DVD Review - Frozen

DVD Review - Frozen

Suitable for Everyone

Last year, there was no way to avoid the hype surrounding Disney's latest animated offering, Frozen. Critics were falling over themselves to proclaim it the best that Disney has produced since The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin/The Lion King (whichever is your favourite, take your pick), which is some damn high praise as those are some of the greatest and most beloved children's films of all time. Hell, for me The Lion King is one of the greatest films of all time full stop. I missed it when it first came out in the cinema, but I've finally had the chance to see if it lives up to its promise now that it's out on DVD. It would so easy to get fed up with hearing how amazing it is, that your view would be coloured firmly in the anti-Frozen corner before the disc had even started playing, so it was with a certain trepidation that my wife and I sat down to watch it.

Quite simply, Frozen is absolutely stunning.

The last time I had this feeling about a children's film was when I saw The Lion King for the first time, and I can only imagine that's the same feeling that children all over the world have been experiencing since they first saw this. We've had some brilliant animated films in the last 20 years (think how much of a game changer Toy Story, Shrek and Wall-E have been), but something about Frozen made me get that special feeling inside that I haven't had for two decades. It nails that perfect Disney charm in a way that no other company can do, populated with a perfect cast, catchy show-stopping tunes and stunning visuals.

The story itself is a re-imagining of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen, which I have to admit I really don't know anything about. Nor do I need to now, to be honest, because it wouldn't be able to replace the story here. It's the tale of two sisters, Elsa the elder, and Anna the younger, princesses in the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa has magical powers to create ice and snow which she struggles to control, and when Anna's life is put is threatened, all memory of them have to be wiped from her memory. The king and queen lock the gates to the kingdom so that no-one can discover Elsa's magic until it can be more tightly controlled. Where the sisters used to play, now Elsa refuses to come out of her room to see Anna.

Years later, after their parents death, Elsa's coronation as queen is due to take place. When Anna falls in love at the afterparty, Elsa's anger at her sudden betrothal to a man she has barely known five minutes (Hans) leads to her revealing her powers, freezing the whole kingdom and most of the surrounding mountains in the process. Elsa flees, setting up her own ice palace far away, but when Anna tries to get her to return with the help of ice merchant Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and snowman-come-to-life Olaf, Elsa isn't willing to come home, and Anna must find a way to convince her to come home and rid the kingdom of the ice and snow that now engulfs it.

Right from the beginning there are plenty of heart-wrenching moments (think Mufasa's death in The Lion King and you're getting close), and the characters are so wonderfully realised that it's impossible not to get emotionally caught up in their tale. All the voice cast are wonderful, but it's Kristen Bell as Anna and Idina Menzel as Anna and Elsa who really stand out. I never knew Kristen Bell could sing so well (Idina Menzel I knew could), but they're perfect as the sisters who so want to be as close as they used to be, but can't find a way. The combination of Kristoff and Sven is great to see, and there's plenty to boo at when one character turns out to not be who we thought they were.

There's only one character for me that doesn't work brilliantly, and unfortunately that's Olaf. He's good, with some very funny bits, but he just isn't quite on the same level as other Disney companions like Timon and Pumbaa, Flounder or Genie. Nothing at all against Josh Gad who provides his voice, but I feel as though unlike those mentioned above you could take him out and it wouldn't affect the film at all, bar one key scene towards the end. Still, it's a very minor flaw in the grand scheme of things, and doesn't detract from the overall quality.

The music really is fantastic (you'll probably be quite familiar with 'Let It Go' by now), reminding me of the Tangled soundtrack, of which I'm a big fan. Recently, there's been a different feel to Disney soundtracks than their traditional songs, but it works really well here, even if there are only two songs that will probably stand the test of time (compared to the four or five that are on most of the biggest Disney film soundtracks). The animation too is breathtaking, particularly when Elsa uses her ice powers to build her palace. Every part of the production is of the highest levels, and it's no wonder the film garnered as much praise as it did.

