This does not deserve to be half as good as it is but somehow it's not half bad. I also appreciate that the cast, language, and stories feel like they could be actual teenagers, not adults playing teenagers or teenagers being toned down.
A very solid follow-up to the first one, even if it's not as good. They had a challenge because the first one was so unexpected and the humor at the time was surprising. Now we're used to it so it's more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny. Still has heart, great voice actors, brilliant cameos, and new catchy-tunes.
As a super-fan of the original I have to say...I actually didn't hate it. The acting and tone was much more mature than the trailer implied it would be. The writers made some interesting plot and character choices, the changes were welcome, the premise works. Although not all the jokes land and the effects in the final fight reeked of CW superhero show, for a pilot it was a solid start. The actresses as well do a great job of being likable while still leaving room for growth with their parts. The cliffhanger was an interesting turn excited to see where it goes.
I thought the movie really underdeveloped the world, and didn't take advantage of all of the cool possibilities. Other than The Shining none of the references had any impact. Mark Rylance was the only actor to make an impression. I didn't even like the narrative of the book that much but I thought Stephen Spielberg would improve it not make it worse. The plot holes were huge especially in the third act ( How did Art3mis just walk into his office, walk out without anyone seeing or hearing her, and just walk out of the IOI headquarters ). It felt like a lot was cut for time, or they spent so much time on CGI sequences they forgot to make anything real, but what they cut were the parts that made the book interesting. You could ignore Ernest Cline's narrative and plot struggles because he made the characters slightly interesting, the challenge seemed difficult and all encompassing, and a lot of the references were actually relevant to the story. Every time they got a key it was a huge deal in the book, here I totally forgot it even mattered because it was so glossed over even from the beginning ( Really a race? ) and the real world consequences also didn't matter, so the whole thing felt like it was hitting the classic sentimental Spielberg movie moments with nothing to back it up.
Really amazing work from Franco. Much more sincere and moving than I expected it to be, but also hilarious!
Alfred Woodard does a great job as Aunt Josephine. I love her.
