SonderLPS

I rather enjoyed this movie, although I am a bit biased, considering that I am very childish. Despite not being the target demographic for this movie, sometimes I have the mind of one it feels like. My main advice to anyone who is considering watching this movie- if you liked the first one, then you’ll like this one. If you didn’t like the first one, then you shouldn’t waste your time with this movie. Since I was a fan of the first one, I was rather entertained by it. Of course even I got rather annoyed at times with the elementary level humor, and I barely laughed most of the movie. The funniest bits for me were the few times Branch was on screen, but that was about it. If you’re considering watching this with your children, they will most likely find this movie hilarious, although if you aren’t into obnoxious humor, then you won’t find this movie very funny. This sorta leads into my biggest complaint with this movie- and that’s the amount of screen time the background characters have. Such as Guy Diamond. I don’t find these characters funny at all. I find all of Poppy’s friends rather annoying, and unbearable. The first movie was definitely more enjoyable for me, because her friends barely had any screen time, and the movie really focused on Poppy and Branch. Which, in my opinion, are the best characters in the whole franchise. Poppy and Branch’s dynamic is very interesting for me to watch. (I will be getting into spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, skip the next paragraph)I also found the plot line where Branch attempts to confess to Poppy about his feelings for her rather enjoyable. Of course, the whole ‘boy tries to admit his feelings for girl over the course of the movie’ is a trope that’s been done a million times, although I am a sucker for tropes. If you don’t mind tropes either, you will most likely enjoy this side plot line. My biggest problem with this romance side plot is that it’s barely given any screen time. It’s mentioned only a few times through out the movie, and at the end where Branch finally tells Poppy he loves her and she says it back, it doesn’t feel satisfying, since Branch and Poppy’s relationship isn’t specified. If this franchise does get a third installment, or a ninth season,(yes, there’s a series on Netflix. I recommend checking it out. Of course many of the episodes are as obnoxious as Poppy’s friends, although if you only watch the episodes centered around Poppy and Branch, you might enjoy it)I hope they specify what Branch and Poppy are. Overall, this side plot is an interesting idea, although it was lazily executed. Through out the first movie AND the series, they have teased the two liking each other romantically, and it does disappoint me that I’ve waited all this time for the two to get together, only for it to get about five minutes of screen time. I think they should’ve cut out most of the obnoxious jokes, AND given Poppy’s friends less screen time, so that way they could’ve made room to properly develop this side plot. Although, I will give credit where credit is due, this movie did it’s job. It had a good message, that I do believe all children (and some adults) need to hear. It has a powerful message about inclusivity, and respecting other cultures. It teaches kids that we don’t all have to be the same, and that’s okay. This movie may have failed in most areas, but it succeeded in the area that was most important in my opinion. In conclusion, it’s an average movie, that fans of the first movie will enjoy.