used during World War II, most notably the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. It follows Jiro from his childhood to the role he played in designing the machines of war. 

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Drama, Historical drama,

Release Date: July 20, 2013

Running Time: 126 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Beautiful animation, Well realized characters, Effective romance, Well paced, Strong English dub, Controversial themes discussed, Stunning dream sequences, Intriguing message, Believable character flaws, Brilliant score,

The Bad:

Plot: 8.4/10- Using the art of animation in a biographical film is an intriguing idea that turns out to be incredibly effective. While Miyazaki has openly admitted that the personal life of Jiro is mostly fictional, the actual history of the aircraft designing is fascinating, although history in general interests me. 

The Wind Rises is one of Studio Ghibli's most mature films. While not the most violent, it is realistic for the most part featuring characters with real problems. Also, the pacing could be considered slow by some, but to me, the film was never boring or dull.

In Japan, The Wind Rises stirred up a lot of controversy in the way it portrayed the building of the aircrafts. Some criticized it for glorifying the creation of the war machines while other criticized it for pointing the wrongdoings of Japan for starting a war. To me, the movie effectively portrayed how one man's attempt to create something of beauty, like the airplanes, can be turned into machines of war by others. Another controversy is the amount of smoking in the film, and even though I am 100% against smoking and tobacco of any kind, people back in the 30s and 40s smoked a lot, so it is an accurate representation.

Characterization: 8.5/10- Being one of the only Miyazaki film to feature a male protagonist, Jiro Horikoshi is portrayed effectively. 

He has believable character flaws, yet he is likable enough for the audience to attach to the character during the film, and the romance towards later portion of the film with Naoko is probably the best romance of any Ghibli film. It was compelling without being too sappy or overly dramatic. While the other characters are likable enough, very few receive much character development.

Acting: 8.7/10- Normally, the both the Japanese and English dubs are roughly equal, yet in The Wind Rises is a bit different. In Japanese, Hideaki Anno plays the main character Jiro. 

Anno is best known for creating the infamously popular Evangelion franchise, but The Wind Rises is his first voicing role aside from a few cameos and parodies. Unfortunately, Anno's performance is often flat and lacking in emotion. On the other hand, Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the English dub is superb with a very subtle and nuanced performance that makes his version of Jiro more compelling. As for the rest of the cast in both Japanese and English, they are all top notch without a weak member among either cast with Emily Blunt being the standout best of the supporting actors. 

Art Style: 9.9/10- While one might expect a film more grounded in reality to be weaker in the animation department, The Wind Rises might be the most visually appealing film from Studio Ghibli to date. The character designs for male characters are vastly improved compared to other Ghibli films, while the female ones are as pleasant as always. However, the fluidity of the animation and the background animation in general is where the film truly shines. From the highly detailed planes and houses, to the stunning dream sequences, the animation is utterly amazing, especially in HD. Additionally, the animation provides The Wind Rises an advantage over many other biographical features since the animation always keeps the movie visually interesting even when the story may begin to drag.

Soundtrack: 9.8/10- As expected with Joe Hisaishi's work, the score is simply magnificent. It is sweeping, enchanting, and utterly bone chilling when it needs to be. Only John Williams crafts better orchestral music than Hisaishi.

Humor: N/A- While there are a few scenes of humor, The Wind Rises is a mostly serious film.

Non-Otaku Appeal: The Wind Rises is the exact opposite to virtually everything that the western audiences considers animation to be. It is a mature biopic about a man that happens to be brilliantly animated, and if that is what you want, then, by all means, it is a great film for anyone to watch.

Entertainment Value: 8.3/10- While not the most entertaining Ghibli film, The Wind Rises' characters and historical story were more than enough to hold my attention.

Overall: 8.6/10- Overall, The Wind Rises is one of Studio Ghibli's best efforts with the most personal story since Whisper of the Heart. Few directors could have given us a better swansong than Miyazaki did with The Wind Rises. 

Closing comments: Despite my surprise by how solid of a film Frozen was, The Wind Rises is an unquestionably superior film (at least for adults) in most respects, and the Academy should be ashamed that it lost. However, I am can understand why casual viewers would prefer Frozen.

Recommended for: Studio Ghibli fans, Miyazaki fans, Drama fans, Animation fans, Historical fans,

To read more of my anime reviews, you can click here.

The Wind Rises Review by Rick

Also, if you have reviewed this anime, leave a comment with a link to your review and I will post it here (providing it does not contain any explicit content).

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Frozen Review

Frozen, the movie that almost everyone loves and the highest grossing film of 2013. 

Frozen follows Anna and her sister Elsa, the next queen of Arendelle, who has magical ice powers. After an incident, Anna tries to track down her sister Elsa to save the land from an eternal winter, and meets various fun characters along the way. Frozen is the type of movie that has some truly excellent elements, yet is ultimately hampered by some weak writing and under developed characters. Due to Frozen’s popularity and critical praise, I am conflicted on how deeply I should look into the film, since it is a kid's film.

Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee,

Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Musical, 

Release Date: November 27, 2013

Running Time: 102 minutes

MMPA rating: PG

The Good: Beautiful animation, Likable characters (albeit not well developed), Subverts a few clichés, Appealing character designs, "Let it Go" is actually catchy, Olaf is surprisingly hilarious, One great moment, Strong performances, (mostly) Excellent ending,

The Bad: Not enough Elsa, Troll scenes are unnecessary, Too many musical numbers, Weak plot points, Slow first 20 minutes,

Plot: 6.3/10- Frozen's plot has numerous valid problems if you think about it too much. While some of them I did not even think about a lot of points until someone mentioned it, I almost want gave the movie some significant slack considering that it is a children's film and a musical. 

The plot is simple enough, with little explanation of the fantasy elements, although that is typical of the genre. The musical aspect of the film tends to hinder the film from telling a story as effectively as it could have been. For the example, the movie has about 20 minutes of songs before the plot takes effect, and that time could have been used to develop the characters, thus taking Frozen from a solid family film, to a really great movie. Also, there is a scene with Trolls that is 99% superfluous, and should have been cut from the film. If about half the songs were cut out, the movie could have improved the plot, granted, I usually cannot stand musicals. Despite these problems, my favorite aspect of the movie is how it unexpectedly subverts typical clichés towards the end, and the plot twists are hinted at slightly, but not enough to make it obvious what is going to happen. Also, the second half of the movie, which does not feature as many songs, is the best part of the movie.

Characterization: 7.2/10- Frozen has some surprisingly fun and likable characters. However, most of the characters really need more development, but again, for a Disney kids’ film, they are fleshed out just barely enough to make them enjoyable to watch.

Elsa is a character that has potential for being a truly great character, if only she had more screen time. Despite the lack of screen time, she is the best part of the movie thanks to her visually stunning scenes and anti-hero type character (but seriously, she is in the movie less than 20 minutes!). Anna, who receives the most screen time, is quirky and cute in a likable way, although her naïveté is a bit much. Having not seen Tangled, I cannot comment on whether or not she is a copy of Rapunzel. Kristoff's character ranges from occasionally cool to a little annoying. Surprisingly, the comic-relief character, Olaf, is the best part of the movie. He is funny, likable, and an all around good character.

Action: 6.5/10- Of course Frozen is not an action film by any means, however, it does have a few entertaining chase sequences bolstered by the brilliant animation.

Acting: 8.5/10- Unlike a lot of other eastern animated films, the voice acting in Frozen is actually taken seriously, at least with the principle cast. Despite her limited screen time, Idina Menzel is the standout best in the film as Elsa. Kristen Bell sells the quirkiness of Anna surprisingly well, even if the script has her do some dumb things. Josh Gad is another standout as Olaf. The rest of the cast, with the exception of the Trolls, are solid, and I want to give a special shoutout to Firefly vet Alan Tudyk as the Duke of Weselton. 

Art Style: 9.7/10- Even though 2D animation will always rival 3D in my mind, Disney Animation is the best in the business in the 3D department. Frozen looks positively beautiful with some of the most stunning animation to date, particularly the animation for the ice and snow. Seriously, Elsa's powers are awesome. The character designs, for the female characters in particular, are rather appealing, even if three of the characters look very similar.   

You're willing to sacrifice our love

You never take advice

Someday you'll pay the price

Sorry, couldn't resist a Foreigner reference...

Granted, no one probably gets it.

Soundtrack: 7.0/10- First off, I cannot stand musicals. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is the only one that I have ever truly enjoyed. 

That being said, Frozen did have a couple of songs that did not detract from the film. The Oscar winning "Let it Go" is fun and catchy enough, and believe it or not, I have managed to avoid listening to it before seeing the film. But as discussed earlier, the movie is hindered by the amount of songs, some of which are not that great or add nothing for the story. However, take my opinion with a grain of salt since I dislike musicals in general.

Humor: 8.0/10- For a family animated film, Frozen's humor is shockingly not a hindrance. Olaf is actually hilarious most of the time, while the other character’s humor is hit or miss. In fact, I laugh out loud a few times while watching the movie.

Entertainment Value: 7.2/10- Considering that I am not the demographic for the film, especially with my dislike of musicals, Frozen managed to entertain me a lot more than I ever expected, but that is largely due to the animation and Olaf. 

Overall: 7.2/10- Frozen is the type of film that has some excellent elements, but is undermined by missed opportunities and occasionally dumb writing. Despite its flaws, Frozen is still a solid movie and the fact that a kid’s film is even making me put so much thought into its flaws is probably worth something, plus that animation is just gorgeous!

Closing comments: If you absolutely love Frozen, that is perfectly fine. It is not intended for my demographic, so I can understand why some people love it.

Recommended for: Animation fans, Musical fans, Disney fans,

Please check back tomorrow for my review of The Wind Rises.

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

 

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