Not bad

Rating: 7/10 (11 August 2016)

I find Dory rather annoying but endearing at the same time. In this film, she often remembers things that happened a long time ago, hence she specifically calls her memory problems SHORT-TERM memory loss. She never said anything, in this movie or the previous one, about long-term memory loss so remembering things that happened long ago makes sense to me.
What I like about Dory, despite her being annoying at times, is that she's a unique character. I've never seen another movie, apart from Finding Nemo, that deals with short-term memory loss and she has instincts and a way of getting herself out of trouble that make up for her disability. I may find Dory annoying but I haven't seen another characters like her. It's not that she's particularly complex as her personality revolves around her memory problem but she's different and that's enough to make me like her.
Sometimes this film makes fun of Dory's condition, as well as Destiny's sight problems, but it's supposed to be a funny film so it fits the tone. I can't speak for people who actually have these disabilities but personally, I don't think they were being too offensive with their humour. If anything, it's refreshing to see a film that's willing to take risks by using characters with disabilities.
With all that said, this falls short of being a great film. It was good but the story line is way too similar to the first film, which is one of the most common weaknesses you can find in a sequel, with a handful of exceptions like Kung Fu Panda 2 or the Toy Story movies. The only plot difference I noticed between this film and the first one is that while Nemo was the one who needed to BE found in the previous movie, Dory was the one DOING the finding in this one. However, I did like the way Dory's past was slowly revealed throughout the movie instead of just being shown at the beginning. It was a way of giving the audience an idea of what was going on in her head and what it's like to have memory problems.
Hank the octopus was likable enough, despite being a bit of a jerk but his motivations were never really explained, particularly when he changed his mind about not wanting to return to the sea. His decision to suddenly go back to the sea, despite being so determined to go to the safe place where tagged marine life goes didn't make any sense to me. However, I did like the way he moved around in places where Dory, Marlin, Nemo and the other fish characters couldn't and seeing an octopus drive a car was quite enjoyable. Due to my lack of knowledge about the species, I actually had no idea that octopuses had three hearts or could go invisible so those were interesting little things I learned from watching this film.
Marlin and Nemo are likable but neither of them are really interesting characters. I enjoyed the scene where they talked to the clam who was abandoned by his girlfriend though.
It was nice to see some of the other characters from the first film like Crush and Mr Ray but I wish Gill and the trio of sharks had appeared too.
Finally, they actually got Sigourney Weaver in on this project. Gotta give 'em credit for that. Although did they have to use her actual name? Why not just write a character for her like every other movie?