Kids and adults can have a reason to hit the cinemas this coming holiday week.
Set several years after Elsa takes her place as queen of Arendelle as her sister learns that love at first sight is not the same thing as happily ever after, "Frozen 2" sees the two sisters coming to terms with change around them as the origin of Elsa's powers compels her towards an adventure that leaves the fate of her kingdom hanging in the balance.
The inherent problem with making a sequel to a film based so firmly in the realm of fairy tales, however loosely, is that the needs of a strong sequel run counter-intuitive to its very being. This isn't something that "Frozen" is immune to.
Creating a sequel requires an expansion of lore to explain metaphysical mechanics left previously vague to fit the purpose of an interpretive allegory. It means finding long term purpose for characters that were only meant to be supporting cast and it all has to be tied together by a story that is tonally at odds with the smaller set of stakes and intimacy present in the original by design.
The results are a film that tries to top its predecessor in most departments stylistically but can't quite match the level of personal resonance that the original was capable of and I can't foresee this being the same level of phenomenon as a result.
Does that make "Frozen 2" a bad movie? Not at all.
"Frozen 2" is an undeniable example of style over substance but the substance in question still makes for a rollicking ride and the substance is there.
The subtext of trusting and supporting your family to answer their life's calling, whether you understand it or not leads to some powerful scenes and musical numbers, even if they don't quite have an elegant flow or fleshed out exploration.
Above all else, the film is gorgeous and briskly paced and although it makes no bones about embracing the undiscerning demographic that it was designed to appeal to, complete with toyetically designed new characters and an obnoxiously increased presence of Olaf the snowman, it's never boring, rarely grating, and at least consistently intriguing as to what it plans to bring up next.
As far as the standard of Disney sequels go, "Frozen 2" is far from the slam dunks of something like the "Toy Story" sequels but through masterful direction, it pulls out a satisfying family friendly outing by flexing the talent of its creators and cast, even if the ambitions weren't quite as high this time around.
Letting go of 7 flurries out of 10
Relaying the story of Ford and former racer Carroll Shelby's development of the Ford GT40 to boost sales by defeating Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race, "Ford v Ferrari" makes the unique distinction of being not so much a sports film as it is a film that is centered on a sport.
The human drama of a biopic lent to the story it's telling being based on actual events not only help the racing sequences, which are intensely immersive, gorgeously shot, and worth the price of admission alone, meaningfully punctuate the storytelling but keep the film driving forward with characters that you actually want to see succeed, even if you have to swallow the pill of them doing so under the toiling thumb of a petty and infantile corporate America.
Matt Damon as Shelby and Christian Bale as passionate and thoughtful yet brash Motorsports Hall of Famer Ken Miles, whose drive to achieve his dream as successful racer with the love and support of his wife and child in the face of adversity, share such a brilliant chemistry and a convincing almost unconventional brotherly bond that I can only hope sees them put together on another project in the future.
While they're undoubtedly the star of the show, aside from the excellent aforementioned race sequences, even Henry Ford II and his corporate stooges, played by Tracy Letts, Jon Bernthal and Josh Lucas, respectively, get some surprising nuance in their portrayals, with Letts surprisingly effective dual take on Ford as a man playing into the petty hollowness of big business at human expense alongside somebody that just wants to live up to their beloved parent's legacy and Bernthal's diplomatic negotiator really leaving an impact as well.
The tale of fighting all odds to do what you love in the face of practicality, sacrifice, and even prejudice through the lens of a movie about racing as much as engineering and the trials of human spirit is infectious and compelling from start to tragically messy finish, for any that no the unfortunate fate of the late Ken Miles in real life.
"Ford v Ferrari" is far from groundbreaking and as compelling as the movie is, it could definitely benefit from a slight trim to its nearly 2 and a half hour runtime. Whatever its minor wrinkles may be however, director James Mangold has brought forth one of the best made comfort food blockbusters the theater has seen all year.
8 Laps out of 10
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