Skip to main content

Zootopia 2 Review

Zootopia 2 expands on its titular setting in ways that contrary to many big sequel, feel natural to the world of its story and quite visually intriguing. Though it can’t recapture the magic of Zootopia (to be fair, almost no animated movie can), this sequel is engaging, charming, and incredibly funny, despite a rushed start. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman contribute to the great, if rocky, dynamic duo that is Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, now partners on the Zootopia police force and looking to do some good together. Though at first it feels like Nick has unlearned much of what he learned in the first film, we soon come to understand his motivations and where their friendship goes is very heartfelt and excellently written. Fortune Feimster, Ke Huy Quan, and Andy Samberg stand out the most as new characters in the mix, particularly Feimster as a lovable new ally of the duo.

The film may miss the thematic weight of the first film, but still has an interesting, if unsubtle, message that parents can grasp onto profoundly and discuss with their children. It does rely overly on reference and callbacks to the first film for laughs, but also is its own film when it needs to be, with engaging settings and a conflict that starts off predictable but gets more and more fun. Even if it’s a significant step down from its predecessor, it’s got fun for all ages and a ride that was worth the wait.

Rating: ★★★½

Review by: Gal Balaban

Popular posts from this blog

The Mandalorian Season 3 Review

  Listen, I love Star Wars. I will always love Star Wars.  The  original and prequel trilogies were a big part of my childhood, and helped shape my love of cinema. While  The   Mandalorian  isn’t among my favourites in  the  franchise, I thought it had a promising first season and a significantly stronger season two. Season three had so much potential, but a frustrating lack of focus held it back from greatness.  This show’s always had a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s never been as clear as it is here. Does it want to be a procedural-style adventure of  the  week, or tell an epic, multi-season spanning arc? Season one leaned toward  the  former, while Season two found a satisfying balance of both. Season three tries to find that balance, but  the  overarching story it wants to tell is bigger than  the  few episodes allotted to do so. There are only 8 chapters, some barely over 30 min. That’s a fair...
Read more

Boss Level Film Review

       Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation.  Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...
Read more

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

  What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”.  A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers.  And bo...
Read more