Frozen 2 Review

'For kids, the audience Frozen 2 is focusing on, it's a world they would love to be part of.'
'It teaches life doesn't have to be hunky dory after a happy ending, but it's fixable if there is love,' says Moumita Bhattacharjee.

Have you ever wondered what happens after the 'happy-ever-after' ending in fairy tales?

Are they really always happy?

Do their kingdoms prosper without any interruptions?

Well, Frozen 2 tries to answer all that.

Living up to the original is a humongous task because it was such a delight.

If kids learnt that love can bring down evil in any form, adults could not stop tripping over the popular song, Let It Go.

The characters exhibited a range of emotions from Elsa's constant dread of harming her sister, her angst, Anna's desperation to find her sister, Kristoff's inability to understand his love for Anna and so much more.

Frozen 2 keeps it mundane and predictable with a one-point agenda of revealing the secrets of the enchanted forest.

The emotions seem like an afterthought.

Let It Go fetched the film an Oscar For Best Original Song, so there is an attempt to score yet another award-winning rendition.

You get three of them here.

Are they good enough? Yes, but not as effective.

Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck assemble a few important messages in the narrative hurriedly but they lose impact.

There's an ode to conservation and respecting people of all races and cultures, but by the time you realise the point behind it all, the story has moved on.

The film has simply been put together in the hope of belting out another box office hit.

The film starts with a flashback where young Elsa and Anna listen to their father narrate the story of a harmony deal between Arendelle and the natives of the Enchanted Forest.

But things go horribly wrong and it not only severs their ties but the forest is put on a lock-down by the angry spirits.

Moving to the present, Elsa (Idina Menzel) is troubled by a voice from the forest.

She is drawn to it and decides to pursue it when her rendition of To The Unknown gets the spirits to loosen their hold on the forest.

So Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Elsa set out for another adventure to unearth secrets of Elsa's origin and Arendelle's fate.

While sibling love is still the crux of this franchise, Kristoff's role is relegated to sorry attempts of proposing to Anna and a separation song. Like the original, the best lines go to Olaf!

Frozen 2 does score at certain levels.

The attempt to make the audience understand that self-discovery is a constant process is truly appreciative.

Elsa is determined to find her true self and in the process, she learns to be at peace with what she truly is.

Yes, Elsa is still troubled by her icy cool superpowers.

Being a musical, Frozen 2 has some really strong melodies.

If To The Unknown gives you goose bumps, Olaf's When I Am Older will make you wish life is that simple.

Frozen has always been one of the most visually appealing pieces of cinema and so is the sequel, which takes it a notch higher. Be it the ice sculptures revealing the mysteries of the past or the spectral horse that Elsa tames, Frozen 2 is magical.

The sequel gets a new palette -- autumn -- that replaces the icy winter from the original film and brightens up the mood instantly.

Unfortunately, the film is plagued by quick fixes, a meandering narrative and an underwhelming final act.

For kids, the audience it is focusing on, it's a world they would love to be part of.

It teaches life doesn't have to be hunky dory after a happy ending, but it's fixable if there is love.