Anyone Bothered By The "Frozen" Blu-Ray/DVD Review?

[Old Fish Tale]

Could you give me an example of weak writing in 'Pocahontas', please? I know many people share that opinion...

[ProfessorRatigan]

^It might be different in other dubs, but in the American version, A LOT of the dialogue is clunky as hell. Like someone with a tin-ear wrote it. On top of that, the clunky-dialogue is READ poorly. Most of the voice-actors in the English dub were Native Americans who had little to no experience voice-acting (Russell Means) and it SHOWS. All of Powhatan's lines are stiff and forced. Laughably so. I feel the same way about the medicine man, Kocoum, Nakoma and Pocahontas's speaking voice. (Her singing voice is amazing, however.) Mel Gibson is also not that great. The only voices that work and convey ANY emotion whatsoever are David Odgen Stiers (as both Ratcliffe and Wiggins) and Linda Hunt as Grandmother Willow. (Linda Hunt has SUCH an amazing, distinctive voice. It's a shame she got cast in THIS Disney film.)

Also, the screenplay has no...conflict. Ratcliffe is supposed to be the villain, but does next to nothing and has virtually no effect upon the story. He never even exchanged WORDS with the titular character. If prejudice was supposed to be the villain, they dropped the ball on that one, too, because the prejudice is immediately dropped when Pocahontas throws herself between Powhatan and John Smith. How prejudiced could these jokers have really been if they dropped them so easily? It's all sound and fury, signifying nothing. That, and, I swear to GOD, the film can't go two SECONDS without shoe-horning those fucking comic-reliefs into a scene. Any quiet, reflective moment--QUICK! CUT TO THE RACCOON! THE AUDIENCE MIGHT BE FEEELLLLINNGG. WE CAN'T HAVE THAT!

I wasn't impressed with Frozen, but, comparing it to Pocahontas? Yessh... Frozen is better. I'd say I feel about Frozen the way most people feel about Princess and the Frog. It's fine. Some of the music is okay. The story is a mess. But, eh. Could be worse. I'm just baffled as to why it's making so much damn money. (And thus vindicating this, "No one gave a shit about anything after Lion King!" mentality.) Oy. Best Disney film in Twenty years? Not even Best Disney Film Since 2009, far as I'm concerned. (Seriously, has the world completely FORGOT that Hunchback, Hercules, Tarzan, Emperor's New Groove and Lilo & Stitch exist? Let alone PatF, Winnie the Pooh, Wreck-It Ralph...?) You'd think Pocahontas was the last film Disney made before Frozen, the way people are making this out to be. THAT'S what grinds my gears.

[thedisneyspirit]

I like Frozen for being a fun adventure. I like the music.

With Pocahontas...I'm mixed. It's very atmospheric (mostly the music, the backgrounds, and the scenes with Grandmother Willow), and I like that in a Disney film, but I just don't like the way history has been "romanticized" for the film. I don't care for the main characters, and I thought the film tackled the issues of the coloners and the native americans in a very..."black and white" way.

Otoh, comparing Frozen to the Lion King, I much prefer Frozen. It's very clunky in dialogue and so (seriously, how did Elsa get to that conclusion of "Love will thaw"? For that matter Anna could've spillt salt over Elsa and the same outcome would've happened).

However TLK just doesn't do it for me. The animation, colors, backgrounds and soundtrack are great, but I hate the songs, the humor, most of the comedic characters, I think Scar's a pathetic villain, and the second half is very hard to stomach.

[Avaitor]

Seeing Pocahontas in the theaters is what taught me what disappointment was.

It's still among my least favorites. I know the film has its fans, but I just can't.

[carolinakid]

Except for Colors of the Wind which I love and Just Around the Riverbend which I like very much I think the rest of the Pocahontas songs are merely serviceable (The Virginia Company? Steady as The Beating Drum? Mine, Mine Mine? Savages? These are great songs? If I Never Knew You is ok but it didn't even make it into the theatrical release!) . I don't think it's a great score at all.
BTW, the club version of Colors of the Wind by Harajuku is awesome!
I think The Lion King's score is better even though many folks here seem to hate it.

[Disney's Divinity]

At times the movie felt rushed. Honestly I think the reasons why we are so desperate over it, is because it's the closest thing we have gotten to the Little Mermaid era in ages.

I agree. Considering what's been happening at Disney since the new century, this film is obviously better than I could ever have hoped for from them again, and I'm ecstatic the public feels as strongly about this film as I did (compared to TP&TF). Tbh, this reaction to Frozen doesn't bother me at all. I also liked TLK, which is pretty much hated by most people online. The only reaction I have is, "Of course. It's the Internet."

Also, I agree with others that Frozen has an "efficient" formula, but that's because Lasseter has taken over the studio. TP&TF and Tangled also had this formula (WIR does, too, imo, but not as clearly because there isn't a romantic couple as the leads in that one), so waiting till now to cry about is pretty convenient.

I don't see Frozen as a perfect film. But I don't see most of Disney's best films (SW, TLM, Bambi, TJB, etc.) as perfect either, so that's not an argument that makes the film any less spectacular to me.

[Disney Duster]

...(seriously, how did Elsa get to that conclusion of "Love will thaw"? For that matter Anna could've spillt salt over Elsa and the same outcome would've happened).

What? Can you explain what you mean? You can use spoiler tags if you need to.

[unprincess]

Pocahontas>>> Frozen

Though I will admit that i think the sidekicks work better in Frozen than they do in Pocahontas, but only b/c they are completely out of place in the latter film's more mature tone. With Frozen they fixed the problem by making the main characters be just as irreverant & funny as the sidekicks & keeping the movie as lighthearted as possilbe...though that in itself is another problem.