I'm not lying when I say that I had a feeling inside me after watching it that I haven't felt for 20 years. It's the feeling that you've seen something you'll be telling people about for years to come, and that will be cropping up on 'best of' lists for decades. It's something incredibly special, where practically everything comes together perfectly, and creates something magical in the way that only Disney can. It's imperative that you see this as soon as possible, no matter how old you are, because it's brilliant enough to make you feel like a child again, discovering a film that will stay with you for life. Bravo Disney, bravo.

10/10

Graphic Novel Review – East of West Volume 1: The Promise – Jonathan Hickman (Author) & Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – East of West Volume 1: The Promise – Jonathan Hickman (Author) & Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

Recommended for: Adults

I ordered this into the library based on a ‘Best of 2013’ list. There’s literally nothing on the back cover that gives you a hint as to what the story is about, so for once I was genuinely going into a story blind. I came out of it feeling very glad that I gave it a shot.

East of West is the story of Death, and his attempts to seek vengeance on those who attempted to destroy him and wish to bring about the end of the world. It’s set in a futuristic version of our world, with a mixture of steam punk and the Old West at play, and of course it plays heavily on the theme of the apocalypse. The other three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death being the fourth) are present, working with a group of elites from around the world called ‘The Chosen’ to bring about the Rapture, with only Death and his estranged wife standing in their way. Their actions are led by ‘The Message’, a prophecy about the end times to which they all (mostly) subscribe.

It’s a different take on the apocalypse to have Death working against it, and it works really well. Setting it in the future makes a nice change because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film or read a book where the apocalypse wasn’t happening in the present day (I presume it makes it more scary if you think that it could be happening right now). I’ll admit that it took me a short while to fully grasp everything that was going on (though I’d be lying if I said I was still 100% confident about it), but when you start to put the pieces together it fits nicely.

Character wise, it’s great seeing a new take on Death. I’m still not sure whether you’d call him a good guy or not, as he’s more just out for revenge, but I suppose if the end of the world comes about then Death kind of loses his M.O. really, doesn’t he? His wife is a fearsome badass, the type of which you’d be petrified to meet in real life, and the rest of the main cast are memorable, particulary Andrew Archibald Chamberlain, a British (I’m presuming) leader who has decided that he rather likes the world after all.

The illustrations have a very bleak feel to them which suit the story well, and are pretty graphic in places. Some of the supernatural characters, such as Death and his two witches, are very memorable in their style. It’s certainly not a bright and colourful graphic novel, though you’d be hard pressed to find someone who thinks that the apocalypse is such.

I’m intrigued to see where the story goes next, as we see Death riding off on a rescue mission, and I’d say it’s a perfect story for any who likes a bleak dystopian tale about revenge. I’ll be eagerly awaiting Volume 2.

8/10

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume Two– Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume Two– Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Recommended for adults

I’d only just finished writing my review of the fantastic Saga Volume One when I started Volume 2. I thought the first volume was absolutely brilliant, and one that I want to spread the word about to everyone that I know who loves this type of material. Having read the sequel, I’m even more determined to keep spreading the message.

*SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE FIRST BOOK AND MILD PLOT SPOILERS FOR VOLUME TWO*            

Having successfully fled the planet they were stuck on with their newborn daughter, Alana and Marko find themselves confronted by Marko’s parents. Having sent Izabel down to a random planet, Marko and his mother are sent to retrieve her, whilst Alana and Marko’s dad, Barr, bond on the ship. A secret at the heart of the planet that Izabel is on is about to cause a whole bunch of problems, as is the ship tracking them containing the bounty hunter, The Will, and someone from Marko’s past.

*END SPOILERS*

The story here continues in much the same vein as the first story, which is great because the story is wonderfully told, with the snappy dialogue that was a highlight of the first volume still working to great effect here. The addition of Marko’s parents is a great move, highlighting the conflict that they would face from the rest of society for crossing the divide between their people. Marko’s mother is completely against it, whereas his father just wants to get to know his granddaughter and spend some time with his son. Elsewhere, The Will is still trying to rescue the slave girl from the brothel planet, marking his bounty hunter character as a much more interesting type, and the addition of Gwendolyn, someone from Marko’s past, brings in yet another element of danger for the heroes of our story. There's a lot of fleshing out the background to the main characters, particularly in how Alana and Marko met, which makes it a slightly slower paced volume, but a wise move to give us more understanding into why these characters work well together.

