Not all you've heard but still enjoyable even though the musical aspect is a bit too Glee "big smiles, lots of teeth" showy for me

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2015)

It was late in 2013 when Frozen came out and it was a year later when I finally got to watch it, although it did not feel like it was a film that had come out so long ago because it does seem to be everywhere: endless DVDs of it in homes with children, songs on CD in cars for children, sing-along versions released into cinemas for this Christmas, and many other things that make it feel very recent and relevant. This success is hard to put to one side, but I did, and I did not go into Frozen expecting it to be the film that so many fans claim it is; which is the right way to go because this is not the perfect film some claim, even if it is really quite good in many areas.
The plot is one of them. The film starts a little awkwardly as we are introduced to two sisters, one of whom has magic ice powers, the other does not – we are asked to go with this and the events that follow because they set up the plot. Once over these rushed establishing scenes, the film settles down to be a story of two sisters; the romantic threads involving men are of course a big part of the story, but mostly it is about these two female characters – they are the leads and the story revolves around them rather than who they may or may not love. I like this as a theme and I also liked that it wasn't done as a overreaction – with male characters or any romantic subplot rejected, just that the writing was balanced and felt natural.
The story plays out well. I was surprised that the comedy was lighter than I had expected, with fewer laughs throughout the film, mostly from Olaf. As a musical I could see why the songs and the setpieces have been so popular, but also why they didn't work for me so well. There is a real sense of Glee (the show, not the emotion) in all the songs and performances, with several of the bigger numbers reminding me of the type of things you see on America's Got Talent and shows of that ilk. This makes for big showy numbers, but also feels a tad over the top for my taste; catchy and "big" for sure, but very specific to what they are doing. They worked though, and I didn't feel they were out of place in the film, just had to admit that they were not really to my preference.
In the end it stands as an enjoyable film, with a good blend of story, musical numbers, action, and comedy. Is it as good as the popularity since release suggests? Probably not, but for the limitations of what it does, it does still work.