Frozen (Spoilers)

Hey there!

Been a while since I do a full review, but this film seems to be the one everyone is talking about, mostly my daughters and their friends, but that's my social circle right now

Heads up, there is nothing that will not be spoiled in this film after this review. Beginning, middle and end, I will probably touch on it all. So, spoilers for you all.

Alright, still here?

Yes?

Ok, good.

Frozen was one of those films that I could not escape. Multiple friends with kids had it, my sister brought it over for my daughters to watch, so it was inevitable that I would see it. Unfortunately, I only saw the end for the longest time, lending some confusion as to who was what in the film.

The movie opens with people hauling ice and singing about a frozen heart. Good musical piece, but it won't really fall in to place until after we meet Elsa and Anna. We meet the girls in the usual way-sisters who are close and then something happens to drive a wedge between them. Elsa's powers are revealed and a troll gives the exposition as to the fact that fear will be Elsa's enemy. Her parents then decide to conceal her powers from the world.

Unfortunately, in true Disney fashion, the parents die due to a montage of them sailing away. The girls grow up in a sheltered castle life, hidden from the world.

Until, Elsa's coronation day, when she comes of age. Then there is lots of ceremony, pomp, circumstance and everyone excited to finally see the Queen and Princess and be inside the castle.

Inside the castle, Anna is thrilled to be able to be with people, and dreams of finding true love, while Elsa dreads the ceremony and worries that she will not be able to conceal her powers.

Outside, since princesses are naturally allowed to wander during a signing montage, Anna discovers Prince Hans, and they hit it off. Anna thinks he is the one, and they continue singing and dancing, until he proposes. Anna says yes, and rushes to ask her sister's permission. Elsa says no, and Anna, upset, pulls off Elsa's gloves, upsetting Elsa. Elsa, in a fit, accidentally shows her powers, frightening all the guests and nobles who had arrived for the coronation.

Elsa, afraid, runs away, her powers going crazy due to her emotions. She accidentally freezes the fjord, causing a winter in the middle of summer. Anna, realizing it is her fault, goes after Elsa, leaving Hans in charge of the kingdom.

Elsa sings "Let it Go" while Anna ends up at a resort/sauna and meets Kristoph and Sven, Christoph's reindeer, who acts more like a dog. Anna purchases his help to go find Elsa. On the way, they meet Olaf, a living snowman who is probably one of the most endearing characters in this film. Olaf is oblivious to what happens when snow gets hot and sings of his dream of summer.

They finally find Elsa, and Anna tries to talk to her. However, Elsa doesn't understand her powers and gets more and more upset. She lashes out in emotion, accidentally freezing Anna's heart. Christoph takes Anna to see "the love experts" who are the trolls from the beginning of the film. After a fun song about love, Anna nearly collapses and the grandfather troll says that a frozen heart can only be thawed by an act of true love. Christoph takes Anna back to see Hans. Hans, by the way, has endeared himself to the people of the kingdom, as well as gone out on an expedition, and manages to capture Elsa.

And now, we get the twist. Hans didn't love Anna, he just manipulated her so he could become king of a kingdom. We discover that he is a wonderful manipulator, and leaves Anna to freeze to death. Olaf comes to Anna's rescue, building a fire and willing to melt to keep Anna warm. Hans goes to kill Elsa, but she escapes, causing a winter blizzard due to her fear of the soldiers killing her.

Christoph is almost out of town, having left Anna with Hans. Sven, his reindeer gives him a look of disbelief when Christoph says that Anna is with her true love. Then, he notices the storm, and rushes back to save her. Elsa struggles with her power, until Hans lies and says that Anna died. Elsa, overcome, lets her guard down. As Hans prepares to kill her, Anna rushes in, just as she freezes solid, her frozen form blocking the killing blow. The act of true love thaws Anna, and Elsa realizes that love helps her control her powers. Hans is sent packing, Olaf sees summer without melting and Anna ends up choosing Christoph as her true love. The end.

This is one of few Disney movies that made me go, "That's different." It took a nice twist on the idea of true love being a sisterly love, rather than a purely romantic love. It also twists the notion of the princess ending up with the prince, as the prince ends up being a bit of a sleezeball.

The problem, is the world building. Elsa has powers-that is the extent of the explanation. We don't really know the rules of the powers, only vague or nebulous warnings from the trolls and her complete inability to deal with people for fear of her secret becoming known. So, when she figures out that true loves thaws, it feels rather convenient and a rather neat, almost TV, ending as all the loose ends get tied up.

The characters are a mixed bag. Hans is probably the most interesting, with his political machinations and plots. Christoph is a lot of fun, bit of rough around the edges type of person. Anna is a sheltered girl experiencing the world for the first time. Elsa, unfortunately, feels like she is defined by her powers and goes around being afraid until the very end. Olaf is a happy, go lucky character, it provides a lot of comic relief, and is generally very endearing.

The plot is a bit rushed, as the events happen in the span of maybe 3 days at most. After the opening scene, until the coronation, we get a montage of Anna wishing she can play with Elsa and then the parents die. Then, it is rapid fire to coronation, meet Hans, meet Christoph, meet Olaf, Elsa's captured, Hans is a jerk, and we're out. There is not a lot of time for this film to breathe, and the few small moments that do do not last long enough.

The music is decent, if a bit repetitive. It works well as a child's film, since the music is pretty memorable, but gets kind of irritating after time.

The effects are one of my favorite parts, as the snow and ice particles are a lot of fun.

Final thoughts:
Overall, the film is ok, with some great twists on common Disney tropes. It just needed some more exposition that made sense, and some more room to brief.

I honestly don't like this film. I think it needs more space to really work, rather than crammed together in what amounts to a lot of memorable songs, but not a lot of exposition. I really wish I could explain why I have such a weird aversion, almost love hate relationship, with this film. It feels like it is a rushed job, but with good music, and fun characters. It just, doesn't quite land for me. Despite all this, I still score it high because it is a beautiful film, and the dialogue works, even if the world feels narrow and undefined.

8/10

As a bonus, below is How it Should Have End's version of Frozen. There are few films where I agree with them, beyond the good jokes or fun they poke at a movie's flaws. Frozen, however, makes much more sense in their version:

Last edited by fireproof78 (2014-04-29 17:48:04)