Frozen: Every parent's least favourite film.

I was always going to get to this film eventually. 'Frozen' (2013) was an absolute phenomenon upon its release to the detriment of everyone's ears. That damn song (you know the one) was bloody everywhere torturing 75% of the general public. That alone would be a reason to avoid the film outright, but I relented and watched it shortly after it was released. Quite unsurprisingly I was not a huge fan. However, enough time has passed now that I can rewatch the film without my previous biases caused by the hype. Can't say I enjoyed it much more the second time around. The film follows two sisters, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel), who are princesses of the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa also happens to have ice powers, which she is forced to hide after accidentally hurting Anna with them as a child. Her powers are revealed on the day of her coronation when she freezes the entire kingdom and ran away after arguing with Anna about her wanting to marry Hans (Santino Fontana), a prince she met only that day. With the help of an ice merchant, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer, Sven, and a talking snowman called Olaf (Josh Gad), Anna must find Elsa so that she can reverse her magic and stop the endless winter.

Like all of these newer Disney 3D animated films, I would be lying if I said that the film doesn't look great. This film does with snow and ice what Moana (2016) did with water, and if you have read my review of that film you'll know how much I loved the water animation in that film. The snow in and film in this film looks unbelievable and reacts just like they would in real life. The physics on the snow is incredible and has not aged at all, still looking as good now as it did when it was released. This is also true for the animation on the whole. There is nothing I can say against it, it looks great and holds up 7 years on which can't be said for all 3D animated films. It is the animation where the film is at its strongest, but it is not the noyl positives the film has. It is performed very well, with the stand out performance coming from Kristen Bell as Anna. She puts in a really fun and charming performance which immediately helps you to identify and empathise with her character. Josh Gad does what he does for Olaf, a character who I fully understand having for comic relief but who found more annoying than funny, but Gad does exactly what he needed to with the character. Idina Menzel is decent as Elsa although I didn't think she hit out the park, at least not when she is not singing. Speaking of singing, the songs in this film are a mixed bag. They are all decent, but there are a couple of songs in there which kind of appear out of nowhere and don't contribute to the narrative, namely 'In Summer' which seems to only exist so Olaf can have a song. And, it pains me to say it, but 'Let it Go' is probably the best song in the film. Yes, the song that is so unbelievably overplayed and that I would do anything to avoid at one point in my life is the best in the film, and it is mainly down to Idina Menzel's incredible voice. Boy does she have some pipes on her and she lets loose in this song, pretty much knocking it out the park. I mean I wouldn't be disappointed to never hear that song ever again, but to say it is a bad song would just be a lie.

I also want to make a point of saying I appreciate how this film completely subverts your expectations of a Disney princess film. One of the major plot points of the film is that only an act of true love will break a curse, the same narrative point we have seen in so many Disney films, and the way the film makes you think it is going down that way before flipping it on its head. It is executed really well and also gives the film much more dimension than a lot of other films. However, just because one twist in the film is good doesn't mean the other one is. It is one of the biggest blots on the quality of the film. I am all for twists when they are done well and are set up, the more subtle they are set up the better. For me 'The Sixth Sense' (1999) is the most perfectly executed twist in film history because it sets the twist up so subtly that you don't see it coming, but when it does come it completely makes sense. This twist does none of that setup. I am about to spoil it so here is your warning. Basically, Hans turns out to be the villain at the end of the film. This would be fine, but the filmmakers go out of there way to show how nice of a guy Hans is, never once giving any hint that he has any evil intent. This does make the twist surprising, but it doesn't make it good. It makes it feel lazy, and it makes a lot of the Hans' previous actions to look completely idiotic and against his ultimate goal. The biggest issue I have with the film, however, is that I was bored the entire time. I don't know what it was, but I just could not get into the film at all. Is that sacrilegious to say? Maybe. But on an entertainment level, this film is way behind so many other Disney films.

'Frozen' is not a bad film. It is well performed with decent songs and stunning animation. But at the end of the day films are supposed to be entertaining and seeing as I was consistently bored throughout I would say that it failed in that regard. If it hadn't been for how good the film looks I would probably hate it, but as it stands I think it is just fine. Most of you have most likely already seen it, if you haven't I wouldn't put it to high on your watchlist. It's decent, but no way near worth the hype and mania it created upon its release.