[Vlad]

I loved the film, and I thought it was really great, but that does not mean it has no problems! It's not perfect. There's no such thing as a perfect movie (except Gone With the Wind ).

[thelittleursula]

Got to prefer Frozen over TLK and Pocahontas here. Pocahontas comes last on the list.

If we add Tangled into that, since some people prefer Tangled over Frozen

Frozen, TLK, Tangled, Pocahontas.


Oh screw it. Frozen is suffering from " It's popular so now it sucks " syndrome.

[Marce82]

It's funny to be reading all of these comparisons to Pocahontas, cause lately, when people ask me what I thought of Frozen, I;ve said "I would put it at Pocahontas level".

Both films are artistically great, but suffer in the story and character department. Are they as good as BatB or Lion King? No. Are they as bad as Cauldron or the package films of the 40s? No.

And I am sure someone has mentioned this before... but regardless of how good or bad the songs in Frozen are... why do they ALL end in a such an abrupt or awkward way??? NONE of them end gracefully... maybe "in summer", but its mocking grand songs in the way it ends...

[Disney Duster]

At times the movie felt rushed. Honestly I think the reasons why we are so desperate over it, is because it's the closest thing we have gotten to the Little Mermaid era in ages.

Oh screw it. Frozen is suffering from " It's popular so now it sucks " syndrome.

Both of your ideas are probably true!

[ajmrowland]

If you think reviews are meant to reflect your own opinion on something you're completely missing the point of a review.

Happens all the time. People mistake reviews for being just opinions.

[ajmrowland]

It's funny to be reading all of these comparisons to Pocahontas, cause lately, when people ask me what I thought of Frozen, I;ve said "I would put it at Pocahontas level".

Both films are artistically great, but suffer in the story and character department. Are they as good as BatB or Lion King? No. Are they as bad as Cauldron or the package films of the 40s? No.

And I am sure someone has mentioned this before... but regardless of how good or bad the songs in Frozen are... why do they ALL end in a such an abrupt or awkward way??? NONE of them end gracefully... maybe "in summer", but its mocking grand songs in the way it ends...

In large part, it's the uber broadway style of today, i believe. I would arge there's no other logical war to end Let It Go.

Sorry for doubleposting

[Disney's Divinity]

I would say Pocahontas's soundtrack is overall superior to Frozen's (although nothing from Pocahontas touches "Let It Go," imo), but the movie itself....?

I believe the aim of reviews are to be objective (and I think Luke is objective, so I'm not talking about him here), but many often give opinions thinly guised as objectivity. Besides, even if a review is being objective, they can still be completely wrong. Otherwise every review of a movie would be the same.

[estefan]

As somebody who writes film reviews, I try to make it obvious that I'm just stating my opinion and even when giving a negative review, I don't write statements like "You should avoid this completely", "I want my two hours back" and anything that basically anti-recommends a movie. After all, I have no idea of knowing what an individual will think of a movie and my own opinion does not necessarily reflect somebody else's.

[DisneyFan09]

Could you give me an example of weak writing in 'Pocahontas', please? I know many people share that opinion...

I don't want to sound condescending, but the signs of weak writing in "Pocahontas" are pretty obvious. First of all; The whole "listening with your heart" concept (or rather said; The fact that the two main leads can suddenly understand each other by listening with their hearts). I mean, come on! I could buy it as a kid, but now I consider it to be lazy as hell. For a movie striving to be realistic, grand and epic, the "listening with your heart" plotline is laughable.

There are other plotholes during this film, as why Pocahontas doesn't tell the warriors or her father immediately that Smith didn't killed Kocoum and why Chief Powhatan seems totally oblivious when Ratcliffe is about to shoot him. I didn't mind the PC-message, but I thought the romance between the leads could have been expanded more. You can say what you want about the romance between Belle and the Beast, but at least they had some development. "Pocahontas" was trying to follow the same pattern, but for a film striving to be a Romeo and Juiet-esque story, the romance is underdeveloped and contrived. At least "If I Never Knew You" added some substance to it, but that's the most powerful moment for the leads.

And last, but not least; The ending. While the ending is heart-wrenching and powerful, it's still contrived in many ways. It's admirable that Disney wanted to break their formula and not having their leads ending up together. But it was still done poorly. A tragedy has to feel hopeless. But Smith would have been better off staying in Virginia and would have easily died during the voyage home (without considering the much-hated sequel). And Pocahontas actually had the chance go with him. The ending never felt entirely hopeless and just contrived.

[disneyboy20022]

It's Luke's Opinion and he has a right to it even if I disagree with it as well so with that being said. Let It Go

[Old Fish Tale]

First of all; The whole "listening with your heart" concept (or rather said; The fact that the two main leads can suddenly understand each other by listening with their hearts). I mean, come on! I could buy it as a kid, but now I consider it to be lazy as hell. For a movie striving to be realistic, grand and epic, the "listening with your heart" plotline is laughable.

This never bothered me. I always assumed it was due to magic (those golden sparkles). I mean, there is a talking tree in the film too... I don't think they were trying to be 100% realistic.

There are other plotholes during this film, as why Pocahontas doesn't tell the warriors or her father immediately that Smith didn't killed Kocoum and why Chief Powhatan seems totally oblivious when Ratcliffe is about to shoot him.

1. Thomas had already run away, so John was the only white man there. And don't forget how prejudiced they all were. 2. Everyone had lowered their weapons by then.

[DisneyFan09]

This never bothered me. I always assumed it was due to magic (those golden sparkles). I mean, there is a talking tree in the film too... I don't think they were trying to be 100% realistic.

You're right about Grandmother Willow. But I still consider it the language barrier solving to be lazy.