The illustrations continue to be as eye-catching as before, bringing everything alien to life perfectly. There’s a wonderful and unforgettable creation awaiting Marko and his mother on the planet they land on, which happens to have a secret of its own hiding at its core, which is again a great sci-fi concept. I find myself getting more and more exciting to see what Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples can come up with in each chapter, and I really am frustrated that I have to wait until April to read Volume Three.

Everyone should be reading and re-reading Saga. It’s wonderfully written and drawn beautifully, full of imagination with a great story, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

10/10

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume One – Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume One – Brian K. Vaughan  (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Recommended for adults

I’d read a lot praise for Saga before read it, so it was with feverish anticipation that I started it when it finally came into the library. There’s nothing worse than finding out something you’ve been waiting for doesn’t live up to the hype, so I was delighted to find that Saga is even better than I hoped.

It’s the story of a mother, father and their child, and those hunting them down. Mother and father are from separate warring worlds, she the planet Landfall, he its moon, Wreath, and these are worlds that have been locked in conflict for as long as anyone can remember. Because the destruction of one world would push the other out of orbit, the war is outsourced to foreign lands, which is a brilliantly original piece of storybuilding. When Alana gives birth to baby Hazel, Marko must help her try and escape. They are hunted by parties on both sides, including Prince IV of the Robot People on behalf of the planet Landfall, and two freelancers called The Will and The Stalk. Helping them along the way is a ghost called Izabel, as they try to find a way off the planet they are on. It’s a fast paced affair, dealing well with the issue of warring factions in conflict, and what happens when two people from opposite sides of the war fall in love (ignore any Shakespeare similarities...).

For me, the real strength of Saga is the dialogue. It’s so witty and snappy, particularly when ghost Izabel is helping Alana and Marko. It’s also nice how there is some narration from an older Hazel filling in the back story of the world and characters. Talking of the characters, I think Izabel might be one of my favourite comic book creations of all time, already, even though she’s only in the story for a small part. There are a host of memorable characters though - Alana and Marko make for a leading couple that it’s easy to root for; The Will is a freelancing bounty hunter with a conscience, particularly when he discovers an underage slave girl on a brothel planet; and Prince IV of the Robot People is clearly weary of the war and having to fight for Landfall, with a slight hint of crazy about his person.

I mentioned a plot involved rescuing an underage slave girl from a brothel planet – this is definitely a book for adults. There are adult themes and some fairly explicit drawings throughout, and the language is full of swearing. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it’s definitely one to wait to show your kids when they’re older.

Talking of the illustrations, sometimes you feel that the images match the writing style perfectly, and that’s the case here. They’re perfectly fitting for a book about aliens, and the aliens themselves are varied and interesting, The Landfall people have wings, whereas those from Wreath (‘Moonies’) have curved horns on their heads. We see the Robot People who seem to be machines with televisions for heads, which display some of their thoughts at times of high emotion, and there are others such as the ‘lying’ cat (The Will’s companion who knows if someone is lying) and some of the women from the brothel planet who appear to be nothing but legs and a gigantic head. There’s also the most terrifying bounty hunter ever drawn, The Stalk, who is worth seeking out a picture of rather than relying on my description. Collectively they’re some of the most interesting aliens I’ve come across in literature.

Saga is a graphic novel series that I would recommend any Science-Fiction and Fantasy fans should check out as soon as they can. I’m eagerly awaiting Volume 2, which I’m beginning as soon as I finish this review. I haven’t rushed through a graphic novel this quickly for a long time, which I put down primarily to the fantastic dialogue, interesting characters and fun storyline. Please do yourselves a favour and check it out now; if anything is worth the hype, it’s Saga.

10/10